Overnight toilet training

[Ivyside]

I have two dogs who are 3 and we’re about to welcome an 8-week-old puppy on Saturday, same breed but a boy (my other two are sisters- breeder didn’t say we shouldn’t do this and we’ve been lucky in that they are lovely calm dogs and get along superbly with one ever so slightly more in charge) just after advice about night time toilet training. We crate trained the girls, and got up twice in the night to let them out, gradually cutting it down to once a night etc. I’m a bit wary of disrupting their routine with the nighttime training of the new pup, I’ve also read by 8 weeks pup could be capable of going from 12-6am without the toilet, is this true in anyone’s experience? Seems long to me? We have a very large under stairs area where my other two sleep, my plan is to put pup’s crate in front of the entrance to this, he will also have an attached playpen which the crate will open into. Then I was thinking of putting one of those artificial grass pee mats inside the playpen but (during the day I will be repeatedly taking him out to the section of our garden where the other two are trained to go) I was thinking that if I take him outside at 12am before I go to bed, then put him in his crate with the door open to so he can access the grass mat inside the playpen if he needs to at night, then husband gets up and takes him outside at 6am, that would be minimal disruption to the other two dogs, as I know if we come down to pup in the early hours the older two will think it’s time to get up for the day and will just whine and whine when we go back upstairs. Does this sound like a good plan or a potential disaster in training terms? Thanks

I'd have pup in your room, crated. You want him to bond with you first not the older dogs then take him out as needed. You can move him out when he's more mature.

I can only go by my own experience, but there is no way my beagle could have held it for six hours during the night at that age - in fact, he was probably closer to four or five months before he was sleeping reliably for that length of time.

Personally I would have the puppy upstairs with you do that he doesn't disturb the older ones by crying or howling, then move him downstairs once he's more reliable at sleeping through without having accidents.

2 months =2 hours of bladder control. 3 months =3 hours... Lots of charts online..

Thanks, so upstairs crated and then carry him down to go to the toilet if he cries in the night?

My older two never cried at night as they had each other so I’m not used to that aspect of it

Yes, that sounds good. He's also less likely to mess in his crate if you're right there to take him out.

Yes I’m aware they can’t hold it for more than two hours during the day but lots of things online say they can hold it a bit longer at night so that’s where I got that from.

A puppy alone in a crate without company is almost guaranteed to cry and howl. They may not even get on with being crated which is another thing to consider - mine hated his crate no matter how much we tried to train him!

Pup was put into crate when falling asleep then I set an alarm for 3 am initially (bed at 10.30 ish) then carried out and then back into the crate for another few hours. After a week or so I moved the alarm 15 minutes a night until she was going through. You ideally want the pup to stay sleepy! So literally plonk on grass, wee, scoop up and back into crate. Lights off or down if possible.

We had no issues with using the crate in this way. Once she was reliably going through we kept the door open but did pen her into an area just to stop her getting into mischief if she woke up.

Yes we’ll that’s why I was thinking it was best to put him as close to the other two as possible at night because I thought that would comfort him, he would be separated from them by the side of the crate but literally right next to them, I didn’t consider that might mean he doesn’t bond with us

I honestly wouldn't leave a brand new puppy alone with two strange, bonded adult dogs for any amount of time, let alone overnight.

I know you said the puppy will be crated but they need time to get used to each other first.

Can I ask why, they wouldn’t be able to physically touch him, I mean they are two toy cockapoos and the loveliest little girls in the world so I have no worries even if they could touch him, but he will feel their presence, so you think that would worry him rather than comfort him then?

Because he's a new dog that they don't know and is suddenly living in their house.

They could turn on each other and fight if the puppy becomes distressed, they could become jealous of the puppy, or one could become protective over him and begin to guard.

Ok thank you, good to know

Ideally 90% of your pups time needs to be with you without the other dogs. Pups are a total pain to older dogs and the way he is allowed to interact now will shape their future relationship. It needs to be good and they need to know that you will sort things out if he oversteps the mark (which he will). With a very bonded pair like you have you have to be extra careful with this. Littermates have idiosyncrasies non litter mate groups do not.

I would go to bed at 10.00, alarm for 2.00. After a week I put it on by 15 minutes and did that gradually until he would go right through. He never had an over-night accident.