# 6 months old GSD Potty training issues at night



## Lupo (Jun 30, 2015)

I have had my lovely GSD for 3 months now and we are still struggling with the potty training at night. He sleeps in a crate, but we often wake up to a pee puddle. I have adjusted the crate size to be as small as possible, but still no fix for the issue. We usually go to bed at 10 PM and get up at 6 AM to take him out.
During the day he is with me all day, and I take him out every 4 hours. During the day we have no issues. Any advice? Is he still too young to be able to hold it at night?


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## jackiej (Apr 1, 2015)

Hmm thats interesting.. HAs he been doing this for a while now? He should be able to hold it all night at his age, from what I have read. They are kinda like humans in this sense where they are able to hold it longer during the night, younger pups do wake up during the night and might need to go potty. Atlas was able to hold it for the whole night, i want to say when he was 4 months. Are you guys taking him potty right before he goes to bed? That might have something to do with it, also some people dont give anything to drink like an hr before bedtime. Atlas is 7 months now and he holds it all night.


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## amburger16 (May 22, 2015)

Lupo said:


> I have had my lovely GSD for 3 months now and we are still struggling with the potty training at night. He sleeps in a crate, but we often wake up to a pee puddle. I have adjusted the crate size to be as small as possible, but still no fix for the issue. We usually go to bed at 10 PM and get up at 6 AM to take him out.
> During the day he is with me all day, and I take him out every 4 hours. During the day we have no issues. Any advice? Is he still too young to be able to hold it at night?


Technically, he is too young to hold it through the night.. Number of months plus an hour.. So 4 hours would be his max, but that is not every dog.. Bear slept through the night at 10 weeks. Start getting up in the middle of the night to take him out, maybe hes crying but your not waking up?


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## Ruger Monster (Jan 29, 2015)

I still have the occasional problem with Ruger, and he's 7 months old. Putting him in a crate where he could only turn around didn't work, putting in a bed didn't work ... he seems to be grasping it the majority of the time FINALLY. Our trainer said it should be 2 hours for every month (I've heard 1 hour/month also, but know many dogs 6-7 months who can go all night, so really depends on the dog).

I pick up the water 1-2 hours before bed, take him out before I go to sleep (10:30-11:30pm), and cross my fingers! We did keep him in our bedroom for awhile in his crate, so if he had to go out, he'd bang on the crate door once. If I didn't get up, he'd bang on it once again and whimper. Thinking of putting it back in our room since it seemed to be working, just to avoid the "oopsy" nights he still has.


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## Rangers_mom (May 16, 2013)

Have you had him checked by the vet to make sure there isn't a physical problem?


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## wyoung2153 (Feb 28, 2010)

At 6 months old, he should be able to hold it through the night. Have you gotten him checked for a UTI? Has he always not been able to hold it through the night? 

You say he has no issues during the day, is that for an 8 hour period orhe has no issues because you can take him out when he needs to go?


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## Jenny720 (Nov 21, 2014)

When max was a around 4-5 months old he would sleep through the night but get up very early in morning. Before that it he was up at night every 3 hours or so. Now he can sleep late morning till needing to go out. We would withold water a few hours before bed time. When my chihuahua puppy was 3 months old he slept through the night. It did take him longer to completely potty train though. They are all different.


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## Lilie (Feb 3, 2010)

It could be that he has now developed the habit of going during the night. I'd start setting my alarm and send him out to potty once during the night. 

I suspect since he's still a baby, he doesn't empty his bladder when you send him out for the last time before bedtime. He either wants to play or he wants his bedtime kennel treat, so he rushes through the motions. Therefore, during the night he needs to go and is no longer too bothered with hanging out with his urine till y'all get up. 

If it were me, I'd set my alarm for 1:00 a.m. , get up and take him out. Even if he has already gone in his kennel. If he has, the next night I'd set it earlier until I caught a good time before he goes in his kennel. I'd continue taking him out to potty at night until he matures and has more control.


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## wyoung2153 (Feb 28, 2010)

Lilie said:


> It could be that he has now developed the habit of going during the night. I'd start setting my alarm and send him out to potty once during the night.
> 
> I suspect since he's still a baby, he doesn't empty his bladder when you send him out for the last time before bedtime. He either wants to play or he wants his bedtime kennel treat, so he rushes through the motions. Therefore, during the night he needs to go and is no longer too bothered with hanging out with his urine till y'all get up.
> 
> If it were me, I'd set my alarm for 1:00 a.m. , get up and take him out. Even if he has already gone in his kennel. If he has, the next night I'd set it earlier until I caught a good time before he goes in his kennel. I'd continue taking him out to potty at night until he matures and has more control.


Very good point about him being used to going at that time. Good friends of mine have 2 mastiffs, a Cane and an English, they are over 2 years and cannot hold more than 4 hours because that's how they were conditioned when they were puppies. They catered too much, IMO. So now even if they are working or out and about, one must go home to let them out at lunch every 4 hours. They just are conditioned to that now. 

Great idea on essentially starting the potty timer over again. Frequent night trips, then slowly increase time again.


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## Lupo (Jun 30, 2015)

He has been doing it for a while. It is a hit or miss situation. Last night I woke up at 4 am, and decided to take him out. He was asleep when I went to his crate, but as soon as I took him out he pee. So no puddle today.  
As I said, he spends the day with me. From time to time I have to leave him alone in the house, and in his create. In those instances he also pees in the cage. Same as before is a hit or miss. Sometimes I am not even long gone, 30 mins, and I come back and he has peed. I was the cage outside with the hose, and leave it out to air dry all day when it happens. Could it be that the smell is lingering and tempting him to pee?


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## Lupo (Jun 30, 2015)

He has no issues because I take him out every 4 hours. I've never had the need to keep him inside for that long during the day. The most has been 6 hours and he as been able to hold it. I have not talked to my vet yet...


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## Lupo (Jun 30, 2015)

I didn't know that could happen. During the day I take him out every 4 hours, could that be the source of the problem?
My dog trainer suggested that I remove the water after he eats his dinner. For us that's at 6PM, but I feel bad not giving him water for 12 hours. 

How often should I take my dog out during the day? Should I try to get him to hold it 8 hours, so that at night I can get the same response?




wyoung2153 said:


> Very good point about him being used to going at that time. Good friends of mine have 2 mastiffs, a Cane and an English, they are over 2 years and cannot hold more than 4 hours because that's how they were conditioned when they were puppies. They catered too much, IMO. So now even if they are working or out and about, one must go home to let them out at lunch every 4 hours. They just are conditioned to that now.
> 
> Great idea on essentially starting the potty timer over again. Frequent night trips, then slowly increase time again.


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## wyoung2153 (Feb 28, 2010)

I am not an expert here, but if it were me I would start trying to increase the time at night. Start with the 4 hours you know he can handle.. Set and alarm and let him out do this for a few days to a week.. then maybe increase to 5 hours.. then 6. If at one point he didn't hold it, go back to the previous time. You can do that the same during the day if you need to.. but I think working with the night time first would help.


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## Lupo (Jun 30, 2015)

Thanks all for the advice. It helps to about this things.

Yesterday I fed him at 6:30PM. At 7PM I took him out and he peed and pooped. He had no access to water past 7PM. I took him out again at 9 and 10 but nothing, and went to bed. At midnight I got up at and took him out and he pee. I was hoping for a good night, but at 6:30 when we went to take him out, he had already pee and maybe poop too. I didn't see poop, maybe he ate it because the cage looked dirty and wet.
I will try the advice of taking him out every 4 hours. I just hope it is for a short period of time. I have a real hard time getting up at that time, and then I can't get back to sleep until it is time to get up for work at 7.


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## Lilie (Feb 3, 2010)

Lupo;7026418I will try the advice of taking him out every 4 hours. I just hope it is for a short period of time. I have a real hard time getting up at that time said:


> It is very difficult and you can't rush it. You are setting a behavior to become a habit.
> 
> Just recently, I had a virus run through ALL of my dogs. Of course, all five had to catch it at different times. I slept on the couch so I could keep them kenneled and hear when they needed to go out to poop. Now everyone is off schedule. They were all in the habit of going out in the middle of the night. One would whimper and then they all think, "hey, now that you mention it, I could go too!"
> 
> ...


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## Lupo (Jun 30, 2015)

I am working on getting to a normal schedule. Last night was a success. Went to bed at 10, took him out but didn't pee. Got up at midnight, took him out, pee. Got up 5:50, no accidents (success!), took him out but didn't pee. Fed him, stay up with him to give him out to digest, took him out, nothing. Waited up with him until 8, took him out, pee. 
I will do this again tonight with the hope of finding the winning formula.


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## Lupo (Jun 30, 2015)

I wanted to share a quick update. For the past few days Lupo has been sleeping without accidents. We are taking him out at midnight, and at 6AM and that has worked. It seems the key with the midnight outing, is to have him sleep for at least an hour before so that he is relaxed and actually pees and poops when we take him out. I hope that by sticking to this schedule we can put the night accidents behind.


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## Lilie (Feb 3, 2010)

I'm glad to hear you're starting to see success!!!!


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## Becka1234 (Aug 18, 2021)

Lupo said:


> He has been doing it for a while. It is a hit or miss situation. Last night I woke up at 4 am, and decided to take him out. He was asleep when I went to his crate, but as soon as I took him out he pee. So no puddle today.
> As I said, he spends the day with me. From time to time I have to leave him alone in the house, and in his create. In those instances he also pees in the cage. Same as before is a hit or miss. Sometimes I am not even long gone, 30 mins, and I come back and he has peed. I was the cage outside with the hose, and leave it out to air dry all day when it happens. Could it be that the smell is lingering and tempting him to pee?


Yes… You need to clean with enzyme cleaner… Not too expensive spray (around a fiver UK in all pet shops, wilko etc!) that kills the enzymes in their urine that tells them where to pee… Have you put bedding in the crate? Try putting him in crate and going for 5 mins then praising when hasn’t peed and work up to the half hour that you need to go out for!


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## WNGD (Jan 15, 2005)

Becka1234 said:


> Yes… You need to clean with enzyme cleaner… Not too expensive spray (around a fiver UK in all pet shops, wilko etc!) that kills the enzymes in their urine that tells them where to pee… Have you put bedding in the crate? Try putting him in crate and going for 5 mins then praising when hasn’t peed and work up to the half hour that you need to go out for!


This situation was 6 years ago.....hopefully the puppy is no loner peeing in the house!
But the OP trying to go to bed at 10 and getting up at 7 was the problem with a yet-to-be house trained puppy


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## Becka1234 (Aug 18, 2021)

WNGD said:


> This situation was 6 years ago.....hopefully the puppy is no loner peeing in the house!
> But the OP trying to go to bed at 10 and getting up at 7 was the problem with a yet-to-be house trained puppy


Haha I didn’t even notice the date… Just came across the thread 🤣 we are up at midnight, wake at 3am and then 6am with my 9wk old baby girl 🤣


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