# Night time routine for new puppy



## Piglet1 (Apr 12, 2010)

Hi there, 
To any new puppy owners and any more experienced, thought I'd share this to see what people think.
Our new whippet puppy, Spiro, came to us 4 days ago at the age of 7 weeks. I had read lots about how to manage the night times but eventually did the following:
The first night, Spiro slept in his cage in the living room and I slept down there with him. He cried a few times but soon calmed down. I got up twice to take him out to toilet.
The second night, I slept upstairs and went down twice to take him out. He again whined a bit but only for short bursts.
The last two night, I got up at about 2am after we went to bed just after 10 and he was fine-only whining once which was when I took him out. 
However, Spiro does think its time to get up at 6am and then objects to being expected to sleep more. He is also very energetic and playful when he wakes which is exhausting after my sleep has been broken. Not sure how I'll cope when I go back to work!
On the plus side, so far we have had a clean crate and he has only had two wee accidents in the kitchen and one poo accident when I didn't grab him quick enough after his dinner. 
I feel a bit zombie like as am so so tired but I am hoping this will get better. We are getting him used to his playpen though he would prefer to be playing with us all the time.
Any views on this regime?


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## hutch6 (May 9, 2008)

Yep. Been there done it and doing again now. Welcome to the club. Help yourself to the free bar


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## lucysnewmum (Feb 25, 2010)

heheh....been there.done that...worn the tshirt out! :lol:
sounds like you are doing a fabulous job. just like new babies puppies can get away with sleeping for about 4 hrs max and then wanting play, food, etc. just go with it....keep positive....reward the good stuff....ignore anything else and puppy will soon start sleeping longer once you start making him work for a living! i.e. obedience training, long walks, games of footy etc


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## babycham2002 (Oct 18, 2009)

Same as above really, we carried on with this exhausting routine for exactly 2 weeks then she finally started to sleep through the night. :thumbup: Although mine was 8 weeks when I bought her home so perhaps you will have 3 weeks of it?


Now I have a problem that my brother always is either leaving for or getting home from work at 5am, which wakes Willow up who in turns wakes me up.
Now I could easily solve this by having her sleep downstairs but I like the company . So I just put up with it.

Well done all the toilet training youve done so far,
make the most of them while they are this little, I know its exhausting but they really do grow so fast!


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## Maz&Oozy (Mar 29, 2010)

yup im doing it now... (hands matchsticks and coffee) mine wakes approx 3 to 4am for a wee and then he will sleep till about 6.45 later when kids arnt getting up for school and college and them banging about doesnt wake him, we start him in his downstairs crate area, but when he wakes for wee and he's been he comes in our room to his small crate and is now as good as gold no whinning.

Still has accidents but getting better but he is a Shih Tzu and typical to the breed as stubborn as heck and a small bladder lol


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## Fleur (Jul 19, 2008)

It's like having a baby :lol: you soon adapt to the broken sleep.
I found mine started to go right through the night after a month or so.
As for getting up early, once they were going through the night I just pushe back the time I came down by 5 mins every few days and now they wake whe we come downstairs.


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## Melissa85 (Apr 28, 2010)

Unfortunately I think this is just part of being a puppy owner, my Golden was exactly the same, I was up three or four times a night with him for the first week or two then at least twice for the month following that. If he is waking up at 6 and not wanting to go back to sleep I would suggest a really good run before bedtime. This should tire him out. If you can't go out with him that late, then maybe 30-45 minutes of playing fetch, tug of war etc - games that will tire him out and hopefully get him to sleep through to a decent time in the morning.

Don't worry though, it will get easier, and of course they're so so worth it!


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## Terr (Mar 2, 2010)

I always count my lucky stars when I hear new puppy owners' experiences with nighttime routines. Dante was brought home at what I think was 7 weeks (see my thread about this here). The only time that I had to get up during the night was his first night home. I put him in his crate at around 12am but he wouldn't stop crying so being a big wuss, I let him out and put him in the laundry basket I brought him in, covering it with an old bed sheet and placed him right next to my bed. He slept the whole night through without a potty break and has been that way ever since. I'm convinced he has super powers.

I hope it's not long before Spiro has better control over his bladder! It's good to hear he doesn't make too much of a fuss with the crate. Dante hated his at first.


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## CandyFlee (Apr 7, 2010)

Yep, currently experiencing this! lol

OH takes Oscar out at about 11ish and then I get up to let him out at about 3.30am for a wee, then we're up again at about half 6 (though thats mainly due to the kids waking him up lol). Knackering but worth it for a housetrained dog!


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## kaisa624 (Mar 5, 2010)

Even now with our 6 month old, we take her out for toilet at 11pm, crated overnight, with a coop cup of water in her crate. She will wake up around 7 or 8am, so we make her sit and wait while the door is opened, then she is allowed out once she's calm, taken into the garden for toilet, and then let loose in the kitchen for the next hour or so until 9am which is breakfast time for her.

That way we can get some extra sleep  When we got her at 7 weeks, we were up twice a night, so she was put to sleep around 11pm, woke at 2am, and 5am, then up properly at 7 or 8am like now.

We still try to keep her awake as long as possible during the day, so she will actually sleep through the night. Although she is kept downstairs, you can still hear her barking once she gets started!


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## Mama Sass (Sep 8, 2009)

Soooo been there and done that but Basil is five months now and it all seems but a distant memory!

Sounds like you're doing just fine...Basil was the same for a while, up at six and wanting to play but that didn't last long. It does get easier, honest!!

And there is hope for a bit of a lie in again one day...Basil must be the laziest puppy ever in the mornings. He sleeps through the night on the landing in his crate and when I open his crate in the morning he doesn't move for at least an hour. I occasionally make him get up to have a wee but he always goes straight back to his crate for more sleep!

The flip side of this is that he is always on the go in the evenings and doesn't settle until about 10.30pm but we are always up until then anyway...it's much better that he sleeps later in the mornings!!


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## HB2210 (Apr 14, 2010)

Ive just been through the same myself with my pup Mason. I cant offer advice but I can say it does get better x Sounds like youve done all the hard work already, hang in there :thumbup:


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## girlyhouse (Apr 16, 2010)

Oh im with you there. just been and going through it myself.The broken sleep makes me feel so physically sick.i just remind myself its all worth it and wont last forever. COFFEE AND CHOCOLATE HELP:thumbup:


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## HB2210 (Apr 14, 2010)

Just as well theyre so cute they get away with making you a complete wreck


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