Expectations for Night Time Potty - YorkieTalk.com Forums

tduckworth · 08-01-2011, 05:53 PM

We just got a yorkie about 3 weeks ago. He was 8 weeks when we got him, so he is now 11 weeks. I knew when we got a puppy that we would be up at night going potty. The first 2 weeks not only did he get up to potty, but he wanted to play about an hour before going back to sleep. This past week, he is only wanting to play about 15 - 30 minutes. Is it too much to expect him to go potty and right back to sleep? He sleeps in a crate in our room. We only put him in there to sleep. If I put him right back after potty he really cries and whines. Of course if I put him in the bed with us, he sleeps so much better! However, my husband does not want him in the bed with us

I am a teacher and have been home with him all day. He stays up well during the day and plays hard. He takes naps every few hours.

McheleM · 08-01-2011, 09:38 PM

If you give in and play with him, you set up a pattern he expects.

I tell mine go night night and then don't address them again until morning-not even if they whine. If you respond, they will do it again to get the same response.

I would take puppy out, tell him go potty, good boy when e goes, then right back into the pen or crate with a firm go night night and not respond. Eventually he will learn.

Ahis_Mama · 08-02-2011, 12:25 AM

I agree with previous poster. My Ahi gets up once or twice at night to go potty. She would love to play but I just tell her only hugs and then back to bed. She does just that!

Set a good routine and all will sleep well.

(Her crate is also next to my bed so she knows i'm right there)
Oh...and she is almost 12 weeks old too.

Moses Mama · 08-02-2011, 09:03 PM

Moses is now 9 months old. We used to put his crate in our bedroom, but he whined and kept us up. So I put his crate in our adjoining bathroom and eventually he whined again. I moved him downstairs in our kitchen. He does great there because he can't see or hear us. Our night time routine goes like this: he lays on my lap and chews a bone at about 10pm. Once he falls semi asleep, I take him out for a quick potty, give him loves and put him in his kennel. He sleeps all night and gets up between 6:30 and 7 am. When he was a little pup, he would wake up at 2 or so to potty. He would get more hugs and I told him it's still night night time. It seemed to be an easy transition and eventually he could go all night without going potty. I took his food and water away from him at about 7:30 each night until he got old enough to tell us he had to go potty. I think having a night time routine helped save our sanity! Good luck!

tduckworth · 08-07-2011, 05:56 PM

Thanks for all your replies. He seems to be doing well. I know he wants to sleep with us but I am trying not to give in. I told him when he learns to go potty ouside all the time he can sleep with the kids in their room!! I don't see the light at the end of the tunnel for potty training yet though!!!

Ahmzz · 08-07-2011, 06:36 PM

The key to potty training is just consistency. When I was potty training, one thing our trainer said was bathroom breaks at night should be quick.. No time for play, water, or food! They need to learn night time is sleep time. Having a set schedule where you wake up at the same time is key. I had a set time of 2am and if she didn't go at 2, after placing her down for about 30 seconds I'd wake up at 4am. If your being consistent you'll be sleeping thru the night in no time! Keep it up, sounds like your doing great!

Britster · 08-07-2011, 07:33 PM

He is still VERY young. Most Yorkie pups should stay with their mother until they are 12 weeks old. So you're definitely going to have to maintain some patience with the little guy, as frustrating as it can be

I can remember the schedule we were on when Jackson was a puppy and it's definitely like having a real baby for a while. I always knew I wanted him in my bed so I actually had the crate ON my bed at night, or on my night stand right next to my bed, so I was able to see him and comfort him. After about 3 weeks, I let him sleep in my bed and he slept thru the entire night and well... the rest is history. He's been curling up next to me ever since.

I put him on a really good schedule. I can remember going to bed super early (I was/am a night owl) because the puppy tired me out so much. So we'd go out for potty around 8-9pm, go to bed and then he'd wake up around 3am, do his business, then I'd put him back in the crate and go back to bed. Wake up early around 6-7am, potty again. If for some reason he would not potty, he'd go right back in the crate for another 10 minutes. I find that even if you think they don't have to go, you will let them back inside and then they go on the floor. So I tried to not set him up for failure and always assumed he had to do both, poop and pee. It was a lot of keeping an eye on him 24/7 and making sure he didn't even have the CHANCE to potty indoors.

Of course we had our accidents. Most were my fault. He's now almost 3 years old and hasn't had an accident in... I can't even remember the last time. He was basically 95% potty trained by 6 months old, with the occasional poop accident every now and then. By 1 year old, he was 98% reliable. By 1.5yrs old, he was basically 100%.

Good luck. It will come in time. Just have consistency and patience. The puppy phase will flash before your eyes so enjoy it.

jmmx3 · 08-07-2011, 08:28 PM

I got Roxie when she was 8 weeks old as well, and for the first week I had her I kept her crated in my room at night. She would cry to come out every couple of hours, and I had her use a potty pad then go back in her crate. (She had Coccidia when I got her... and I was only 15 so this is probably not the best method.) After her round of antibiotics I moved her down to the kitchen so I wouldn't wake up every time she moved. I didn't take her out during the night after that and she never had accidents in her crate. I generally took her out before I went to bed at around 11 and then my dad would wake me up to take her out when he left for work at 5, and she was fine. My vet said the key was keeping the crate partitioned off small enough so that she could basically just stand up/lay down in it. Actually, after Roxie's coccidia was cured, she was basically housetrained except for peeing in the house when she was mad at us. (I know that they say dogs are not vindictive, but the only time Roxie would have an accident would be (for example) when my mom had a dinner party and made me keep Roxie with me up in my room. After they finished eating they let her come down and she marched right in front of all the women and peed on the rug in front of the entertainment center. I think I just got lucky though, because I honestly had no idea what I was doing.
Roxie is also un-crate trained now... it lasted about 2 years and then with the different hours everyone kept she spent less and less time in the crate until she refused to go in it. Now her sherpa is her safe spot and I find her sleeping in it often.

Also, on the vindictive note... Roxie loves to poop in my brother's room. She's lived in 6 houses since we've had her (5 years) and she always finds his room and poops in it. If we shut his door, she won't go anywhere else in the house.

08-01-2011, 05:53 PM	#1
tduckworth YorkieTalk Newbie! Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Georgia Posts: 2	Expectations for Night Time Potty We just got a yorkie about 3 weeks ago. He was 8 weeks when we got him, so he is now 11 weeks. I knew when we got a puppy that we would be up at night going potty. The first 2 weeks not only did he get up to potty, but he wanted to play about an hour before going back to sleep. This past week, he is only wanting to play about 15 - 30 minutes. Is it too much to expect him to go potty and right back to sleep? He sleeps in a crate in our room. We only put him in there to sleep. If I put him right back after potty he really cries and whines. Of course if I put him in the bed with us, he sleeps so much better! However, my husband does not want him in the bed with us I am a teacher and have been home with him all day. He stays up well during the day and plays hard. He takes naps every few hours.

08-01-2011, 09:38 PM	#2
McheleM Donating YT 2000 Club Member Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: Mesquite, TX Posts: 2,659	If you give in and play with him, you set up a pattern he expects. I tell mine go night night and then don't address them again until morning-not even if they whine. If you respond, they will do it again to get the same response. I would take puppy out, tell him go potty, good boy when e goes, then right back into the pen or crate with a firm go night night and not respond. Eventually he will learn. __________________ "You've never learned to live until you've done something for someone for which they can never repay you."~Ralph Hall. Last edited by McheleM; 08-01-2011 at 09:39 PM.

08-02-2011, 12:25 AM	#3
Ahis_Mama Living In Paradise! Donating Member Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Ewa Beach on the island of Oahu Posts: 3,588	I agree with previous poster. My Ahi gets up once or twice at night to go potty. She would love to play but I just tell her only hugs and then back to bed. She does just that! Set a good routine and all will sleep well. (Her crate is also next to my bed so she knows i'm right there) Oh...and she is almost 12 weeks old too. __________________ Aloha & Have a wonderful day! Roni~ Ahi Shibi Roxie Heart Alize & Prada

08-02-2011, 09:03 PM	#4
Moses Mama Senior Yorkie Talker Join Date: May 2011 Location: Draper Utah Posts: 148	Moses is now 9 months old. We used to put his crate in our bedroom, but he whined and kept us up. So I put his crate in our adjoining bathroom and eventually he whined again. I moved him downstairs in our kitchen. He does great there because he can't see or hear us. Our night time routine goes like this: he lays on my lap and chews a bone at about 10pm. Once he falls semi asleep, I take him out for a quick potty, give him loves and put him in his kennel. He sleeps all night and gets up between 6:30 and 7 am. When he was a little pup, he would wake up at 2 or so to potty. He would get more hugs and I told him it's still night night time. It seemed to be an easy transition and eventually he could go all night without going potty. I took his food and water away from him at about 7:30 each night until he got old enough to tell us he had to go potty. I think having a night time routine helped save our sanity! Good luck! __________________ Loie& Moses Last edited by Moses Mama; 08-02-2011 at 09:04 PM.

08-07-2011, 07:33 PM	#7
Britster Action Jackson ♥ Donating Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Maryland Posts: 17,814	He is still VERY young. Most Yorkie pups should stay with their mother until they are 12 weeks old. So you're definitely going to have to maintain some patience with the little guy, as frustrating as it can be I can remember the schedule we were on when Jackson was a puppy and it's definitely like having a real baby for a while. I always knew I wanted him in my bed so I actually had the crate ON my bed at night, or on my night stand right next to my bed, so I was able to see him and comfort him. After about 3 weeks, I let him sleep in my bed and he slept thru the entire night and well... the rest is history. He's been curling up next to me ever since. I put him on a really good schedule. I can remember going to bed super early (I was/am a night owl) because the puppy tired me out so much. So we'd go out for potty around 8-9pm, go to bed and then he'd wake up around 3am, do his business, then I'd put him back in the crate and go back to bed. Wake up early around 6-7am, potty again. If for some reason he would not potty, he'd go right back in the crate for another 10 minutes. I find that even if you think they don't have to go, you will let them back inside and then they go on the floor. So I tried to not set him up for failure and always assumed he had to do both, poop and pee. It was a lot of keeping an eye on him 24/7 and making sure he didn't even have the CHANCE to potty indoors. Of course we had our accidents. Most were my fault. He's now almost 3 years old and hasn't had an accident in... I can't even remember the last time. He was basically 95% potty trained by 6 months old, with the occasional poop accident every now and then. By 1 year old, he was 98% reliable. By 1.5yrs old, he was basically 100%. Good luck. It will come in time. Just have consistency and patience. The puppy phase will flash before your eyes so enjoy it. __________________ ~ Brit & Lights! Camera! Jackson! CGC ETD TKP ~ Follow Jackson on Instagram: https://instagram.com/jacksontheterrier

08-07-2011, 05:56 PM	#5
tduckworth YorkieTalk Newbie! Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Georgia Posts: 2	Thanks for all your replies. He seems to be doing well. I know he wants to sleep with us but I am trying not to give in. I told him when he learns to go potty ouside all the time he can sleep with the kids in their room!! I don't see the light at the end of the tunnel for potty training yet though!!!

08-07-2011, 06:36 PM	#6
Ahmzz Yorkie Yakker Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Brooklyn,NY Posts: 73	The key to potty training is just consistency. When I was potty training, one thing our trainer said was bathroom breaks at night should be quick.. No time for play, water, or food! They need to learn night time is sleep time. Having a set schedule where you wake up at the same time is key. I had a set time of 2am and if she didn't go at 2, after placing her down for about 30 seconds I'd wake up at 4am. If your being consistent you'll be sleeping thru the night in no time! Keep it up, sounds like your doing great!

08-07-2011, 08:28 PM	#8
jmmx3 Yorkie Yakker Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Arlington, VA, USA Posts: 45	I got Roxie when she was 8 weeks old as well, and for the first week I had her I kept her crated in my room at night. She would cry to come out every couple of hours, and I had her use a potty pad then go back in her crate. (She had Coccidia when I got her... and I was only 15 so this is probably not the best method.) After her round of antibiotics I moved her down to the kitchen so I wouldn't wake up every time she moved. I didn't take her out during the night after that and she never had accidents in her crate. I generally took her out before I went to bed at around 11 and then my dad would wake me up to take her out when he left for work at 5, and she was fine. My vet said the key was keeping the crate partitioned off small enough so that she could basically just stand up/lay down in it. Actually, after Roxie's coccidia was cured, she was basically housetrained except for peeing in the house when she was mad at us. (I know that they say dogs are not vindictive, but the only time Roxie would have an accident would be (for example) when my mom had a dinner party and made me keep Roxie with me up in my room. After they finished eating they let her come down and she marched right in front of all the women and peed on the rug in front of the entertainment center. I think I just got lucky though, because I honestly had no idea what I was doing. Roxie is also un-crate trained now... it lasted about 2 years and then with the different hours everyone kept she spent less and less time in the crate until she refused to go in it. Now her sherpa is her safe spot and I find her sleeping in it often. Also, on the vindictive note... Roxie loves to poop in my brother's room. She's lived in 6 houses since we've had her (5 years) and she always finds his room and poops in it. If we shut his door, she won't go anywhere else in the house.