How many hours is your dog in a crate at night?

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My dog is 10 months old and is peeing at night in my kitchen. I know he can go all night without going as he has done so many times but it is hit and miss. I have always had dogs that were totally house trained and I just dont get it with this little fella. I have tried it all. I know he did a pee outside at 11.45 last night but when I came down at 7.30 this morning he had already gone again.

He had a crate for his first 6 months that was used as a bed/quiet area for him that he slept in but with the door open (mistake number one). We put it away after holidays when he just slept in his bed. I have taken it back out now as I am going to try putting him in with the door closed at night!!

So my question is...how long can I expect him to stay in it and hold his pee?? Is 8-8.5 hours expecting too much?? Cant face the cleaning up of wee each morning any longer.

My 4 month old is in from about 11-11.30pm until 6-6.30am. She is mostly dry, but tbh if you are worried about your ddog weeing, then I think it would be easier to clear up from the kitchen floor than in the crate.

Thanks Hunt, I was sort of hoping he wouldnt pee in the crate but that is probably wishful thinking. My problem is that he cocks his leg while peeing so it can be against table,chairs, sofa, foot stool. I am lucky that it is a tiled floor but oh my God pee can travel far down through grouting!!

Just read the thread about what people have given up by having a dog....maybe this is just the problem I have to live with!! He is brilliant other wise (well abit crazy but I'm mad about him)

I'd expect the dog to not go all night, mine doesn't go from between approx. 11pm and 7am. I know its easier said than done though. We didn't do anything special just locked him in the cage at night once he was trained to go outside properly during the day. I think the fact that the cage floor was filled by his bed also prevented him from peeing in there. Since he was about 1 we've kept the cage door open and he wanders round the kitchen and can get to food and water but only ever pees in the kitchen during the night if he is unwell.

My brothers dog on the other hand would still pee on the floor if they didn't put out those puppy pads at night.

Mine goes 11-7.30 but doesn't drink after 8 usually and last wee at 11.

Ah, mine is a bitch, so no leg cocking. Mine you, DH ( first time dog owner) did ask at what age she would start cocking her leg

Mine is in about 8-9 hours. Last wee at about 10.30. She used to pee on the floor when she was little so we shut the crate at night. Has been dry ever since.

Ddog1 in crate from about 11pm to 6am, only peed or pooed in his crate a few times.

Ddog2 in crate from about 11pm to 6am, peed or pooed in her crate dozens of times until she was about 8 months.

Therefore I think it just depends on the dog tbh.

My kitchen is quite big so Doggie could go to the other end, far away from his bed to pee. Now though he is not as fussy about how far away from his bed he is when he goes.

I kept thinking he would mature and it would end. He could go 4 or 5 nights not going and I would think "this is it" but no. I thought maybe when he was neutered it would stop him "marking" but again no. I really dont like the idea of shutting the crate but will try it at this stage.

Ours used to sleep in a crate and I'd generally take her out for her last wee between 10:30 and 11pm. The morning barking/squeaking would start around 6:30-7am the next morning. However, since she started sleeping in our bed (ahem) I've found she doesn't need to go out till I go downstairs. I've even rediscovered the bliss of being in bed until 8am. I totally get its a personal choice whether to have your dog upstairs or in your bed but our girl is very affectionate and I now think the morning barking was more to do with missing us than needing a wee.

Most don't will do anything to avoid soiling their bed / crate, so if his overnight weeing is purely behavioural than crating should work.

However, if he's not physically capable of going all night then you will need to get up to take him out. The fact that you say he has gone through the night before does make me wonder if there's a reason - other than just not being ready.

I'm trying to think back... DDog first went through the night at about 6-7 months IIRC.

Out of interest, what food is he on?

He eats James Beloved (dry) and normally has some protein mixed in, like chicken,ham or sausage.

I had thought maybe he wasnt peeing when out the back garden when out for his final time at night so I started bringing him for a tiny walk out front on his lead. Then I knew for sure he was peeing as there would be at least 4 cocking of the leg. He has more than enough excerise during the day as well.

I had also thought of just getting up during the night cupcakes, just wasnt sure what to do for the best......

I reckon that as well as or instead of the crate, you need to go back to basics with house training. Out every hour or two by day, once in the middle of the night, FABULOUS treats and acknowledgement for pees outside, scrub the hell out of the places he goes indoors, watch him like a hawk and race outside with him if he cocks his leg indoors in your sight.

I'd try an catch a urine sample in a clean container and bring it and him to your vet for a checkup to ensure no UTI is present. It's unlikely though.

Ddog isn't crate but he goes from 10pm until 7am, on the weekends he goes longer and sometimes refuses to go out until around 9.

Thanks Villain. Thats the whole problem. He never does it during the day therefore never in my sight. When I clean the area the waste is cleared/dried up, then cleaned with an anti-bac cleaner and recleaned with bio washing powder solution ....I am like the scent eliminator!!!

Those of you who crate, do you leave water in the crate at night?

I think I'd crate him, close the door, put water in with him, take him out as late as possible, once in the night and as early as possible. And when taking him out I'd do it on the lead, go to appointed pee zone, no chat, no sniffing and rummaging everywhere, just stand there boringly unless he pees, treats in pocket, jackpot if he goes.
It's much harder now than when he was small unfortunately, as his bladder capacity is greater so your opportunities to positively reinforce the behaviour you want are fewer.
BUT you can still lavishly reward outside pees whenever you see them, daytimes too. It all feeds into the behaviour you want to encourage.

No water in crate overnight for mine- she just zonks out. Slept through very early on and seems to like this routine

And mine is a bitch who does Cock her leg for some strange reason!

Forgive me for the question as crating wasn't a "thing" when our dog was young but surely you're not meant to lock them in overnight? Isn't that a bit cruel? I thought the idea was to create a secure, safe haven that they would choose to retreat to....not to give them no choice.

I'm not a great fan of the crate thing; it's a cage at the end of the day, but yes, people who use them close the door, hopefully only once the animal is accepting of it and only with very frequent breaks.

Our dog is in the crate all night with the door shut. He has never peed in his crate. When he was very young we got up a couple of times in the night to take him out for a pee. Now he sleeps through and when I get up in the morning and open his crate door he takes ages to come out! He is not a morning dog.

Our dog sleeps in the bedroom so if he woke at night we would hear him. I couldn't have him in a closed crate in another room as I'd worry if he was unwell in the night we wouldn't hear him.

He loves his crate and isn't at all bothered about being shut in. We also use it in the car.

My 5 month old Labrador goes 8-4.30-5 in the crate. This coincides with my bed time (very early sleeper and like to get up early to have a few hours to myself). She usually gets up, straight out for a wee and a poo, eats her breakfast and goes straight back to bed for 2 hours with the crate open but stays in bed.

My boy now it's dark seems to go from about 7.30 to 6.30-7am without needing a pee (not crated sleeps in room and so would soon let me know if needed

Yes ideally dogs shouldn't be 'locked in' if a dog simply isn't yet mature enough to hold all night, or has an upset stomach etc then being locked in a crate with soiled bedding/diarrhoea etc can be very distressing. They should also have constant access to fresh water

What breed is your dog OP? Some of the toy breeds simply aren't reliably able to be toilet trained until 10-14 months old

Just a thought - what are you cleaning up with? Are you using biological wash or something to properly remove the smell of the last one?

We still crate at 11 months - she likes it in there - it is really snug with big fleeces we pull down over the sides. She has water in there and often goes in her crate from choice in the day which is a bloody good job as she's just eaten her second bed in two weeks from her other chilling place

Mine aren't crated and go from about 9 or 10 pm, when we all go to sleep together, until about 6 or 7 am, when we all wake up together. The youngest one needed active training to settle and her need to wee during the night eased when she learned to sleep better. They have access to water in the night and get up sometimes for a drink but don't wee. I can't remember what the training was to help the young one settle but I found it online.