Reassure me my pupppy will sleep through eventually on his own

[SaveMyGrass]

Hi there
I have a 12 week old Cockapoo. He has been with us 4 weeks. He is an absolute joy and doing so well at everything apart from sleeping at night. We started off trying to use a crate but he wasn't keen, in retrospect I think the crate is perhaps a bit big. Anyway we have a pen area with a bed in which we are now putting him in at night. During the day he sleeps anywhere takes his fancy normally by our feet while working.

Anyway he is becoming harder and harder to settle at night after he wakes for the toilet at around 2 without one of us being in the room. And invariably it means DH or I spent the remainder of the night on the sofa. He will settle once we are in the room on the sofa with fairly minimal interaction, just the occasional hand in between the bars and a bit of shushing but if we try to creep out he will start crying again.

I know he is very young still and actually many pups don't sleep through till 16 weeks. Will this just happen naturally or are we always going to have to sleep by him?

I was considering trying the crate again but in our bedroom with the hope that he would settle easily as by us and then once he is sleeping through move the crate back onto the landing or downstairs, but a friend said that once he is in our room with us there is most likely no going back.

Any reassurance or advice would be appreciated. The trainer we have been using has said we shouldn't leave him to cry, and that with settling in the night just do what we are doing, with minimal fuss and interaction, but sleeping on the sofa is starting to take its toll.

Thank you.

Eckhurt he's a small dog so a small bladder I guess 🤷‍♀️ tbf it's not very often these days maybe once a week.

I'd rather get up once a week to let my dog out than ignore them and let them have an accident on the floor.

The vast majority should sleep through by then but you will always get the odd one that won't, especially if the dog is a toy or miniature breed. Mine is three and doesn't ask anymore, but we did get the odd night where he asked up until about six months ago.

So I feel ridiculous for having started this thread as last night he went through from 10:30 to 5:35...! So much progress in just 3 nights. He did go on his first walk yesterday so I think that tired him out. Feeling so much more confident in my decision and that we are making the right decisions.

That's awesome progress! :) Well done you and well done puppy!

Thank you @sunflowersandbuttercups I was in disbelief when I looked at the clock and it was gone 5:30 and he hadn't been up!

I remember the first time ours slept through the night, I woke up and looked at the time and then panicked massively that something must be wrong