mudpuppy
Posted : 9/21/2006 12:14:29 PM
I find it very disturbing that she would poop in her crate in the first place. Did you by chance buy her from a pet store?
Most dogs come with a powerful desire to not-potty where they sleep, which is the only reason crates help housebreak dogs-- the dog holds it as best he can while in there. Dogs who are forced to potty where they sleep, such as pet store puppies, tend to lose this inhibition, and now you're in trouble. I would never ever take her back to that day care-- any place that forced dogs to poop in the crates, and thought it was ok, is not somewhere you want your dog to be.
Once a dog starts pottying in the crate it's lost its usefulness as a housebreaking tool, and you probably should start confining the pup in a larger area, such as an x-pen or kitchen, so as to not contribute to the breakdown of the pup's cleanliness instincts by being forced to potty in the sleeping place.
Then let's address why the dog can't control his poop. An 8-month dog should only be pooping once a day, twice at most. Is your dog pooping more often? the food you are feeding is a really poor choice, some folks refer to it as "science death". So definitely a food change is in order. A better food means a lot less poop. The feeding directions on bags of dog food are a joke. I recommend starting out feeding half of what the bag suggests and then adjusting up or down as needed to maintain the dog in proper weight. You should be able to feel ribs easily, and be able to see them on a short-coated dog like a bulldog.