# Puppy wetting bed overnight



## FreckledBeagle (Jan 5, 2014)

My puppy is going to bed about 10am and sleeps through til about 230/3am. We waken him once at 12 to take him out for the toilet.
However we are finding that when he wakens at 230/3am he has wet his bed. He is in a crate but is actually wetting his bed within the crate. 
I'm not sure what's going on. Any suggestions?


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## Lizz1155 (Jun 16, 2013)

Puppies are not at all continent until 14 weeks old - they have no capacity to hang on. Until they're 14 weeks old, they'll pretty much wake and then pee straight away, regardless of where they happen to be. So he's peeing on his bed because he doesn't have enough time to get to the corner of his crate. 

If he's desperate at both 12 and 3, he actually needs two toilet breaks per night, until he's old enough to manage with one. Most puppies will manage with just a 3am toilet break, however it doesn't sound like yours will. 

Might want to consider giving his evening meal slightly earlier? Dogs tend to drink a lot after eating. If he continues to need frequent toilet breaks at night, he needs a vet check.


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## FreckledBeagle (Jan 5, 2014)

Thanks Lizz. He isn't weakening up at midnight, we gently waken him to take him out for a toilet break. We may have to waken him around an hour later then but does this mean we should waken him every hour? I don't mind doing this but is it the norm that new puppy owners have to get up every hour?

I will try giving him evening meal a bit earlier, thanks


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## Lizz1155 (Jun 16, 2013)

FreckledBeagle said:


> Thanks Lizz. He isn't weakening up at midnight, we gently waken him to take him out for a toilet break. We may have to waken him around an hour later then but does this mean we should waken him every hour? I don't mind doing this but is it the norm that new puppy owners have to get up every hour?
> 
> I will try giving him evening meal a bit earlier, thanks


To be honest no, it's not exactly the norm for new puppy owners to have to take their dog out hourly during the night (if the pup is at least 8 weeks old). Just want to check, but there's no chance that your pup is younger than you think, is there? (You can tell by looking at their teeth: a small breed puppy will begin to get teeth at 6 weeks, and should have quite a few by 8/9 weeks, and a complete set by 12 weeks.)

What time does your puppy next need the toilet after 3am? And do you know what his water intake is like overnight? Wondering if he's having a massive drink around 12-1.30am and waking up desperate for the toilet at 3am.

I used to have to wake my dog up for 3am toilet breaks, and on the way back to his crate he tended to stop by the pond and have a really big drink from it. On the days when he did that I had to take him back out into the garden about an hour later, just because he wasn't able to hang on til morning.


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## Sled dog hotel (Aug 11, 2010)

FreckledBeagle said:


> My puppy is going to bed about 10am and sleeps through til about 230/3am. We waken him once at 12 to take him out for the toilet.
> However we are finding that when he wakens at 230/3am he has wet his bed. He is in a crate but is actually wetting his bed within the crate.
> I'm not sure what's going on. Any suggestions?


Crate training is only ever an aid to toilet training. The theory is that a dog wont soil its bed, the immediate surrounding area or where he eats and most wont, but if desparate and with no alternative they will if needs be, so they still need to be taken out regularly.

When puppies are small they have little bladders and don't have much in the way of large capacity to hold large quantities for long periods. They also don't have much in the way of complete control either in fact they often don't realise they need to go or more often don't realise until too late.

When young they will wake or stir when they need to go, usually over a period of a few weeks that need to go in the night gets less and less until they can go right through until early morning.

With mine Ive always had them within sight and sound at night in the first couple of weeks or so, when they wake or stir naturally then Ive popped them out to go. Some people set an alarm once or twice in those early couple of weeks and take them out that way. If he is waking at that time then it sounds at the moment he still needs a few trips in the night. It will stop with time or should. Just another thought was he trained on pads previously? if he was then that can tend to confuse them as they think inside the house is the correct place to go, also some pups tend to pee on anything that has a material like texture or things that resemble the pads too, like rugs, beds or carpets.
Often when you get rid of the pads or paper and concentrate soley on outside toilet trips day and night the toilet training comes on its leaps and bounds.


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## FreckledBeagle (Jan 5, 2014)

Hi, thanks for your replies.

Lizz, yeah I'm confident he is at least 8 weeks - he is KC registered as now being 9 weeks - I know this is no guarantee but he also has many teeth and is appropriate size for this age. He has a vet appointment this Friday so will have this double checked! 
He is getting up at 12 ish, 2.30/3ish then just before 7. He's never wet on any other occasion overnight bar the 230/3 am one, so perhaps your suggestion about him having a large drink of water is true! He does have water in crate - we will monitor this.

Sled dog hotel - your suspicion about puppy pads being used is correct! We used them for the first few days but quickly stopped as I felt they were confusing pup. I think we are still suffering the consequences of using them. And now using outside toiletting only. 
We have puppy sleeping in the room next to us so hear him clearly and we are getting up as soon as there is a peep - unfortunately puppy is still wet at 230/3am so I wonder if he's not actually waking up and urinating when half asleep. 

Outside toiletting is coming on well. We've had no number 2's in the house since day 2 (touch wood) but puppy does urinate quite frequently and sometimes we are out several times an hour with him during the day. I think the fact that his breeder had him and the litter mates in a room where the floor was covered in newspaper and he could just go whenever probably didn't help this.


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## Sled dog hotel (Aug 11, 2010)

FreckledBeagle said:


> Hi, thanks for your replies.
> 
> Lizz, yeah I'm confident he is at least 8 weeks - he is KC registered as now being 9 weeks - I know this is no guarantee but he also has many teeth and is appropriate size for this age. He has a vet appointment this Friday so will have this double checked!
> He is getting up at 12 ish, 2.30/3ish then just before 7. He's never wet on any other occasion overnight bar the 230/3 am one, so perhaps your suggestion about him having a large drink of water is true! He does have water in crate - we will monitor this.
> ...


If they had a whole room and the floor was covered in paper then he would have just been used to going where ever he was. It will take time but by consistently taking him out at every opportunity and re-enforcing it with lots of praise and treats he will get it.


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