# How often do you wake up in the middle of the night in the beginning?



## sjackson310 (Dec 29, 2012)

So I have had Bender for 8 days now almost (time sure does fly) and at first he was having no problem with me waking up every 3.5 hours to let him out. However, as time goes on, it seems like this isn't enough anymore.
He turns 9 weeks old on Sunday and I cut his water off 2 hours before bed. I wear him out before bed as well. He will wake me up himself if he has to poop, but peeing, he just goes. And last night he went a LOT (in his kennel, but I forgot to put his towel in there and so he got a majorly needed bath when we woke up). Any other time in the house, he has no potty issues. In the 8 days I've had him, he peed about 3 times in the house. No poop. It's just this night time thing. I know I can always wake up every hour but oh my goodness, that is not a good sleep. I always used to go by the "their age in months + 1" rule when it comes to pottying at night, but not with this guy!

So, what's the average time you guys make your 8-10 week old puppies wait at night??


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## wolfy dog (Aug 1, 2012)

Generally at that age I let them out at 11.00 PM and they don't get outside before 6.30 AM next morning. I feed them their last meal at 6.00 PM, take the water away at 8.00 PM.
What helps is that I keep them in a sleeping bag with me the first three nights, then in a box next to my bed for a week and then in the crate next to my bed. When they are about 12 weeks old they are ready to be crate d with the older dogs. That way you don't lack sleep from a whining pup. I have done this with my last 5 dogs and it has worked well.


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## Sunflowers (Feb 17, 2012)

About twice a night.


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## ankittanna87 (Nov 20, 2012)

LOL.. well I'm teaching my boy to go pee/poop in the bathroom since I live in an apartment & when I'm not home, it'll be difficult for my parents to take him out on walks for peeing/pooping.. he's pretty good with the pooping, he'll wake me up but he's peed like a million times in the house.. having a tough time with his pee-training!! and he wakes me up at really odd times to go poop :crazy:


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## Cassidy's Mom (Mar 30, 2003)

I put the crate right next to the bed, and I let them wake me up when they need to go out. I know some people set an alarm and take their puppy out at night on a set schedule but I've never done that. I've had puppies who only had to go out a couple of times before sleeping through the night, and I've had others that needed to go out once or even twice for a few weeks.


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## mandiah89 (Jan 18, 2013)

I have a 10 week old GSD pup right now and I feed her at 8pm, take water up at 10pm, let her out at midnight, and then she is good until 6am. When she was 8, and 9 weeks old I would get up at around 3 to let her out and then back up at 6, so she is on a fairly regular schedule went from 2 - 3 times a night to not going out until morning. She is fully house trained now and I think thats because of the strict schedule I have her on


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## sjackson310 (Dec 29, 2012)

I am doing the alarm clock method. I would love to have him beside me in the room, but my boyfriend already has to deal with my alarm clock 2x a night, plus my ACTUAL alarm for me if the last alarm for Bender doesn't keep me up. I have Bender in his kennel in the foyer which is about 10 feet from the master bedroom door.

He needs to be let out every 2 hours I am guessing. I don't want him to think "okay I can't go to the bathroom in the house, but the kennel is free range!". Maybe I should just sleep on the couch for a week or so. He has never pooped in the kennel or house, it is just the urine!!! I don't mind waking up every two hours on the weekend, but when I am only getting 5.5 hours of sleep already during the week, waking up extra sucks!


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## Sunflowers (Feb 17, 2012)

I picked up the water at 7 PM, took him out for the last time at 11 PM, and then he used to wake me up at about 2 AM and 5 AM.


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## sjackson310 (Dec 29, 2012)

I just told my b/f that I will be on the couch for about a week and he got all happy (he loves sleeping on the couch) so I will try every 2 hours.... I hope that's enough because if I wake up every single hour I will get a poor night's sleep.


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## sjackson310 (Dec 29, 2012)

Oh yeah, and here's the mandatory picture of the little guy, aka little a**hole  that's his nickname when he is being a snot.

*edit - his ears look like lab ears, he was just taking advantage of gravity.


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## Karo4410 (Jun 1, 2012)

Your little guy is adorable! 

When Leif was at that age, I put away his water bowl at 9 pm and make sure that he pee before we crate him. His bed time is 10:30-11:00 pm, then he usually need to go again around 2:00 am. Most nights, that's the only time he needed to go. Some nights he had to go again right at 5:00 am. Then, around 6 months old, he rarely needs to go in the middle of the night and can hold it through most nights (thank goodness), so in a few months your life will be much easier. :0)


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## LauraJav (Nov 29, 2012)

My pup at 12 weeks gets up once at night. Sometimes he barks and barks because he wants a drink. The last 2 nights he slept through the night- 11pm-7am!!


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## Jag (Jul 27, 2012)

All of this puzzles me. I never restricted water at night time. I got Grim right before he turned 11 weeks old. I NEVER got up in the night with him. His last trip out was about midnight to 1am after the parrots went to bed, then he was out about 6am or so in the morning. I never picked up his water or cut him off, though. He just never whined in the night to go out. Once he was in his kennel, he was fine.


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## onedogman (Jan 13, 2013)

I got my pup when she was 9 Wks. old. I took her water away at around 8:00PM & took her out at 10 thirty our 11. I'd crate her & set the clock at 2:00 am to take her out & then get up at 5:00 am & take her out again. Not much sleep but I'm ret. so I can take a nap whenever I felt the need. She's 7 mo. now and can go 6 or 7 hours now with out a problem. The crate is almost essential if you don't want to be cleaning up accidents.


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## V_Tess (Dec 30, 2012)

My puppy is 14 weeks and he goes to bed at 10 and my husband lets him out at 5. He comes in for about an hour to eat and play with the hubby, and then outside with the girls while we are at work.


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## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

forget about rules, theories and sleeping. take your pup out
as often as needed.


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## sjackson310 (Dec 29, 2012)

I will give it a try. Just between nursing school and a part time job (some days both), getting a decent sleep helps. Hopefully it doesn't last long. My first GSD as a puppy slept through the night at 8 weeks no problem.. Then by 10 weeks, he could be there without any accidents while I slept 9 hours. I miss that! lol.
And WOW I am shocked that some dogs require being let out in the middle of the night after 4 months of age! Again, my first guy had to be in the kennel at 4 months for up to 11 hours some days due to work, and he was perfectly fine. I hope I don't have to worry about accidents in the kennel that late in the game!


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## RocketDog (Sep 25, 2011)

I took my pup out the first night I got him (at 9 1/2 weeks) and he didn't go. I took him out at 11pm or so the next week, up at 5:30am and no accidents. Within a few weeks he was going to sleep at 8:30-9pm until 6am or even a bit later. 

Even now he amazes me with his control. Twice he's gone out at 9pm and then in the morning, I've let him out to go before we go running and he won't. So we go run 4-5 miles and he STILL doesn't pee until he comes home!! :crazy:


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## MichaelE (Dec 15, 2012)

Lisl was sleeping through most nights at eight weeks. Food and water management helped a lot with that. She sometimes will still wake me at 3-4 AM if I have forgotten to take her water and food earlier the night before.

She does really well at night overall. I can't remember her having an accident overnight.


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## zivagirl (Jan 5, 2013)

When Beth first came home, she needed out at 2am, then again at 5:30-6:00. This morning, she woke me up at 4am, but did nothing. Tomorrow morning, she'll wait until 6:30. She can catalogue the odors in the yard then!


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## sjackson310 (Dec 29, 2012)

I find it amazing how every dog has such different schedules. Call me easily amused


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## sjackson310 (Dec 29, 2012)

Well, went to bed at 1am, woke up at 3am, 5:20am, and 8am and NO accidents! I am not looking forward to doing this over and over again, but some days I will only have to wake up 1 time since I wont get much sleep that night.


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