whines/barks at night to go potty

[ricolini]

I have a problem with my 21-month old male yorkie. He makes me take him outside at night to go potty. He will whine or bark when he needs to go and if I don't get up and take him out, he just keeps whining and barking all night. He used to sleep in bed with us and so I tried putting him in his crate after I take him out thinking he'd get the message that if he has to go out at night he'll have to spend the rest of the night in his crate, but that didn't work, he just continues to whine/bark in his crate because he doesn't want to be in there. I also tried putting him in his crate at bedtime thinking maybe if he's not disturbed he'll sleep all night but he still barks to get out and go potty in the middle of the night. I've also tried to get him to pee on a potty pad in the bathroom or shower at night if he has to go but he doesn't seem to know what I want him to do. Last night after an hour of trying this I gave in and took him outside. Then he went and he was quiet the rest of the night. Does anyone have any advice for me? I am not able to sleep through the night without getting up and taking him outside at least once.

[Maximo]

Do you take him outside to potty right before you go to bed? I would try establishing that routine: potty right before you go to bed, and use positive reinforcement. Praise him for doing his business and bring him inside to go to bed.

What time is he typically waking you up to go outside -- is it shortly after you go to bed or during the middle of the night?

[teacup0819]

My yorkie (male) could not go all night without have to peepee. What I did was put a pee pee pad in the kitchen and praised him when he used it. He caught onto the idea pretty quickly. He did still whine sometimes at night when he wanted company for his little potty run. Those nights I would just get up and let him out, but I found he used the pee pee pads quite often. Good luck! When my neighbor gave him to me, everytime I tried to crate train him, he would pee in the crate and get it all over himself....I just decided not to crate train him and let him have the run of the kitchen until he was housebroken.

[gfoster]

Originally Posted by Maximo

Do you take him outside to potty right before you go to bed? I would try establishing that routine: potty right before you go to bed, and use positive reinforcement. Praise him for doing his business and bring him inside to go to bed.

What time is he typically waking you up to go outside -- is it shortly after you go to bed or during the middle of the night?

Good point. We always make Duke go out one last time before going up to bed. Even if he's sleeping someone we wake him up and put him outside. He's not always happy but he goes and knows its bedtime.

You could try to limit is water intake once its later in the evening and see if that helps.

Good luck, I hope you get some sleep.

[ricolini]

I do take him out to potty right before bed which is around 9pm. He usually wakes me up anywhere from 11:30 to 2am. Sometimes he has to go out twice a night. I am usually getting up around 5am so it is not an exceptionally long night, just 8 hours.

[ricolini]

The pee pads are a great idea but for some reason he doesn't get what I want him to do. I thought they were supposed to be scented so that dogs would want to pee on them but it didn't work that way for him.

[Maximo]

Originally Posted by ricolini

The pee pads are a great idea but for some reason he doesn't get what I want him to do. I thought they were supposed to be scented so that dogs would want to pee on them but it didn't work that way for him.

Multiple breeders here have commented that their experience is that dogs who were trained first to use pads will probably be willing to use them even after being trained to go outdoors; on the other hand, a dog that was trained first to go outdoors will likely never take to using pads. Was your dog pad-trained first?

Originally Posted by ricolini

I do take him out to potty right before bed which is around 9pm. He usually wakes me up anywhere from 11:30 to 2am. Sometimes he has to go out twice a night. I am usually getting up around 5am so it is not an exceptionally long night, just 8 hours.

Oh my, I feel bad for you! That is surprising considering you have a fairly regular bedtime/waking schedule.

How much does he weigh?

When he wakes you, is it only to go potty, or is it possibly to get a little attention too?

[Maximo]

One more idea: how does your guy spend the 2-3 hours before you go to bed? If he is napping or lounging during that time, he is probably not going to sleep through the night.

Maximo naps in the evening and then we always have a pre-bed play session and a little trick training to wear him out physically and mentally.

[ricolini]

Originally Posted by gfoster

Good point. We always make Duke go out one last time before going up to bed. Even if he's sleeping someone we wake him up and put him outside. He's not always happy but he goes and knows its bedtime.

You could try to limit is water intake once its later in the evening and see if that helps.

Good luck, I hope you get some sleep.

Yes, I do try to take the water away by 6pm now but I guess he just has a tiny bladder. thanks for the suggestions, I'm going to keep trying until I find something that works.

[ricolini]

Originally Posted by Maximo

Multiple breeders here have commented that their experience is that dogs who were trained first to use pads will probably be willing to use them even after being trained to go outdoors; on the other hand, a dog that was trained first to go outdoors will likely never take to using pads. Was your dog pad-trained first?

Oh my, I feel bad for you! That is surprising considering you have a fairly regular bedtime/waking schedule.

How much does he weigh?

When he wakes you, is it only to go potty, or is it possibly to get a little attention too?

That is very interesting what you said about dogs trained to go outside won't use pads. He was trained to go outside so maybe I should give up on the pad thing. I also considered trying that fake grass, do you know anything about it? He is not tiny either, he weighs about 7.5 lbs. It is possible he just wants attention but he always potties right when he gets outside and then goes back to sleep after we come back in. I will try giving him a little more exercise before bedtime and see if that helps. thanks

[JasmineNoelle]

When you get my age, you have to go to the bathroom yourself in the middle of the night so, letting the dog out too isn't a problem. Age does have its rewards. LOL

[JenniferLeigh]

Originally Posted by ricolini

That is very interesting what you said about dogs trained to go outside won't use pads. He was trained to go outside so maybe I should give up on the pad thing. I also considered trying that fake grass, do you know anything about it? He is not tiny either, he weighs about 7.5 lbs. It is possible he just wants attention but he always potties right when he gets outside and then goes back to sleep after we come back in. I will try giving him a little more exercise before bedtime and see if that helps. thanks

Lexi gets up at around 5 for a pee. I know she can hold it because I'm at work 8+ hours a day and she does fine. She won't wake my roomies up if they are babysitting. Once I tried ignoring her whining - she taught me a lesson by pooping right beside my head.

[JJinjersey]

Well I don't know if sleeping with you is an option but when my Bryan is in the crate he wakes up in the middle of the night whinning to go potty on the pee pee pad but once we go back into the bedroom he wants to get in bed with mommy...Now if I wanna sleep thru the night I put a belly band on him and put him in the bed with me and he sleeps thru the night and and pad is dry as a bone on the morning...mso maybe he wants to sleep with Mommy...the only problem with that is it takes him a while to get comfortable and he goes from spot to spot scratching and diggin before he actually lays his little butt down, so I get a little chuckle before lights out. Lol!!

[Maximo]

Originally Posted by ricolini

That is very interesting what you said about dogs trained to go outside won't use pads. He was trained to go outside so maybe I should give up on the pad thing. I also considered trying that fake grass, do you know anything about it? He is not tiny either, he weighs about 7.5 lbs. It is possible he just wants attention but he always potties right when he gets outside and then goes back to sleep after we come back in. I will try giving him a little more exercise before bedtime and see if that helps. thanks

At 7.5 pounds, he should be able to make it through the night. If he is going potty and right back to bed, you can rule out a need for attention.

I have never tried the fake grass. Maybe your guy would do better with something that looks like grass -- it would be a $$ gamble, but your sleep and sanity are at stake . You can do a search for numerous threads with reviews about "potty patch" and other fake grass products. Here is one: http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/gen...tty-patch.html

My humble opinion about taking water away: 6 p.m. might be a little early. I dislike the idea of denying water. For the health of kidneys, bladder, and all vital organs, the dog needs to be hydrated.

One other thing to consider: what are your dog's potty habits during the day? Is there any chance he could have a urinary tract infection?

I think your best bet is to increase potty trips in the early evening along with that last one right before bed, and most importantly, try wearing out your dog before bed. Wishing you some success and uninterrupted zzzzzz!

[Maximo]

Originally Posted by JenniferLeigh

Lexi gets up at around 5 for a pee. I know she can hold it because I'm at work 8+ hours a day and she does fine. She won't wake my roomies up if they are babysitting. Once I tried ignoring her whining - she taught me a lesson by pooping right beside my head.

That is an unforgettable lesson! LOL! Sorry.