Crate problems

[FreeToRun20]

I have recently found a new problem my dogs are having. Whenever my husband and I leave we place them in a crate/cage and lately it has only been for about an hour at a time that they are in there and they have been using their cage as a bathroom. I always thought that dogs do not pee where they sleep but they do it a lot. Does anyone know why they do this in their cage??? We would really like to prevent it if possible as it is a hassle to wash the cage every day.

[jacksdad]

could you provide a little more info about your dogs, age, breed, a bit about their daily routine (feeding, bathroom breaks, exercise etc) and why your using the crate this way. Not that it's wrong, but if there is a problem your trying to solve by doing this it might have a baring on how to proceed.

[Nettle]

Are they walked and emptied out before you leave them?

[FreeToRun20]

I have a Pitt/lab mix and a yorkie. the Pitt is 7 months and the yorkie is 1yr 3months. I take them out every hour and I make sure they are out for at least 30mintutes before I put them in cage. I usually only put them in the cage when I leave to go to store or something else of the sort as tehy cannot be left out alone because they chew on everything they can. We used to keep them in our room with us at night but found that they poop on our floor throughout the night so we put them in the cage at night and my husband wakes up at 6am and takes them out, then I get up and take them out every hour after that.

[Nettle]

Please would you clarify:

Are they both in the same crate?
Do you go out with them beforehand and make sure they have emptied out, or do you put them out together but without you?

Thanks - the more information we have, the better we can identify the causes and help you to find a solution.

[Pawzk9]

Breed, sex and age? One thing I'd be checking out (especially if this is a new behavior) would be to make sure you don't have a urinary tract infection going on, or another physical problem.

[FreeToRun20]

The pit is 7 months, yorkie is 1 yr 3 months. they are both female and they do get emptied before i put them in there. They are both in the same cage. the cage is very big about 8ft long and about 5ft tall, the biggest one we could find in a pet store. They are in the cage without me there as I only put them in when I have to leave but we are there at night when they are in the cage when we go to bed, but they are in a different room.

[Nettle]

After a vet check for each, I would be caging them separately. One may be intimidating the other when space is restricted.

[FreeToRun20]

Will definitely try that, thanks for all the comments