Tips from new pup please!!

[Carseatquery10]

We have just got our second pup - 6 month old boy. We already have an older dog who we got when she was a bit older - always been easy with sleeping and doing her business outside...
New boy pup keeps doing a little wee when you pick him up - any tips on this?!
Also (quite naive now, I understand), we took his bed up with us to sleep last night, he has spent the night cuddled up to me on our bed or racing around upstairs...I called him to come down to go outside and he ran into one of the bedrooms to do a poo and then came for a wee downstairs before I had chance to open the back door. 😬 I have got up so everyone else can get some sleep. He is currently asleep on my dressing gown next to me on the sofa. 🙈
We need basic tips please!! Do we need a crate? Our other girl dog never did so just assumed we could manage without again.
Kind tips and advice really welcomed please.

We had a crate and I'm glad we did but not everyone is a fan of them. We used one mainly to keep puppy safe at night/when alone but we also didn't want him sleeping on our bed as I'm a very light sleeper.
We kept it next to our bed initially. Picked him up and took him straight out for a wee then straight back to bed during the night. Straight out for a wee 1st thing in the morning too and around every hour to begin with.

Where does old dog sleep?

We used a crate at night in our room, she went into it really happily at night till about 6 months. We were going to gradually move it downstairs but now she’s ended up on the bed. I wish we’d persevered with her downstairs...anyway.

Crate helps in that she would wake up, not want to pee in her den so would wake us up and we could pick her up and take her downstairs. You have to have dressing gown, slippers and torch ready. No fuss or play and straight back to bed.

If they don’t take to the crate you’ll just have to be a bit more aware while sleeping. Or set an alarm to wake up in the night.

We used easy peasy puppy squeasy as an instruction book, really helpful on toilet training, not chasing after them, good games to play, recall, calming techniques, bite inhibition and socialisation. There’s lots of stuff to do before 12 weeks!!

I had a crate for my dog when she was a puppy, and tbh I don't think we had any pooing or weeing in the house; having said that the breeder had already started training as far as going outside was concerned so puppy already had a bit of an idea as to what was expected.

If you don't want to get a crate, or puppy doesn't take to it (you do have to crate train) I would be sleeping downstairs with the puppy, rather than taking puppy upstairs with me, setting an alarm and taking puppy outside several times during the night.

If he’s 6 months what’s been his experience before coming to you in terms of where he slept, housetraining etc?

Yes, that's a very good point about previous experience as you're going to have to undo any bad habits.

If puppy has previously been used to using puppy pads, for instance, he won't know about going outside.

I would treat him like you would an 8 week old puppy and go right back to basics.

I think a crate might be your friend.

Definitely need to know what he’s used to.

Thanks for all your thoughts. We got a crate this morning and he has already put all his toys in there and had a lovely nap in there so fingers crossed!!

Aww, bless him, taking his toys in!

Let us know how you get on tonight. Is the crate in your bedroom or downstairs?
We’ve just got a 10 week old pup and he’s in a crate. We haven’t locked him in yet overnight (literally just got him yesterday) so tonight will be the first time he’s shut in. DH slept downstairs last night but he didn’t sleep well at all and is hoping for a better night as he’s now shattered!

Well that's very positive; moving his toys in, bless him.

Hope it's better tonight for you and him.

6 months is quite old not to be fully housetrained - not your fault obviously! I’d keep putting him outside I think. I’m not pro crate for grown up dogs but I think till he and you get comfortable it’s a good option.

Thanks everyone. It is downstairs. We'll see how tonight goes. 🤞🤞

We’re in the same boat then, our crate is downstairs too. Our pup whines as soon as he wants to be let out, we try to only let him out once he’s not whining but I’m really hoping he doesn’t do it through the night. My DH is going to sleep downstairs to let him out for a wee in the night.

Hope you have a good night too!

We can compare notes in the morning - good luck!!

DH said our pup woke every hour in the night. He naturally wanted to go to sleep around 8pm so we popped him in his crate. From then he woke every 1-2 hours needing to go outside to toilet, lots of poo! Longest he slept was 4-5:50.

How was your night?

Second night he slept through and third night he wouldn't settle at first but slept through once he did. Feeling like the crate was the way forward for us!! Hope your pup sleeps a bit longer inbetween toilet breaks tonight. X

Wow that’s good, tell me your secret!

I think he must be used to sleeping in a crate. Being a pickle in the day with nibbling things when husband working from home so not all perfect.

It certainly sounds like he was used to a crate. Moving all his toys in so quickly sounds like he saw it and thought 'ah good, they've got my room ready'

Glad it's working out for you and he's sleeping better. Hope it continues.

That’s good, we’re actually trying our pup on just his bed tonight; no crate. We think he prefers it and if it means DH gets more sleep then it’s worth trying!