I'm not sure what to do...

[hemicuda1313]

Hi everyone....

I just got Roxy on monday and we have been working on her sleeping in a crate at night so that she cant hurt herself at such a young age (she is 8wks) while we are sleeping. The question is...how often is it normal for her to wake up at this age during the night to go outside? I dont want to try to "ignore" whines if they just mean she needs to go out. What age were your boxers when they would sleep through the night or only wake up once to go out? Currently Roxy wakes me about 4 or 5 times and always has to pee. Thanks ahead of time.


--Bryan

 

[gmacleod]

4 -5 times isn't really unusual at all. If she were sleeping right through, then she might only have to go once or twice at this age. A very few individuals of this age will even make it right through the night (though that is unusual - 12-15 weeks is more normal for managing that). But the big key there is sleeping

Puppies, just like every single other mammal on the planet, need to empty their bladders less often during periods of deep sleep. The reason is a simple one - deep sleep is the body's growth and repair phase, as during this time, non-essential bodily functions such as urine production slow down. That's why you and I can happily sleep 8 hours or so without having to get up and urinate every 2-3 hours also. Whereas during the daytime, when urine production is full steam ahead, we wouldn't have a hope of lasting that long (or at least, not without extreme discomfort or if dehydrated).

But it's still only "slow down". Not complete stop. So little puppies with their little bladders are still likely to need to wake up and relieve themselves a couple of times during the night. And if they wake up for any other reason - well, they'll have to pee then also.

My suggestion at this stage of her little life is (if you don't already) to place her crate right beside your bed at night. That should help to make her secure and relaxed at night, rather than stressed at being alone. And that will give you the best chance of having her sleep for the longest periods possible. At this age, that's still very unlikely to be right through the night. In which case, it may be best to set yourself a couple of alarms for getting up to take her out (waking her if necessary - or else she'll wake you again a little while later). As she gets bigger and her bladder grows, you can gradually push back the timing of those alarms until first one, then the second potty stop is eliminated.

 

[hemicuda1313]

Thanks for the good and informative reply. I will keep that in mind. She is already right by the bed so she should be ok to sleep. Im never mad when I have to take her out...she is just too cute to ever get mad at. She just makes me smile a few extra times a night for now i guess.

 

[RachS]

Good attitude

I used to have such a hard time waking up in the morning and now I jump out of bed (no matter what time it is) to see my cute baby and to see how much he grew overnight.