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The doghouse

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Original poster

More puppy nighttime woes

43 replies

GhostofYou · 03/08/2017 10:00

Long time lurker, first time poster - looking for some advice please!

So we've had our springer puppy for nearly 2 weeks now, he is 11 weeks old today Smile. So far he is pretty good, still working on housetraining but we're getting there! Our nighttime routine is: bed at 10pm after a last toilet trip outside, then i set my alarm for 01:30am and 6:00am to take him to the toilet. He does have a crate which he sleeps in, but we leave the door open at night so he can get into our small utility room. Sometimes, especially at the 1:30 time, he has pooed and weed on the floor (of the utility room, not the actual crate) and is whining a bit, other nights he goes outside and there is no mess. Basically I'm just wondering how to get him to last longer through the night and to avoid him messing on the floor...is it something that will click with him eventually or am i confusing him by letting him have the run of the utility room? He does go in the crate with the door closed in the day but usually just naps in there tbh..

Thanks! Grin

OP posts:
BiteyShark · 03/08/2017 10:50

I think you need to set your alarm more frequently. I worked on 1hour per month of age plus one for night time as mine needed frequent toilet breaks. This would mean 10pm 1am, 4am and 7am. If mine didn't toilet I just popped him back in the crate. Each 2 weeks I would extend the alarm times accordingly by another 30mins. Mine had one accident at night when I forgot to set the alarm :(

Catinthecorner · 03/08/2017 11:39

I'd shut the crate.

Mine are labs, so there may be breed differences, but they could go through the night (midnight to 6am) by 11 weeks.

Are you lifting the water bowl in the evening?

I also sleep near mine while they still need taking out at night, no alarms I just wake up once they start to whinge. Once they're reliable overnight I can move bed

Lucisky · 03/08/2017 12:49

I don't agree with removing water just so the owner isn't inconvenienced.
What time do you give your puppy his last feed of the day? Could you give it earlier perhaps, and put him to bed a little later? They soon develop a poo routine, unfortunately yours has decided early am is a good time!

Captainladder · 03/08/2017 13:05

our pup is 10 weeks today.

we started out by taking him out for a wee before bed (11 ish) then out for a wee at 2.30 and then he would wake up at 5/5.30 ish for a morning poo and wee.. and sometimes go back to sleep.

last week we forgot the alarm and he slept through till 5.30 and now sleeps till 6.

he is in a crate with a bowl of water and hasnt had an accident in it yet. Maybe shut the door and do what Biteyshark did?

good luck. broken night sleep is awful Flowers

Catinthecorner · 03/08/2017 13:33

I raise puppies for a service dog charity. They explicitly tell us to lift water bowls in the evening so the pup can learn to be dry at night. They drink plenty in the day it's just helping them to succeed at a training element.

Obviously if you have a pet dog the need for toilet training might be less pressing for you.

Lucisky · 03/08/2017 13:50

Catinthecorner, I understand what you are saying, but deliberately dehydrating a puppy is a strange way to teach it to be dry at night. Puppies get control of their bladders naturally as they grow. You wouldn't miss out a baby's last bottle to teach it not to wet it's nappy.

BiteyShark · 03/08/2017 13:54

My dog goes in the crate without a water bowl. In the morning he never drinks again until after he has had breakfast which can be anything up to 1.5 hours after waking as we don't have a rigid schedule. If he went straight for water I would rethink whether he needed it at night.

CornflakeHomunculus · 03/08/2017 14:07

Dogs should have access to clean, fresh water 24/7 regardless of age. There's absolutely no need to restrict a puppy's access to water to get them sleeping through the night, it'll come naturally when they're physically capable of doing it.

Ghost I'd recommend being near your pup at night, either bringing him up into your bedroom (in his crate is fine) or you sleeping downstairs near him. Rather than setting an alarm when you think he might need to go (as you've found, he may already have gone by then) you can just nip him outside when he starts stirring. The advantage of this is you can get him out and back settled before he's properly woken up.

Once he's either in a reliable routine for going out or he's sleeping through you can gradually move him to where you want him to sleep long term or retreat back to your bedroom if you've been sleeping downstairs with him.

SparklingRaspberry · 03/08/2017 14:09

They explicitly tell us to lift water bowls in the evening so the pup can learn to be dry at night

Learn to be dry at night??? Are you serious??? Would you stop feeding a newborn at night so it learns to keep a dry nappy at night?? No you wouldn't. How ridiculous.

Puppies are babies. They have tiny bladders. They cannot be taught to hold their wee in such a tiny bladder longer than what's physically possible.

This is just lazy training. Get out of bed and take the puppy out every hour. As the puppy gets older he/she will be able to hold for longer. They don't piss on your floor for the fun of it, they piss on your floor because they can't physically hold it any longer than they already have, and because you can't be bothered to do your part of the training.

I struggle to believe this charity advised you this, but if they did then they seriously need to develop their training advice.

SparklingRaspberry · 03/08/2017 14:11

Biteyshark - how do you know your puppy doesn't need a drink? Even if it's just a little sip.

BiteyShark · 03/08/2017 14:12

If he needed a sip he would go straight to the water bowl when he gets out. He has never done it since I have had him.

BLUEsNewSpringWatch · 03/08/2017 14:18

If you don't want him in your room, how about in crate in utility but with a baby in the room so you can hear as soon as the whining starts. I never set an alarm for my pup, just took him out when he whined (he was in crate by my bed though so I could hear as soon as he started whining).

CallMeKate · 03/08/2017 14:20

I struggle to believe this charity advised you this, but if they did then they seriously need to develop their training advice.

I know of a very well known charity who gives this advice. Many of their service dogs are treated by DH and it's something he gets incredibly angry about and tells the puppy walkers under no circumstances to do this It's a very lazy, outdated way of training puppies and in my view a disgusting practice.

Catinthecorner · 03/08/2017 14:20

I'm with Biteyshark here. My pups don't want to drink first thing.

As for putting water in the crate at night, I wouldn't give a toddler a cup of water in bed. I see it as equivalent.

I personally wouldn't down a pint of water just before sleeping as I'd need to go to the loo in the night. I wouldn't set a child i was toilet training up to to fail by providing a drink last thing then expecting them to last hours without peeing.

I manage the needs of any dog with me appropriately. They are fed and watered - but they aren't given unlimited access to either.

But we won't agree - there's an obsession with 24/7 water access for children and animals. I don't buy into it. You do. We can be civil about our different beliefs

BLUEsNewSpringWatch · 03/08/2017 14:21

baby monitor*

whereismyparachute · 03/08/2017 14:24

It's a very lazy, outdated way of training puppies and in my view a disgusting practice

I agree completely.

Original poster
GhostofYou · 03/08/2017 17:07

Thanks so much everyone for your advice Smile. It's nice to hear some other ideas and opinions, sometimes feel like I'm going a bit stir crazy! I think I will try sleeping downstairs and shutting the crate door then taking him to the loo as soon as he stirs. And then I might look into a baby monitor too - I like that idea!

OP posts:
BiteyShark · 03/08/2017 17:09

We have a baby monitor (sound and video). It's great to be able to see whether he is up or sleeping. Mine also barks and growls in his sleep Grin so I can easily tell if he is dreaming or whether something is wrong.

somewhereonlyweknow123 · 03/08/2017 19:30

we crate our 10 week old puppy at night. he doesn't get crated with water, i get up and let him out twice in the night. i don't think taking the water up is disgusting at all. i wouldn't put my child to bed with a big glass of water.
our puppy whines for a bit then will go to sleep some of the best dog trainers advise crating

whereismyparachute · 03/08/2017 19:35

I always let my child take water to bed, I am not really sure why people staying that they don't, think that proves they are right?

Up to date, intelligent advice is not to restrict your very young animals access to water.

If you want the child comparison, you wouldn't let a baby go without fluids all night.

Yes, you can crate but again, the current advice is to have the crate right near you.

These are very young puppies, we are not trying to break them.

Goingtobeawesome · 03/08/2017 19:36

We were devastated when we realised we shouldn't have taken away the water bowl for overnight. The only saving grace was she wasn't desperate for a drink first thing so no apparent consequences. She now sleeps in the lounge and has access to a bowl of water.

We, well DH, got up every night for nearly a week with DDog and we thought it was what she needed as was weeing. Now realise just squeezing out a few drops Grin. We then started leaving her and she was soon sleeping through. She's a year now and and has never toileted overnight and isn't desperate to go out first thing.

somewhereonlyweknow123 · 03/08/2017 19:38

well the depends who you get advice from. the puppy needs to learn to slowly become independent otherwise they end up with separation anxiety. if you slowly get them used to being crated and they know you come back it becomes the norm. that is from caesar milan a man in my opinion who knows what he's talking about

whereismyparachute · 03/08/2017 19:39

Oh God, I just knew you would mention Ceasar Milan. I rest my case.

Goingtobeawesome · 03/08/2017 19:39

OP, we have an iMegaCam and it was only about £40. It's fab to keep an eye on her when I nip to the shops or wake early.

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