[boddah4]

Our almost 8 week old puppy, Lexie, wakes up a couple of times a night crying. She sleeps in a crate in a different room of the house. I take her out to go potty and then put her immediately back in her crate. She typically doesn't whine too much when I put her back in.

I am looking for advice. Should I continue to get up with her a couple of times a night and let her go outside to the bathroom or should I ignore it and see if she can "hold it" until I wake up in the morning? Her crying wakes me up, but I try and wait until she slows down and say "Quiet," before I get her out. She does usually stop for a bit, but I think she REALLY needs out since she goes right away.

Am I expecting too much out of her at such a young age? If so, when should I try to get her to get through the night?

 

[Chloe&Shawn]

Well, you should be pleased that you are even able to get her to be quiet so quickly in her crate! good job! I started out with crate training but now Bella either sleeps in bed with me or on the floor/on her bed in my bedroom. Either way she will start to make noise and wake me to go outside so I dont mind not having her in the crate for that reason!
I was feeling the same way as you, getting so tired of having to wake up so many times in the night thinking will this ever end!?!?! Now Bella is about 11 weeks old and she either wakes up once to go pee or lately she has been SLEEPING THROUGH THE WHOLE NIGHT
I would definitely take her out not make her hold it because she is so young and cannot physically hold her bladder longer than a few hours. Try to limit the amount of water you give her before bed...ever since I put away Bella'a water bowl about an hour or two before bed she is better at sleeping through the night
Good luck and try to be patient, it will only get better with time.

 

[boddah4]

Thank you very much for confirming what I thought. I did limit her water and food last night and she only woke up once. I was evena bit worried in the morning when I woke up because she was still sleeping! I guess I will just have to wait and hope it gets better every night.

 

[tessybear]

I wake at 5 a.m every morning to let Bonnie out of her crate for a wee. I put her out at midnight before I go to bed but she can't go for longer than 5 hours. I cant bear to take her water away as I wouldn't like to think of her being thirsty- it seems cruel.

 

[ali-s.j.]

There do seem to be 2 schools of thought on whether to let them out or not. Another option to taking her out is to put a puppy pad or newspaper at one end of the crate, assuming it is large enough. She will learn to control her bladder when she is ready. Many pups learn very quickly, at a young age (mine was 9weeks), some take longer. Good luck, I hope your pup will be sleeping through soon, she sounds like she's doing very well so far

 

[boddah4]

Thanks for all the advice... I want to stay away from giving her a place to go in the house. I will continue to get up with her at night. Once a night is not bad at all.

 

[Pollypiglet]

I have to say I put Hattie out for a pee if I get up for a toilet break. Just lately she has been waking at 0500hrs but if she has been in the night I do not put her out and she then settles and we get up around 0700hrs. Early days yet but I do not intend to get up early have spent the last 12months getting up with my elderly terrier who developed cushings and wanted food in the middle of the night and before that frequently got up at 4am for work! Need my sleep so trying to cultivate lie in. This will hopefully rub off on pup no2. See am already thinking ahead HELP!

 

[jaimebpa1]

Sounds like what you are doing is the right choice for you and i bet she'll be sleeping through the night in no time! I know puppies and toddlers aren't the same, but i'm so used to having toddlers that it won't bother me one bit to have to take a puppy out once a night. We get our puppy on friday and i'm more nervous about daytime house training! I don't see an issue with taking water away an hour or 2 before you go to bed. Unless she is playing really hard and then i'd offer her water.

 

[ali-s.j.]

Puppies are much much easier than kids - and you can pop them in the crate for a wee while ....

 

[boddah4]

Sounds like what you are doing is the right choice for you and i bet she'll be sleeping through the night in no time! I know puppies and toddlers aren't the same, but i'm so used to having toddlers that it won't bother me one bit to have to take a puppy out once a night. We get our puppy on friday and i'm more nervous about daytime house training! I don't see an issue with taking water away an hour or 2 before you go to bed. Unless she is playing really hard and then i'd offer her water.

Luckily my daughters started sleeping through the night at 3 months. This puppy seems to be a bit more stressful for me than the kids were.

 

[Fifi]

I also got up in the night to let Gaia go to the toilet, then she went back into her crate. At first it was twice, then once, then not at all, now she will go from 10:30 pm to 8:30 am. We only take away the water when she is in the crate.

Good luck, it will pass. We never had any mess in the crate (I'd much prefer getting up to having to bath a pup in the morning)

 

[Bodger]

We toileted Bodger about 12.00 at night and then put a puppy pad in his puppy play pen where he slept because it was bigger. I wasn't sure about doing this as I am aware I might have been confusing him but it worked ok. He was clean at night first and then dry. I always went down to him about 6.45 to take him out.

He has been house trained since he was 4 months old and had very few accidents as we used the puppy pen and gradually introduced the house room by room.

We still put a pad in his puppy pen, as he still sleeps in there. I think I will carry on as even older dogs might be unwell in the night.

I have always left water down for him as I worry he might be thirsty.