16 week puppy waking up early

[Cookingwithkids]

Hi all. We have a 16 week old show cocker spaniel puppy. She gets a lots of exercise and mental stimulation during the day. At nighttime, she goes in her crate at 11pm and was sleeping through until about 5/5.30am when she wakes up for wee and poo in the garden, after the toilet trip she would go back in crate again and will be up just before 6am.
However the last two weeks she has started to wake up around 4am needing a wee and poo. She does go back to bed in her crate so it’s not an attention issue I don’t think. Today she was up at 3am. Nothing has changed at home and her routine is the same. Any ideas please on what I can do to help her go longer in the night? or is it just one of those things and will get better as she gets older? Thank you

I think I'd look for a new trainer if I were you.

Dogs are a bit like kids, they haven't read the handbook. They go through the night when they are ready.

Crate and pads? Crikey. I’d look for another trainer too.

The whole point of a crate is you don’t need pads and they gradually learn to hold it longer each time. They have to wake you to go which is why it’s best they are with you as they don’t get themselves into a distressed state before you can get to them.

We don’t use the pads even though trainer recommended it. We have a baby monitor so we are down as soon the puppy wakes and barks and she’s taken to the garden for toileting.

Thank you for all the advice everyone

It sounds to me like you’re doing a good job. I’d also recommend a small snack for the puppy before bed (Lily’s bedtime biscuits are popular).
My dog (a cocker cross) took a long time to sleep through the night so we were up every night for a while but, unlike her friends who learned to use puppy pads, we haven’t had an accident indoors since she was 5 months old. She’s now 3 and will sleep through until after 9:30/10am if we let her!

Thank you. I’ll look into Lily’s biscuits. That’s amazing how much your dog sleeps! I just need until 6am!

I used to think ours wanted to be awake at 6am, but actually what she wanted was company and she'd settle back to sleep once she knew someone was around after she'd had a wee.

She now sleeps from 8 ish to 10am if she gets the chance. And tries to evade going out for a last pee...

We give a couple of these before bed

forthglade.com/products/calming-dog-treats

(Fussy dog wasn't a fan of the lily's ones)

Wow! That’s a lot of sleep! I’m an early riser so 6am would be perfect for me!

Thank you for the link

Maybe her meal needs to actually be later? Our puppy has last meal at 8pm and sleeps til 7 before needing a poo (she's still on 4 meals)

I've got at 19 month Cocker Spaniel. She needed a trip to the toilet in the early hours until around 12 months of age. Full moon last night meant a nocturnal loo trip!

She also gets chilly in the early hours, maybe your little one is cold.

I also think you are feeding her far too early. Your pup is having to cram the meals in between say 7am and 5pm.

Oh and sounds really silly but a radio playing soothing music on low really helps.

I have a 5 month old pup. I've tried lots of rearranging dinner times (eg early dinner at 3pm ish followed by a 'supper' at 7, and then just a later dinner at 8pm ish, and also dinner at 5pm ish). I keep thinking I find a schedule that works (eg. no nightime poop) and then he'll start needing one again!

I've come to the conclusion that some nights he will need to go, and some he won't (last night for example he went at 5pm after an early dinner and not again till 7am this morning!) Other nights he'll be up needing to go at 4am.

I'm guessing its just more of an age thing than a schedule thing and hopefully as he gets older, he'll go through the night more and more. He sleeps up in my room so its not a company thing for him either.

oh that sounds a lot like my puppy and me tweaking mealtimes! We got to 5.45/6am on a couple of days a few weeks ago but today it was 3am! I think I just need to lower my expectations of later wake up times and just go with whatever time the puppy wakes up! Hopefully both our pups will sleep more as they older.

Ours was up for a pee and poop at 2am last night, despite having done both in the evening, later than he did the night before when he slept through!

It is hard, as I'm quite a routine/structured type of person so just a bit more predictability would be very welcome, or finding some sort of schedule that works fairly consistently. But I've been driving myself mad with the tweaking meal times to no avail, so I'm just going to give up for now. We have our dinner at 5pm ish so he will probably have his around then too, as moving earlier/later does not seem to make any difference.

Having said that - if you find anything that helps - I'd love to hear!! Good luck.🙂

It would be worth looking at food. The more bulk the more poo. That tends to be lower quality foods (but not in all cases). Too little bulking can cause anal gland issues so it can be a balance.

Jeni - oh that’s an early wake up. Disturbed sleep is so hard. Ours woke up at 5am this morning, it was 3am yesterday. I didn’t make any changes yesterday so it just seems random.

Newpeep - we changed food gradually when puppy was about 10 weeks. On the previous food, puppy did 5/6 loose poos a day. We are now down to 3 a day and they are well formed.

Agree with the 5pm being early for a last meal. I don’t leave mine with water overnight, never have. As puppies the water bowl was taken away at bedtime and they got a big clean fresh bowl in the morning. Really helps with learning to hold it as they’re not filling up overnight. That being said, my two sleep in crates in the bedroom, we also have cats. Crate training is an amazing thing to have on hand, visitors, emergencies, and it gives the dog a space that’s secluded, comfortable and their own. Mine will often slide off the sofa in favour of their crates…..might be something to do with the double duvets in them 🤭

Also, and this is super important critical information

You are doing an amazing job, raising pups is hard and sometimes thankless but you are smashing it. I wish someone had told me that when I was going through it with my first (and second)

Also I think you’re a hero for a getting a show line cocker instead of a Poocock (cockerpoo)

Dogs should never be denied access to water. Please don’t do that OP.

I don’t leave mine with water overnight, never have.

Pets should always have access to water - it's one of the basics and they shouldn't be forced to go without just because it makes things easier for us.

Mine rarely ever chooses to drink overnight but the option is always there and he often does have some in summer.

Agree with giving her time, she is still young, and will eventually be able to go through. Mine was the same. It’s really good that she wants to go out rather than have an accident, and understands that it’s not playtime yet.

2dogs1braincell - thank you, that’s really kind. It is hard work isn’t it. I did a lot of research on breeds and looking after dogs and we’ve been considering a puppy for a good few years but the sleepless nights and the amount of work required are still a shock! And well done looking after 2 dogs and the cats!

Since I posted we have had 3am, 5am, 4am and 5.45am wake ups so it does appear quite random!

Hi, I too have a 16 week old show cocker - I feed her at around 7-7.30, midayish, 3.30ish and 7ish for last meal,all small meals and will usually give the midayish one kibble, carrots etc in a kong. After last pee at night she has a small soft treat in her crate . I had tried cutting her down to 3 but it can be abit hit and miss with her eating - but I have read cockers can be like that and she's teething. Since getting her at 8 weeks, always taken her out for toilet breaks including during the night, standing there with the umbrella, the ice and snow - yes, its been a shock and I have at times been exhausted the next day but all seems to be heading in the right direction now. I slept downstairs for 4 weeks whilst she was in her crate at night(sometimes with crate door open, sometimes closed), she can step out into a pen area though and used to give a little whine to let me know(probably to check I was around as well I expect too). I have never put a pad in that area or her crate.
I have been upstairs for the last 3 weeks and have set my alarm for various times during the night depending on the time I go to bed and put her to bed, although it tends to be 10.30 , weekends, a bit later. I have noticed she is going much longer between times and peeing for longer now, so this weekend I will set alarm for 3.15 -45 instead of the 2.15-3 time.
She is usually up at 06.30 on weekdays and 07.30ish at the weekend and no accidents over night. I would say that I don't talk to her at all when I take her out at night, just come down, take her out, put her back, if your pup is awake at 5.30 and then properly awake at 6 there isn't much difference there really - try giving your pup her last meal around 7-7.30ish, and taking her out in middle of night, may take a few nights/days but these cockers are really quick to pick things up and all the hard work does pay off as others on here have said. I know what you mean about the cats! What colour show do you have? I have blue roan

Hi Beabon. I have a gold colour show cocker. Over the last week she’s settled in to mostly waking up between 5 and 5.45am. There was one 4am wake up. She goes in her crate around 10.30/11pm. After she’s been for a wee and poo in the morning, she does go back in her crate for a snooze and is up just before 6am. She gobbles her food up so we use a slow feeder at every meal and she has kongs / lickimats / edible chews in the day.

how’s your puppy with the cats? My puppy just wants to play but cat isn’t keen and just moves away if puppy approaches. We have stair gates to keep them separate. Also to stop puppy eating the cat’s food which has happened a few times!