Night times for puppy - any advice?

[SigmaPi26]

We bought our first puppy yesterday, a lovely 8 week old cockapoo. We have a crate for her, which we put her in for the first time last night. We got up twice in the night to let her out for a wee, but I don't think she went once we got outside. She weed on her bedding, so I took that out straight away. When we went down in the morning, we found she'd done a poo, which of course meant that there was then poo on everything! 🤯

Everything I've read says you have to get them up in the night to let them out for a wee, but having spoken to a few people no-one seems to do that. Please can you give me the best advice for what to do with the puppy with regards to toileting at night? Any advice would be gratefully received. Thank you!

I know we've only had her for a few days, but everything I've read says that dogs don't mess where they sleep, so why does mine?

First puppies don't read manuals. They are all different and you need to adapt to yours. You have had her a few days and yet you are expecting her to have a routine of not toileting in the night and not toileting when you leave her for an hour at a time suitable for you.

Right now she has poor bladder and bowel control. She isn't used to your house and you have not established a routine. She is pooing in her crate because she is being forced to.

Firstly you were putting her in a position at night where she had to pee and poo because you said yourself you did not want to reward barking by going to her and she barked a lot. Some of that would have Ben to let you know she needed to toilet. As last night showed you getting her to toilet outside meant a clean crate. I agree it's no fun stood outside at night in winter. But if you sleep close by or use a camera/baby monitor you can get upwhen she stirs and then use an alarm when you have got into a night time routine.

Now for the daytime she again pooed in her crate because she was again forced to. A lot of puppies that age won't be able to hold it for an hour at a time of your choosing. Mine wouldn't have and yours has shown you she can't either. It could have been that she was upset when you were out and that would have made it more likely that she would need to poo. It may be that she wasn't upset but woke up and like puppies at that age she needed to toilet straight after waking. If you don't have a camera you won't know which scenario it is but either way you now know leaving her for an hour is too long at this stage.

we got our puppy 2 days ago too. she s 10 weeks.
we wrapped her in a blanket comming home and cuddled her. I put the blanket in her bed when we got home...kids were v good and quite and just spent the day bonding.
first night she was so relaxed and happy I left her in her bed and hubby stayed up till 12/1 and I got up at 5.
few accidents on the newspaper but none in bed. we didn't crate her as the breeder really was against it.
She cried when I went back to bed so I grabbed her blanket and we snuggled and slept on the sofa.
anyway last night same routine and no accidents at 5 she wee ed outside with me and now we're snuggled up on the sofa watching tv.
she circles and barks for the loo.. up to us to move fast. she s ADORABLE but bring realistic that might change but I think we got lucky

Nothing else to add over the excellent advice you've had already on here it just that I think the more times someone says "this is normal" the more likely it is to sink in. Your puppy sounds exactly like a normal puppy who doesn't WANT to mess the crate (this is what the books mean) but doesn't not have the muscle control to stop herself.

Like wolfie says: during the day it's outside every 30 mins, plus immediately after eating, sleeping, playing, waking, plus any time she looks like she is about to go (sniffing, pacing, circling). I think I once counted taking battendog out 30 times in a single day towards the beginning.

Overnight you can go a bit longer but only because the puppies brain suppresses toilet behaviour a little bit while asleep (as yours does). Every 2-3 hours sounds about right but you'll have to tailor that to your pup as they are all a little different.

Puppies are like children with toilet training some get it quickly others take longer you just have to get a routine of going out and waiting for pup to go and praising up and eventually they will get it.

I know we've only had her for a few days, but everything I've read says that dogs don't mess where they sleep, so why does mine?

They won't mess where they sleep when they have a choice (as a rule) but if they're stuck in a crate and desperate for a wee or poo and nobody is coming to take them to the toilet, they'll go because they physically can't hold it any longer.

When you left her for an hour - have you been building up to that or did you just go out and leave her? Some puppies have separation anxiety and will mess their beds because they're scared or frightened. Mine is one of them - he's 100% toilet trained but if I'd just gone out and left him as a puppy with no "build up" he'd have been distressed and peed and pooed everywhere.

Like PP said some puppies just take longer to "get it". Mine was perfectly trained by 5 months, others are fine by 4, others it can take a year or more.

An hour is far too long to leave an 8 week old puppy. He won't be able to hold on for that length of time if he needs to go. You need to be very slowly building up to leaving him, just a few minutes at a time. I think our 6 month old puppy was about 12 weeks old before I'd leave him for about an hour, and that was after building up to it slowly. I didn't leave him at all for the for couple of weeks.

It sounds like, as others have said, your puppy is toileting in his crate because he is forced to. He can't get out and no-one comes to take him out. You did the right thing last night taking him out regularly and staying with him until he's been. That'll need to carry on for at least 2 or 3 weeks, maybe longer.