Nightime Pottying Question

[ParadiseTzu 11,275]

Willie Boy has been doing Soooo good with his potty training. He has an xpen he stays in during the day and a crate for night time. We have had many many days with no accidents in the xpen but since he is only 10 weeks old today, I guess this is just a case of me taking him out at the right time.

My question is night time. At first, I was getting up and taking him out at 3 am and his crate was dry when I got him up. I always get up about 4 am anyway to read and have my coffee (in another room from where hubby is still sleeping), this is to have some quiet time before a tv is turned on. But now Willie Boy is whining, crying in his crate at 1 am. He is dry, but surely he is too young to be telling me he has to pee. From those with more experience, is this nightime behavior normal and he will sleep longer when older and can hold it or have I created this issue? I have no idea how to handle the night time but feel this could become a pattern.

I cant go back to sleep after going outside at 1 am, he does, so maybe I am the problem!

ETA: we go to bed with the chickens around 8 pm. We live on a farm/ranch.

Edited March 22, 2015 by ParadiseTzu

[Pawz4me 6,802]

So when you take him out at 1:00 a.m. he urinates? If so, then I would continue to respond to his cries.

At 10 weeks old he's very, very much a baby. My rule of thumb is to always give baby dogs the benefit of the doubt on these things. If you assume he's just whining for attention and don't get up and take him out and he has an accident, then you're going to set his house training back several steps. Even if you're right (and I think you are) that his success so far is due to your taking him out so frequently, you still don't want him to get the idea that going inside is okay.

[ParadiseTzu 11,275]

Yep, he urinates. I thought I should take him out but wasnt sure I wasnt setting up a permanent pattern of having to get up to take him out at 1 am forever. Question sounds rather stupid after I reread it now because of course he would pee or poopy in his cage if I just let him cry it out. Thank you for responding.

I guess I am going to hope he sleeps longer the older he gets. I am also so in awe of this tiny little puppy that sometimes just immediately pees when I set him down outside or runs in a frantic circle for the perfect dump spot.

[Missysmom 24,975]

Never a dumb question- I've often wondered the same when we have to go out in the night, granted we don't have a puppy but I still questioned it. And low and behold it may last a few nights then one morning I realize hey we're still sleeping and with a giddy laugh I snuggle back in being sure not to wake the little monster! ;)

[Parker14 290]

When I got Parker at 9 1/2 weeks he would whine in his crate when he needed to pee. I would take him out, not talk to him at all, except to say "go potty" and then right back into his crate. This way he knew I was only taking him out for one thing and one thing only, to go potty. He would go right back to sleep after that. He continued to have to pee once each night until about 14 weeks and he just started sleeping though the night on his own. I'm sure some puppies will continue to do this longer than they really need to, but I would say most do just fine learning on their own to sleep though the night. Especially if potty breaks are boring, just out and right back in, they have no reason to want to go out unless they really need to pee. Good luck!