We put my 16 week old to her crate at 10PM and get her up at 6 AM. I also set the alarm for 2 AM to take her out in the middle of the night. Does anyone know when I can sleep through the night and not have to take her out in the middle of the night? Thanks!
Maslow is 10 weeks on Friday and goes from 11pm - 7am now. I extended it by 30 minutes every day and slept downstairs so I could hear if he woke up and needed the loo.
It may well be that she doesn’t need to go out at 2am, but the only way to find out is by not setting the alarm. She might then wake you at some point during the night, but it’s also possible that she’ll sleep until 6am. Just try it and see what happens. If she wakes you up, make the letting out very boring, with as little interaction as possible.
*most* dogs should be able to hold it all night by 16 weeks. I agree with @Granca, I would try stopping the 2am wee and see how you go. If you're very unlucky you'll end up with a dog like Luna @snowbunny's pooch, who I think was still getting up during the night until 12+ months!
I would set your alarm for 2.30 or even 3.00. Red was 18 weeks when I went down in the night and she was reluctant to come out her crate. I left her and she was ok all night from then on.
I slept downstairs with Caspar at first so that I could be reactive and take him out if and when he needed to go, which is different from scheduling it in. (Our last Lab was so routine oriented that he would have continued to wake at the appointed time). The result was that he slept through at 10 weeks, with a very occasional summons for another couple of weeks. How about trying a baby monitor? That way you will know if he needs you - though the volume of an average unhappy pup is such that you may not need it.
I agree, try it and see what happens. If it doesn’t work go back to the old routine for a week or so and try again. .
It’s trial and error I’m afraid. Try (as others have said above) either setting the alarm a bit later each day, or just don’t set it at all. He will soon let you know if he needs to go out.
I never set an alarm clock! Had the pup beside my bed in a cardboard box and when he stirred and whimpered, I took him out, it was a very short time until he slept right through. I think it better to happen naturally rather than set alarms, they go through the night quicker.
Hehe, you haven't met Squidge... I didn't use alarms with her. I don't think it was not using alarms that made her so awful, I think it's just the way she's made. Yes, over this winter, we were still often having to get up somewhere between 3am and 5am to take her out to toilet - and she definitely always needed to go! It didn't matter what time she got her last food, the early hours of the morning were poo time. I block things like this out pretty easily, but she was certainly still doing that in February, which would have put her at 16 months. Pray you don't get one like her! It's very easy to say "do this, it's worked for my dogs", but she has shown me very clearly that not all dogs develop within anything like the same timeframe
This! They are all different. We work things out with the pup we have. I now have the decision to make for the next one, crate or pen? Hmmmm ...I’m very undecided. Tatze was brilliant in the crate. Gypsy hated it but was great once in her pen. Twiglet climbed out of the pen, so that didn’t work! Mollie and Keir were in the pen and it worked great, Keir was sleeping through at 12 weeks. Mollie was a widdle widdle widdler - I can’t re,ember how long for! .
The crate was brilliant for all of mine when young and, after the nightmare of Squidge with the crate-in-pen arrangement and how much that was improved by putting her just in the crate, I'd definitely be more likely to go straight to crate for all pups in the future. BUT you've had so much success with the crate-in-pen, I can absolutely understand why you use it. If I were you, and from what you've said in the past, I'd stick with what seems to work best for you (crate in pen) and adjust it if needs be based on your pup. As you've said before, with a new puppy every year, you don't want to be sacrificing that much sleep if you don't have to!
Ah yes - sleep! I think I’ll do that and see how he goes. Adjustments are always needed anyway. Keir had to go back to the pen for a month at eight months old, as he destroyed an armchair Ours are de-penned or de-crated at six months old. Touch wood, he’s fine now and hasn’t chewed anything since being given his freedom again. .
Well, I must have been very lucky with my 8 dogs over the years, they all housetrained very quickly and went through the night quickly
Pepper slept through for the first time last night, and he’s 14 weeks old on Sunday. Other half got up twice and saw he was fast and decided she’d leave him. He went to sleep about 22:30 and then woke us up at 06:00 and had a huge wee! Previously we’d been taking him out around 02:30 for the last couple of weeks.
