Night time worries..

[Sandie1]

Hi everyone, hoping someone can reassure me.

I've had my new mini pup only since Sunday. She's crated in our bedroom at night. She's been having her last wee around 10 then going in the crate but seems to be waking roughly every two to two and a half hours, I take her outside, she wees, then I put her back to bed. She has had a couple of nights when she has slept four hours or even longer. It seems so random! (She's on Nutriment raw puppy food, seems to do very little poo). One of my puppy books suggests that your puppy will sleep for 4 hours! Is all of this normal, should I be worried?

[Dawnspell]

Dont worry every dog is an individual they dont read the puppy books Shes still a baby and settling in. How long does she sleep at a time during the day ?

She will do smaller poos being fed on raw than if she was being fed a kibble. Thats one of the advantages of feeding raw

[zeta1454]

Puppies do vary in how long they are able to ‘hold on’ overnight and, as said above, your new puppy is settling in just now. Did her breeder give you any information as to her overnight toileting? Was she crated at the breeder’s before you collected her?
If puppies have not been used to a crate but just sleeping overnight in a communal space with their siblings, they may not have been encouraged to wait until morning to go outside.

We have had puppies in individual crates with a puppy pad in the front so they can use this if need be but it can help to encourage them to hold on. If she is crying to go out, at this stage, then it is up to you whether you want to take her out each time so you know she is OK. However, is she crying because she needs to wee or crying because she is lonely or cold or been woken by some sound or a bad dream? If you take a puppy or dog outside they are quite likely to wee but that doesn’t mean they ‘needed’ to go. As you do want to encourage her to sleep through, I wouldn’t get into too much a routine of taking her outside every two hours or similar or you may establish a pattern of regular waking.

We have had mini schnauzer puppies who have gone all night (from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m.) without needing to toilet and others who have been older but have used the puppy pad in the crate to pee during the night.

[Sandie1]

Hi both, thank you for your replies.

Alison, she probably sleeps around an hour at a time during the day, sometimes longer.

Leigh, I don't think she was crated at the breeders, just in a communal area with siblings. I have been getting up to take her out because I thought she must be needing to wee, but from what you say, perhaps she doesn't.
I think I might try the idea of the puppy pad inside the front...should I just take her out less often for a start, say 4 hours? Then just try "shushing" her?
Or have I already spoilt her by taking her out so often? I know she can go longer because she's done it in on a couple of occasions.

[zeta1454]

Hi Rachel, If you have only had her less than a week, I don’t think you will have spoilt her

It is best to establish a routine (if at all possible) which is consistent so always try to stick to whatever you have decided at least for a while or unless it really is not working out at all. I would definitely put a puppy pad at the front of her crate which may give you a chance to find out if she is needing to wee in the night. Personally, I also would not take her outside unless she is really persistent and disturbing you - so not waking her to go out for sure.

[Sandie1]

Thanks so much for the advice.

For the last couple of nights I have let her wee outside around 10, then put her in the crate and if she has started to cry before 3 hours, I have just said "shush" and tried to reassure her without getting her out. Then she has settled again for a bit longer and when she next whimpers, if she has gone 4 hours or longer, I have taken her out for a wee then popped her back in then tried to get her through until sometime after 6ish.

She hasn't wet the pad during the night. She does cry a bit then I hear her chewing on the bedding (or nylabone, should I take this out?), she doesn't just sleep quietly the entire time. I'm hoping in time she will settle a bit more. Is all of this normal, am I still doing something wrong?