Nighttime crate training: Good news & bad news

[jennifermcb]

The good news is:

Daisy is 9 weeks old and didn't potty at all last night between the hours of 9 p.m. and 7 a.m. When she woke up at 7:00, I put her in her playpen and she went straight to the potty pad and peed bunches

The BAD news is that she woke up every 1.5 to 2 hours whining to get out of her crate. So, I took her out, assuming she needed to pee. I spent 10 minutes or so with her each time, trying to coax her to pee. She just wanted to sleep.

I'm not sure where to go from here. Since I know she can hold it that long, should I let her whine herself back to sleep a couple of times during the night, instead of getting up with her *6* times? Or should I continue to get up each time, just in case?

[Jeniferlee]

When I got Macy she was 8 weeks old and she could hold it from 10 until 5 am, in her crate. When she was about 12 weeks old she moved into our bed because she was up every 2 hours wanting out of the crate, without peeing. I gave in and that was the best thing I could have done for me because now we both get to sleep until the alarm goes off at 6. I was beat the entire day getting up with her so many times.
Since then she has only peed on the floor once and that was this morning because I went to the bathroom first because I thought she was still sleeping and low and behold she came out and peed on the kitchen floor. (thank god not on my bed or in my bedroom!)
Good luck and have fun take lots of pictures they grow up so fast!

[Stitches29]

Maggie did the same thing when she was that young. I would get up with her every two hours, and take her outside to wee. It took two months of nighttime crate training for her to sleep all night. I was one sleepy Mama, but now she is housebroken. Be careful thinking your baby is sleeping all night without an accident in their crate. The first few days I thought the same, until I washed Maggie's blankies. One corner of her blankie was very wet, and it wasn't slobber.

[bkessler]

I am making lily whine in her crate because I worry if i take her out she will think its ok to whine and she'll get her way.. Last night seemed to work (until she made stinky poo in her crate) and then i put her in bed with me and she was fine

[jennifermcb]

I've checked - her bedding is dry as a bone! And I've spent a long time during each 'wakeup call' trying to get her to potty. She just crawls into my lap and goes back to sleep.

I guess her waking so often is just separation anxiety. The good thing is, when I put her back in her crate, she doesn't make a whimper. I'm counting that blessing.

If this pattern continues, I may try letting her whimper herself back to sleep during one of the wakeup times, especially if she eliminated before bedtime and wakes up only 45 minutes later

Thanks for all the input!

[Ponyup]

My little guy can go about 9 hours without peeing. We ignored him when he would bark and whine so now he doesn't do it all. A few days back he started barking at about 6:30 (we'd been getting him out at 7:30). We let him bark thinking he was just up and ready to play, but when we went to get him out he had pooped in his crate and it was pretty fresh so we think that is what he wanted. Now it's a routine he wakes us up barking about 6:30 every morning and runs right out and poops. Sometimes he still tinkles in his crate, but he has a pretty big crate and we put a pee-pad in there with him and he always pees on the pee-pad and that's okay, but he won't poop in there unless it's an emergency and he tries really hard to tell us he has to go.

[jennifermcb]

Last night was a repeat of the night before. Up every 1.5 hours or so, with no peeing!! I checked her bedding and it's not wet or smelly. She wouldn't pee on the pads, until this morning when she peed SO MUCH. She must have a big bladder for such a small pup.

A couple of times last night, I slipped my fingers in her crate when she started whining. She went right back to sleep, so I guess it's a little bit of separation anxiety. Tonight I'm going to try that a few more times, and if she wakes up dry in the a.m., I will know that she can hold it all night and is ready for some 'tough love'.

[orinskye]

i ignore toby when he barks or whines in his crate, he has learned not to do it while i am home now.....lol..... he now only whines or barks when i leave, so now i dont have to listen to it at all

[jennifermcb]

Originally Posted by orinskye

i ignore toby when he barks or whines in his crate, he has learned not to do it while i am home now.....lol..... he now only whines or barks when i leave, so now i dont have to listen to it at all

I know that ultimately that is what I will have to do, and probably sooner than later. Otherwise, I'll be reinforcing bad habits. She's just so new and itsy-bitsy But tough love now will have big payoffs down the road.