We have a 9 week old puppy who has settled in well with us. She is sleeping in her crate at night, but she’ll only fall asleep with us sat by it. She wakes up every 1 hour / 1.5 hours and whines so we come downstairs and take her outside and she always goes to the toilet, either a wee / poo or both. We bring her back in straight away and put her back in the crate and stay with her until she falls asleep again. We feel like we should leave her longer in the night before going down to her but don’t want her to do her business in the crate. Also we don’t want to put her off sleeping in her crate by leaving her alone to whine. Does anyone have any tips on how to encourage her to sleep longer / fall asleep alone? We take her water away an hour before bedtime but I’m not sure it makes much difference. She’s doing really well with toilet training as we are having nearly no accidents in the house but we need to encourage her to try and hold her bladder a little longer in the night. Any tips would be much appreciated!
Hi Wignall, welcome to the forum How have you been getting on this week? Your puppy has never had to sleep alone before coming home with you, and it probably feels quite unfamiliar and worrying for her. Unfortunately if you go to her every time she whines and wait with her while she falls asleep again, she'll learn that whenever she wakes up alone, all she has to do is call and you'll keep her company! The easiest way to get round this is probably to move her crate right next to your bed for a bit longer. That way she won't have to whine for your company in the night, and when she gets up because she needs to pee, you'll be aware of it and take her out before she starts whining. She'll be able to sleep quietly in the crate downstairs once she feels more confident in your home overnight Good luck, let us know how you get on!
Hi Wignall If she is really urinating every 90 minutes, then her body is telling you her sphincter muscle is not strong enough to hold the urine all night. I endorse Sarah's answer but would add another bit. Develop a roster so you can take turns. Wake her up, say after 70 minutes, before she starts whining, and take her outside on a house line to urinate. When she finishes urinating give her a treat, and put her back in her crate. When she whines you know she only needs comforting. A quiet word from your bed should settle her. Keep a record of your trips to the garden and start to gradually delay the need to take her out every 70 minutes. Observe her during the day to gauge how frequently she needs to urinate. In doing so, you will have some idea of how her bladder control is progressing.
