Am I Doing The Right Thing

[Marley'z Mum]

Hi

was just wondering if ppl could help me.... I have a nearly 9wo pup, maybe 8wo (long story) we have been toilet training, and so far we are doing really well, with the occassional mistake in the house, I dont have access to a crate so can't do crate training.... at night time when I go to bed Marley sleeps in the laundry he has his bed in there and his water... I also put newspaper on the floor to make it easier to pick up any mess... but I am wondering if by doing this I am contradicting the message of toilet training....

I go to bed around 9:30 so Marley gets put to bed then, my partner comes home from work around midnight and takes marley out to the toilet, and has a play with him and spends time with him till about 2ish am then he is put back to bed, I then get up for work around 6am and take him out for the toilet.... but he still seems to not be able to hold on till morning...

by placing the newspaper have I made it ok for him to not hold on? if so can I fix it?

also I thought pups wont soil there den, well the laundry is kinda his den, but he has toilet'd close to his bed and his water.... is this coz I put the newspaper in there?

Ideally I would have had a crate and it probably would have been easier to teach him to hold on, but dont have one therefore any advice on how to get him to hold on till morning would be great :-)

[Jaxx'sBuddy]

for the holding on i work on they can hold for 1 hour per month they are old so your puppy would only hold on for 2 hours max if it is 2 months old.

[VJB]

my partner comes home from work around midnight and takes marley out to the toilet, and has a play with him and spends time with him till about 2ish am then he is put back to bed

Does your partner take him out again right before bed at 2ish? Is he getting any food from your partner at this time also?

I never had a crate either, but up until about 15 weeks of age with Heidi, I use to take her out at 11pm, and, I would wake at 3ish and take her out again then. The time gradually increased more towards morning in the weeks that followed. Once I didn't wake up, and she lasted the night, until 6am, and I then realised that I didn't really need to be waking and taking her out anymore.

It feels like forever when you are toilet training. I didn't enjoy it at all..... but now I look back, and it was such a short time. Just felt like I was on wee/poo alert constantly. You will get there, and your pup will not be a pup for long. It goes very fast, but he is still a baby, and learning lots each day. Patience is the key, and you will turn a corner in the right direction one day soon.

[Marley'z Mum]

Does your partner take him out again right before bed at 2ish? Is he getting any food from your partner at this time also?

Yes my partner does take him out before he is put back to bed, the only food he gets is a small treat for toileting in the right spot..... I just ask coz I have read a couple of posts from ppl saying there pup's around the same age hold through the night

[Stitch]

I would not be expecting a puppy of that age to hold on for that length of time.

It does depend on the breed/size of the pup and also I have found boys can usually hold on longer than girls but puppies under 12 weeks of age are very unreliable as they are just not fully developed physically.

It is just a matter of continuing on as you are and then one day - no wees, occasional accidents, then dry forever!!!

[Nushie]

My guy is 12 weeks now and he still wakes me up during the night to go to the toilet. At 8 weeks when i got him, we would be up at least twice to three times a night. Now i go to bed around 10:30 and he wakes me up around 5am to go out.

[aussielover]

for the holding on i work on they can hold for 1 hour per month they are old so your puppy would only hold on for 2 hours max if it is 2 months old.

That is when they are awake and active.

When sleeping, they can hold on longer as everything slows down.

It really depends on the individiual pup- my pup is 10 weeks and has been holding on through the night from 11-7 since 8.5 weeks old.

I would concentrate on getting him to sleep thru the night, this is the reaosn why my pup holds on all night i think. When some idiots woke her (drunken screaming etc) the other night at around 2AM, she did have an accident.

Don't leave water available to your pup overnight. It was recommeded to me by a trainer to take the water away at 6-7pm. I don't actually do this because we do training and a big run around/play time at around 9.30-10, but I don't put water in her "den" overnight. Obviously this is not good if your dog has other health problems especially kidney problem. But a healthy puppy should be able to go the night without a drink.

It would be ideal for you to take the pup out as soon as he wakes but if he is waking during the middle of the night, then you may not be inclined to do this.

Can't remeber if you are crate training or not? Crating will encourage him to hold on but if he wakes, he will need to go within 5-10mins as he is only a baby. If he has an accident in the crate it may lead him to dislike it, especially if he has to sleep in it for another few hours with the wetness.

I would try to tire him out before bed, so he sleeps thru the night. I don't think there will be a big issue woth the newspaper, however, you could try using some soil in a tray or even a piece of turf (other dolers have done this). This will encourage him to always go on these surfaces.

Good luck

[aussielover]

Sorry, double post.

Edited June 15, 2010 by aussielover

[matilda1]

My puppy is 11 weeks and needs to go out around 3am usually.

She goes into her crate to go to sleep at about 10 pm and we are up again at 5.30 am.