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Originally Posted by mc2319  Chelsea's 12 weeks old (I got her at 10wks) and the first night I had her she went in her crate at like 10pm...and whined since it was her first time in it...and then at around 1am or so she started whining uncontrollably...well I thought it was just separation anxiety so I just ignored it... finally it got so bad that I got her out and she had peed in her crate and was soaked! So until recently at around 1-2am she'll start scratching and whining so I let her out to potty and then she goes right back in her crate until around 8am... |
As she grows older she'll be able to go longer without a toilet break, but the young ones have a hard time keeping it in all night, depending on their 'bed time', if they had food or water near their bed time, and how early they get let out in the morning. Try to make her last potty break consistently close to her bed time, and have consistent breaks throughout the day, so that she gets into a routine of when she goes potty. As she gains more control of her bladder, the amount of breaks she'll need will go down, but be quite rigid until then, so she doesn't get in the habit of the 1am potty breaks and expects them.
The other alternative (which may be preferable for a young pup with a small bladder instead of lasting the night) is to increase her sleeping space so she can have both a bed and a potty area until she gains the control needed to last the night. It might be easier to notice, as you'll eventually find in the mornings that she's gone the entire night without needing her paper or potty pad, then she can just have her bed in the crate, as you won't need to worry about her soiling herself.
Choose the method which is easiest for both you and your pup, but try and be consistent so you don't confuse her.