House Training Your Jack Russell
My Jack Russell Defecates In the Crate
Dear British Grit:
We recently purchased a 9 week-old puppy and are having some difficulty keeping her crate clean due to her defecating inside of it. According to your input and so many others, they are not supposed to have accidents inside their dwelling place. What am I doing wrong?
I have been diligent about training her by taking her outside as much as possible and also using your command, “Get busy.”
She does a great job outdoors, but this crate problem has got me stumped. Why is she having such a difficult time? Please help.
Thank you,
Ray
Dear Ray:
No, it has to do with the way your breeder kept the puppies confined.
It’s likely that they were kept on cement or some other solid surface where they were allowed to play and sleep alongside their feces for hours at a time.
Like us, more experienced breeders construct kennel enclosures that allow the waste to drop through slats in the floor. Or where the pups can go outside, so that the little guys don’t get trained to feel comfortable laying and walking through their feces.
Here at British Grit we allow our puppies to play out doors as much as possible, so they don’t have accidents in the crate, and they have an opportunity to become more social.
This makes all the difference in the world, when it comes to housebreaking. Pups who’ve come from experienced breeders can be housebroken much quicker than those who do not. Jack Pups that come from less experienced breeders can take longer. (And usually do.)
The best way to fix this is to set up an enclosure in your yard, on the grass. Let the dog spend a lot of time in the enclosure (use common sense regarding water, shade, heat exposure, etc.) and the dog will become conditioned to WANT TO ELIMINATE on the grass rather than in the crate.
Also, make sure that you get your puppy out of the crate ASAP after she messes in it.
Hang on. You’re going through the toughest part of the game right now.
That’s all for now, folks!
British Grit
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