Hi All I’m new on here and wondering if you could help. We have had Huey 12 week black lab for 1 week now, he is super smart and settled in really well but nighttime is a real problem for us. He will go 6 hours after his last toilet break but getting him to go to the toilet is a nightmare. He has slept for a few hours following dinner and play with us either in his crate or in front of the TV in the lounge. I then took him out about 2315 for his last toilet he wees fine but then starts racing around the garden and is into everything. I have tried taking him out in his harness and lead but he just bites it and tears around making the processs more stressful. I have come in and started the process again taking him out 5/10 mins later. He poops every 5-6 hours but is just not going on the last stop and I don’t know how to get him into the routine of last toilet before bed we are trying v hard but it’s not working. My husband and I find ourselves sitting waiting for him to calm down repeatedly trying to take him out until he finally goes then he’s awake at 6. We are exhausted and need to establish a routine. He is in a large crate (for full size lab) and loves it his bed is in there and he sleeps in there in the day. Nights 2 and 3 with us pooped in his crate and got very distressed (he was covered and had to have a 2am bath) that hasn’t happened again he is very settled now but the last toilet break of the night is becoming stressful as he just wants to play. I read everywhere you shouldn’t wake a sleepy puppy but should we wake him earlier and play before last bed? Any tips on nighttime routines I.e once Pup has had his dinner would be gratefully received thank you in advance
When you wake your puppy up he will have energy, you will need to have either some play time or training to stimulate and tire him out again. We make sure we dim the lights in the evening so that our little one is calm and relaxed. Although it is easier said than done, once you take him out for last pee ignore him and then bring back in and put into his crate. He will cry but he will realise that it is bed time.
It’s all a bit of a juggle with times at this age. If he’s going from midnight till 6am that’s a pretty good stretch for a young pup. I would have been happy with that. Carry on being calm when you take him out and he will eventually get the message. It takes a while and this stage is exhausting. Things do get easier I think from about 14 weeks as their bladders get a bit more reliable from then on. Hang in there...it will pass soon.
Christina, do you wake your puppy up to play before the last pee? Huey sleeps for hours in the evening after a play / training at say 8 but that’s too early for his bed so ideally I need to wake him for more play/training and then final toilet otherwise it’ll be 1/2 am when he wakes. I’m finding it really challenging figuring out a routine for him and it’s making me feel quite stressed it’s good to hear what others do so thank you for taking the time to reply
Thank you for taking the time to reply. It’s such a struggle I’m happy with the 6 hour stretch it seems to work for us too it’s the getting him to go to the toilet which is stressful as he’ll often play and tear around the garden and get stressed when I put his halter on to go out so I take it off. I think he can probably pick up on my stress. I think my mistake is not playing/training enough when he wakes for the final time of the day and then taking him for last toilet, will try tonight.
Most puppies will mostly sleep from around 8pm. You don't need to wear a puppy out at 10pm in order for them to sleep well at night, in fact it might have the reverse effect and make it harder for the puppy to relax and calm down afterwards. Just as many small children happily sleep from 7pm for around 12 hours, many puppies do too. I don't encourage puppies to be lively around 'last wees' time. But rather focus on play and exercise during daylight hours. Have you thought of setting up a playpen in the garden for your puppy to use for toileting purposes? It can really help establish a good routine of going outside to poop or pee. During the day you can reward the puppy for eliminating in the pen by a good romp outside of the pen. Whereas at night, you simply take the puppy to the pen on a lead, give treats when you put the puppy in the pen, more treats after eliminating. Then bring him straight back in again. Might be worth a try
Thank you very much for taking the time to reply Pippa. Should I wake him up then to take him out for a last toilet break? He gets quite stressed on his harness at bight when we take him to his toilet area so we’ve been taking him out without but this really wakes him up. He is more than happy in his harness when he wears it in the day. Should we just persist with the harness at night and stand there/ignore him whilst waiting for him to eliminate?
Luna is 25 weeks today and she will usually sleep 8/9 till 11 when we wake her for toilet, come back and have a little snack with some paw/sit, we then give her a toy or chew to help her calm and relax then she will usually be asleep by 11.30 until 6am. At 12 weeks we woke Luna about 10 and 2 for toileting. Since Huey is only 12 weeks he will be small enough to carry. Maybe you could put just a collar and lead on him, carry him to the 'toilet' spot, wait for him to pee and then carry back into the house. This way he wont wake up that much and should curl back up when in the warmth. You should ignore him when it is night time so that he doesnt think it is okay to wake up during the night. Every puppy is different and this site has helped me realise that. I bought puppy books and we were all we are going to do this and this not that. Guess what ... that didnt happen. I am about to do a post of my first 17 weeks experiences with Luna and you will see that it doesn't always go by the book.
If he needs to go out to pee, then you need to take him, even if that means waking him up. And you need to do whatever is the least exciting option for him. So if letting him tear around the garden is getting him hyped up at bedtime, this is not a great option. It sounds as though having him on a leash would be a better choice
