Letting Puppy Out To Wee At Night Questions

[Gerda the Schnauzer]

Hiya,

Not long now - puppies (std schnauzer) were born yesterday , so prep can begin in earnest now! BUT our neighbours just got a puppy labrador, and its got me thinking... they are up every 2 hours letting him out for a wee... is that normal? For how long? They are not crate training (their vet told them it was a strange American idea!!!!). We are going to crate train, so how often will I need to let puppy out? Till how old? I don't want her bladder bursting, but also don't want to make a rod for my own back!

Thanks

[ness]

I just got a 9 week old BC pup and first night I got up a few times. Second night I got up once and assumed she had finished but had an upset tummy - suffice to say the third night I got up about 5-6 times to take her out. Forth night maybe 2-3 times. Fifth night once (didn't wait for her to wake up) just when I got up myself. Have been doing that for a few nights. Last night (few days over 10 weeks) I just let her sleep until she whinged and she woke up at 6:30am to go. Now I will just take her out when she needs to. The benefit of taking her when she hadn't woken up completely was she would go and then settle a lot quicker again after.

And for information sake - she sleeps in the crate.

Edited June 17, 2008 by ness

[♪♫LMBC♫♪]

The first night I got up every 2 hours. The second night I left him for three hours. Last night I only took him out once during the night and once early in the morning. After the early morning toilet break he went in his crate. I think I might start feeding him earlier so hopefully he gets it all out before bedtime. During the day he seems to just go wherever he is at teh time so I'm thinking he is probably just too little to realise he needs to go until its too late.

Edited June 17, 2008 by luvmybordercollie

[Guest Tess32]

Every few hours for the first week or two. They have little bladder control and you want to get them going outside before they have an accident.

[CBL]

Yep I am coming up on my second week of getting up around 3 times a night. Usually 11:30, 2:30 and 5:30 (just when he wakes) though sometimes he misses the 5:30 trip.

Oscar is so tiny that he is paper trained at the moment. We will work on outside when he gets a bit bigger.

[Gerda the Schnauzer]

Thanks. 5.30 is wake up time here anyway, so that's no drama.. and I get up a couple of times for children, so I guess it will be ok LOL. Every two hours sounded a lot... but I think they got him a bit too early... not 8 weeks old.

Do they have water with dinner then no more? Or does water have to be available all the time?

[ness]

I haven't made an issue out of water being available/unavailable. We always have a bowl in the front and another in the kitchen and my new little girl will take herself off for a drink when she choses.

[Ashley]

Guess I was lucky ( Or Lazy )

When Tohko was 8 weeks old, I would take him outside before I went to bed being around 10-30pm.

He would do number ones straight away. I would give him the command to do wee. ( helped in the long run )

Then he would go to bed in the laundry and sleep through the night until I let him out when I got up which was at 4-30 am.

I would then put him back in the laundry until family woke up, then they would put him outside feed him breakfast and there he would stay for the day.

He slept in the laundry until he was about 9 months old then decided he would prefer to sleep outside.

So I have one that sleeps inside and one that sleeps outside.

Ash..

[Rebanne]

I usually set the alarm so I get up before the pup. I set it twice for the first few nights, then cut it back to the middle of the night only and stop totally by end of the second week. Last toilet trip around 10, then again at 6.30. Plus pups sleep in the crate in my bedroom and if they need to go out you can hear them. I rarely crated them during the day, just watched them like a hawk, didn't get a lot done but it's only house work

[Animal_Lover]

My girl is only 10 weeks and the first night she went out a few times during the night but only because I was being super careful, second night was twice and since then she goes outside for "wee's" at 10.30pm before we go to bed and then doesn't wake until about 5.30am in which she goes out for a wee and goes back to bed or stays up. Every 2 hours I would say is too much, she will cry and let you know when she is awake and then you can take her out. If she is sleeping then just let her sleep.

Good Luck!

[Miranda]

I don't take puppies out during the night unless they cry, by 12 weeks of age they can usually last from 11pm until about 6 the next morning.

[CBL]

I don't take puppies out during the night unless they cry, by 12 weeks of age they can usually last from 11pm until about 6 the next morning.

Yes I don't wake Oscar - he lets me know when he needs to go.

[Veanna]

Odin has been with us for 3 nights and he has only cried to go out once during the night. He is in his crate beside our bed. He will go to the toilet about 9 before we go to bed, I'll take him out when he whines so far at about 4am, then he will get up at 6:30 when we do

Edited June 18, 2008 by Veanna

[LuvMyCav]

Your neighbours vet sounds a bit out of touch. I also use "one of those strange American ideas" (with no water in it) beside my bed and for the first several nights we got up usually only once in the night. I would hold off going to bed 'till at least 10.30 and very soon he was holding on all night, no problem.

Every two hours does sound excessive. I'd say either their puppy is drinking a lot at night or it's looking for some attention.

[Gerda the Schnauzer]

Oh thanks everyone, great to hear so many experiences.

I can't convince them to crate train! Only so much I can get away with suggesting - when I don't even have a dog yet LOL. Not sure how much he is going out at night now. Such a cute puppy though, I go see him twice a day during the day (with permission) and have taught him to come and sit LOL. Even in front of a pram! Great learning experience for me too

Thanks.

[corvus]

We never got up for KT unless he woke us up by whining. He sleeps in a crate in our room. He currently sleeps through the night, usually, without needing to go and has done since about a week after we got him. He's 12 weeks now.

Just a tip, best to carry pup out quick smart when he whines. If you let him walk out he'll wee before he gets outside. Take him straight out to his wee place and as soon as he starts weeing, say your wee command. It does help. Just classical conditioning stuff. My 12 year old dog is even going when I use the command, now! Anyway, after a week or so, just taking pup out to their wee spot can be a very strong suggestion that they need to wee. KT has been a lot easier since we got the routine going.

[Springergirl]

I'm taking Toby (10 weeks old) out on average twice a night at the moment. 1ish and about 4 ish. So far so good and no accidents in the crate. :D

[blacklabrador]

Oh thanks everyone, great to hear so many experiences.

I can't convince them to crate train! Only so much I can get away with suggesting - when I don't even have a dog yet LOL. Not sure how much he is going out at night now. Such a cute puppy though, I go see him twice a day during the day (with permission) and have taught him to come and sit LOL. Even in front of a pram! Great learning experience for me too :D

Thanks.

I think most breeders wouldn't do it any other way. It's an easy way to encourage them to hold on over night.

At 8 - 12 weeks I set alarm to get up half way through the night because their bladder capacity isn't big enough to stretch all night. Not all pups will whine to go out and if they have a lot of accidents in their crate it can become a habit. You don't want the pup to be in a situation where they have no choice but to pee in the crate. I gradually wean them out of that by then getting up after 6 hours or so and letting them out early morning before going back to bed.