What Time to Pull Dog Food to Avoid Middle of the Night Pooping?

I have two beagles that I feed at the same time, twice a day. I was having the night "poop" problem also. I now feed them at 6:30 a.m. and at 3:30 p.m. Then, they seem to have all their business done by bedtime (which is about 9:30 p.m.). I hope this helps!!

I would talk to the vet, but he will probably tell you not to free feed. It sounds like they're getting too much food. Their bodies can't hold on to the extra you're giving them so they are eliminating in thier crate. I have two dogs as well and although it's sometimes difficult at feeding time, I would never free feed. I don't think it's good for them. Is there a reason you don't separate them at feeding time?

Hi Angela! I just completed intermediate puppy training at PetSmart, my chocolate lab thought the chihuahuas were "lunch", but at 70 lbs, I guess that was to be expected! However... I experienced, and got confirmation about feeding and crates, poops, etc. The rule seems to be feed 3 times a day for puppies, twice for adult dogs, (check the daily recommendation for your dog's age and weight) and DO NOT free feed, especially if you crate. That just invites the problem of messing their sleeping area. I also learned not to water at night... it invites pee pee mixed with the poo poo. Having said that, you might also want to get up once or twice in the night to take the dogs outside to see if they will poop. I only had to do this for a week or so before my lab realized if she didn't have to piddle, she also didn't have to poop. Eating and feeding are directly connected, as the digestion of food instantly signals bowel movement. So it is to be expected that they would foul their nest shortly after eating. NOW, don't get caught up in feeling sorry for your tiny muts. Stay the Alpha Dog, and let them know you expect them to conform to a new schedule of eating only at certain times, and no food or water in the crate. They will come along; its not much different than potty training your child, mostly it is the mom who has to watch for the signals! You're the Boss, Applesauce! Good luck,
Gramma K. in Lakewood

5 PM. that's what our vet says. but it sounds more like a behavioral issue than an actual pooping problem. they should be able to hold it for longer than 5 hrs... try feeding them half of what you normally feed them at 5P, and give them bigger breakfasts. that should help a little.

good luck! if that doesn't work, you may want to contact a behaviorist. this doesn't sound to me like an emergency pooping situation; it sounds like stubborn doggies.

A.

Hi Angela! I feel your pain! We've got a dachschund that has issues with the same thing. Anyway, we started feeding her just in the morning. She is so small that one feeding a day is fine for her. We feed our lab twice a day. Anyway, thank goodness, our lab doesn't have the same issues! So, anyway, there you have it. I think it would be a good idea to just try feeding them in the morning. Good luck!
J.
Oh, PS. If you do want to to feed them a cerain amount then you could separate them when it's time to eat. We had to do that for a while with our doggies. Good luck!

Oh poor poopie babies...

You cant free feed and crate train. Dogs need feeding times to regulate thier poops. Try seperating the dogs for mealtime for 15-30 mins to make sure that they both get enough and then pick it up. They will get used to the routine in about a week.

Also - how big is your crate? It needs to just fit the dog - there shouldnt be room for a litter pan in it - just the dog.

Try also getting up once in the night for about a week until they get used to thier new schedule.

Good Luck!

Dogs will normally go potty about a half hour after eating. So I would be them and then wait a half hour to let them out again before bedtime. It is strange that they are going in their crate. Most dogs won't go where they sleep. When we were training our lab we were told that if she was going in the crate then, the crate was too big. It should be small enough that if they go to the bathroom they will end up sleeping on it for sure. At least during the potty training stage. Good luck! house breaking is the worst part.

J.

Feed them twice a day in the moring (8 am) when you get up and 8 hours later (4 pm) in the evening. Put the food down let them eat their fill then pick up the food dish. Let them have water all day until 4 pm as it gets hotter let them have it until 5pm then pick up the water bowl.

I have a Jack Russel puppy and what works for me is buying from Greigs list a play yard (just plastic, looks like fence and no toys) and put it around the crate. She is still not fully potty trained. I would put a dog pad in one of the corner and she uses is at night and than goes back to sleep. The point is that she is used to have her crate clean. But you are a little bit late for that and they are already OK with sleeping with theirs poops. I would take a private lesson with one of your pet stores trainers like "Petco" or "Pet Smart" and ask them for advice. These guys are pretty good. Good luck!

I agree with those that have said that you can't free feed and crate train. Free feeding is also a sure way to get overweight dogs with lots of medical problems (I am a vet tech and my husband is a vet). Feed the dogs separately if necessary, feed a high quality food, and the problem will resolve.

Angela-

I have two Beagles who are crate trained. I feed them in their crates, and when they are done eating they get out. This way there is no fighting or stealing each others food. They eat at in the morning and then at dinner time.

Maybe if you try feeding them separately in their crates then you won't have to free feed because you will know they are eating. I can't imagine that a Chihuahua can eat that much, so they wouldn't be locked up for long. Once they get used to feeding times they chow down quickly!

Good luck!

J.

We have 3 dogs and we used to free feed and they goy really over weight. We now do controlled feeding in the morning and night. Your dogs will adjust to whatever feeding schedule you give them. My brother is a vet tech. and he told us they will eventually eat, they wont starve themselves. good luck

Hi Angela...that's a real problem all right. I have been a dog owner for ages and work with a number of groups that focus on the human-animal bond. It is usually quite rare for a dog to soil its den (the crate) so something else could be going on.
How old are the dogs? Have you taken them to a vet to make sure there is not something psyiological going on? If so, then I would recommend that you see an animal behaviorist.You can find one at this website: http://www.animalbehavior.org/
You might also try feeding them separately. I have friends with two Bichons who feed the dogs in their crates (each has one) so the more food aggressive one doesn't eat the others. Then I would restrict food after 6pm or so. I feed my dog her big meal in the morning and a much smaller one in the evening (just so she gets to eat when the rest of the "pack" eats).
Also...do you discipline the dogs when they poop in the crate? I am not talking about physical punishment, but a firm "No" and a scowl can help. If you're giving them a lot of attention (baths, fussing) it may be counterproductive. An animal behaviorist could really help with all this.
Good luck!

Angela,
You have quite an interesting dilema. Perhaps I can help. We have a 10yr old Dobie. She is very prissy and hates being out in the yard with our other two dogs. They have 1 acre of room fenced off and a HUGE dog house, plus protection from a very large walnut tree. It is a dog haven, but she hates being outside. We kennel our dogs in the barn at night to keep them safe and keep our male dog from marking on everything. This female pees in her kennel at least everyother night to every night. It gets frustrating to have to clean it out.
Well, two months ago she was diagnosed with food allergies and is on a strict duck and potato diet. This meant that she had to stay in the house to avoid eating things out in the yard that may make her ill.
We kenneled her each night in the kitchen. Each morning I woke up the kitchen smelled like poop. She would soil her kennel and it wasn't a pretty sight. For three mornings in a row I had to bathe her and clean out her kennel. My husband would take her out potty at 11pm each night and try to put her back in her kennel. She would completely panic and refuse to go in.
After that frustrating fiasco we no longer kennel her at night. What we found is that there is something about the kennel that she doesn't like and it is very traumatic for her.
We put out food for her and she usually eats at night. The upside to this is that she doesn't poop until morning or afternoon. I leave food in her bowl all day, and night is the time she chooses to eat. Again, my husband lets her out to go potty before bed and after our boys go to sleep, she will go in their room and sleep on her pillow.
It is possible that your kennels are too small or that they are stressed out by being locked up. Try closing off a kitchen area with gates to contain them and put a bed and puppy pads on the floor. This may be the answer to your dilema.
If all else fails go to the vet. There may be a medical reason why this is happening.
Good luck.

First off, How old are the dogs? What kind of food are you feeding them?

It seems you are doing everything right. How long have you been pulling their food at 6pm? Do they poop outside before the 11:30pm and are they pooping at 11:30pm before bed? it may mean work, but if they are pooping outside (or desired area) at 11:30pm praise them lots. Let them play a bit or love them and then put them in their crates. They may be associating potty outside bad if you are bringing them in and putting them right to bed. On the other hand, if they are not pooping at 11:30pm at their desired time then no praise. Stay out with them until they go and then bring them in. Reinforce the good behavior instead of punishing for good behavior.

I am a certified vet tech and have crate raised all of my dogs. They will go hours in a crate without any problems. We have a 1 year old cockapoo and he thinks it is cool. When he poos he comes running in sits in his kennel and gets a treat. If he does not go, we go out and not play with him, but tell him go poo and he does then he comes in sits and gets a treat. Now we know when he poos because he runs really, really fast and gets all excited. When he just pees we just let him in.

I have many more ideas to try to help.

C.

Angela,

These are animals and will be trained according to you....

I would only feed your dogs twice a day at the exact same time (don't be late) with the exact same amount and stand there when you feed them. I would give them a dog treat (just at night) that is good for their teeth afterwards, but if your greedy dog tries to eat the others food that dog does not get the treat. After your doggies check up you should be given some options for how much and what your doggies should eat and this can be your guide to proper nutrition. Make sure they have fresh water everyday as well. All of this will ensure good doggie manners as well as good balanced diet.

As far as sleeping at night, what about a room that you control the temp? If this isn't going to work ask your doctor or pet supply store for more options for controling temp. and/or bed options that might be more appropiate. I really hope you can feel much easier about your doggies so everyone won't have things so RUFF RUFF...

Have a great day!
G.

Hi Angela,

I'm with everyone else who said that it is definately not normal that these dogs mess in their crates.

Years ago, we had a dog in behavioral classes, and the trainer said that a dog would not mess where it sleeps. If a dog does, the crate is either too big, or the dog has behavioral issues. Well, that dog did. He messed his crate over and over again, and would not stop, and his crate was very small. Unbeknownst to us, he had come from a puppy mill(she told us she was a "breeder". We were really naive then), and had serious mental issues from inbreeding. Anyway, my point is, with him, it was behavioral and extremely abnormal.

We have a chi mix right now, and aside from the issues *she* has from the way she was raised, she does NOT mess her crate. She has a really small crate, and one of the few things the people we got her from did right, was that they crate trained her.

So, I don't think that this messing their crate thing is a chi issue, or even a food issue, since you're stopping at 6. I think your dogs need a behavioral eval very soon.

We have always been told by our vets to never feed after 8, and only twice a day. Our dogs get their food in the morning, and then again around our dinner time between 6:30 and 7.

I agree that you should limit how much they eat, and definately have them on a very strict diet of only one food. No table scraps, no mixing foods. Get a good premium food, and only feed a small amount each time. Pick it up as soon as they're done eating, but definately leave their water.

Working on the amount and when you feed, changing to a very small crate, and addressing the behavioral issue hopefully should help these dogs.

Best of luck to you that it gets better. I know it has to be very hard on you taking care of an infant and having to go through these challenges with not just one, but two dogs.

K. W

We have only fed our dogs ever once a day...of course they were fully trained to go only outside...so if your idea is to feed in the morning, give it a whirl! It might make sense to track how long their digestion takes to work from time you feed until elimination as well...for several days to keep a diary, so you get a sense of what is happening when.

Is there a reason they are not trained to go outside? It sounds like they go outside part of the time. I don't know if Chihuahuas are different than other dogs. I have never heard of a dog being litter trained! I do know that most animals don't want to be in their own waste, so if they are going in their crate, they might consider that the potty. If they have run of the house at other times, and still go into the crate to poo, there's the big clue...they think it's the bathroom.

You could check with your vet or search for an animal trainer who could help you figure out some strategies.

Good luck and have patience!

If you feed them a really good expensive dog food that should end the problem. Their bodies will use all the food and their poops will be once a day little solid ones. I use ProPlan. I had the same problem and as soon as she went on that it was over. Make sure they get a walk every day too.

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Nothing helps a dog poop better than exercise. Maybe taking them for a longer walk, rather than just letting them out to pee, at bedtime would help.

A.