Going Toilet at Night

[kazads]

I have a quick question.

My little Bella is 11.5 weeks old. She sleeps in a crate in our bedroom. We have never had a toilet accident during the night. I get up around 4 - 5 hours after her last potty break before bed and take her outside to do her business (which she always does). She will then go straight back in her crate not wake for at least another few hours.

The problem is, she always seems to be asleep when I get up to put her out during the night. I have been waking her, dragging her out of her crate and taking her outside. Should I be doing this, or should I be waiting until she lets me know she needs to go? Any advise would be appreciated, as I want to make she I am doing the right thing by her.

Many thanks

 

[kathysboxer]

I always just let Tyson sleep. If I heard him stir, I'd take him out. But I think there are people here who do wake them up. I don't think it really matters either way.

 

[Kilby'sMum]

I don't see the point of changing it if it's working for you and Bella this way. I don't think it matters too much, as far as I'm concerned, routine and consistency are key so you should be right. If she needed to go more often then she'd wake up.

 

[Althea]

Try letting her go a little longer if she's asleep when you take her out. That is what I did -- an hour each week, and soon Suki was sleeping through the night...soon being a month and a half, but who's counting?

 

[BoxerMoments]

I got Dakota at 10 weeks and I would just get up when he did and by 12ish weeks old he was sleeping through the night. I think he would sleep from about 10-6 but soon after that he was sleeping even longer at night. We would just take his water up about 1 1/2 - 2 hours before he went to sleep at night.

 

[Silly Goose]

Before we picked him up, we had planned on taking out Goose in the middle of the night as well. The first night we figured we might as well give him one shot at sleeping through the night and see how he did. Slept all night no accidents. He's been doing that for the past week now. Today we even overslept (he was in his crate from about 9:30p-7:00a) and he still made it just fine.

One thing we were concerned with as far as letting him out in the middle of the night was him crying when we put him back in his crate and waking up our neighbors in the middle of the night (we're on the 2nd floor of a 3 family home). We've just been making sure to tire him out real good before we put him down and he sleeps all night with no crying and no accidents.

 

[gmacleod]

I have been waking her, dragging her out of her crate and taking her outside. Should I be doing this, or should I be waiting until she lets me know she needs to go?

Yes, I think you're certainly doing the right thing If you wait until she wakes you, it may well be with crying *after* the accident has occured and she's left sitting in a wet crate. Or even if not, you would certainly have a wide-awake puppy to contend with, who may not be so keen on going back to sleep. It is far better that it is you waking her for her potty breaks.

However, as suggested above in this thread, the general aim is to eventually phase the middle of the night trips out. The best way of doing that is just to gradually push back the timing of the potty break until you reach morning and it's eliminated. As a very rough guide, you might aim for elimination of the potty break by the time your pup is 15 weeks old (the majority of pups can sleep through the night without any need for a potty break by that age).

 

[kazads]

I think she would almost make it through the night now to be honest, I just do not want to risk it at this stage. And she always walks in from outside and goes straight back in her crate afterwards, no problem! She knows when it is "beddy byes" time, and what that means.

She is 12 weeks this Friday, so I am sure within 3 weeks she will be sleeping through the night. I know I sure can't wait!!

 

[mannetti]

geez, I guess I didnt realize how lucky we are that our pup has been sleeping through the night (10:30pm-6:15am) since 8wks without any waking or accidents! The first 4 or 5 nights I pulled out the air mattress and slept next to him...had to make 2 trips per night, but I let him wake me if he needed.

 

[kazads]

So, just to update you all that Bella is sleeping through the night now (well, 10ish to a little after 5am when hubby gets up for work). I am so proud of her