Speaking of "Can a Pup go all night...."

When we first got Kipling (10 weeks old) he was doing well at night in his crate. He barked/cried a little when we put him to bed but made it through the night. That lasted about a whole 2 weeks then he started having accidents in teh middle of the night. We would listen carefully and at the first sign we would take him out in the middle of the night but the problem was he only barked after he had peed in his crate. Now we are setting an alarm every night for 3am to take him out. I am afraid now that we have programed him for this. He is 4 months now and I am wondering how can we get back on track? It seems that as soon as we start to push the clock back he then pees in his crate before we take him out. Currently his crate is upstairs while we sleep downstairs. Would it be better if we moved it down with us? He definately barks in the morning around 6ish before we get up (6:30) which I know my husband doesnt love but we need to get him to sleep throughout the whole night.


HELP/SUGGESTIONS PLEASE!

Have you taken him to a vet? He's very old to be needing to go out and so badly that he'd actually pee in his crate so I'd definitely be checking for urinary or kidney infections. Are you giving him water within three hours of sleeping? If he drinks a lot before bedtime that might be an issue too. But at his age and given he didn't have problems before, I would definitely see a vet before trying anything else and do this asap as this type of infection is very uncomfortable.

On where you have him sleep -- dogs tend to worry less about getting up when they sleep in your room. If he is having housetraining problems I'd definitely have him next to the bed though.

He has been to the vet and no issues. I wondered if he was doing this because he knows we will let him out then.

Our girl sleeps in her crate right next to the bed. I think it is comforting for her knowing we are there with her, yet, we all enjoy a good nights sleep in our own beds. She will lightly scratch on the door to wake us if she just can't get through the full night without going potty, (she is 8 1/2 months old). But, for the most part, I think she is happy knowing we are close by. We have it easy because she loves to snuggle down for the night in her own bed and doesn't fuss or cry to get out unless she really, really has to go.

You might also try lifting her water a bit earlier before bed, put her down a little later than usual and make sure you take her out to potty right before she settles in for the night. Also, wash her crate pad and bedding really well, then give the crate a good scrubbing with vinegar and water. Good luck!

Does he get a longer walk before bedtime or anything else to get him tired? It helps them sleep better, he might not wake up to pee if he's tired enough and it should also make him sleep longer so he doesn't start barking at 6am. My dog usually had trouble at that age sleeping a whole night if he didn't get a walk lasting half an hour or more right before bedtime even though he started sleeping through the night with no pottybreaks at 11 weeks. He sleeps in his crate in my room as well, I have no doubt he'd make a fuss and wake up more often if I tried to keep him elsewhere.

If that's not the issue, it might be useful to change hours. Go to bed a little earlier/later than usual, and set the alarm and take him out before he wakes up. But do try to change the times so it's not always at 3am, maybe 10-15 minutes later or earlier, so he doesn't get used to one specific time. No talking to him, looking at him or anything like that, just take him out, let him do his business and immediately back inside the crate, so he doesn't start to think he gets to play and have fun in the middle of the night.

Hmm.... Here's what I would do if this was my situation...

Assuming that the dog is a secure dog that is not suffering anxiety from being alone or separated from its people, I would first remove all bedding from the crate. I'd probably put an old, clean towel in the crate until I feel secure that the crate-soiling is a thing of the past.

I'd also move the crate to my bedroom next to the bed. I'd make sure that the water was picked up several hours before bedtime, and I'd be sure to take the dog out before bedding down. I'd stand there and watch, making sure the dog pees. As I put the dog into the crate, I'd introduce a command that should be associated with settling down for the night. With my girls, we use "go to bed."

During the night, I would listen more for stirring and scratching (with just a towel, the dog's claws should scratch the bottom of the crate, making a lot of noise) than for whining or barking. When I hear the dog moving about, I'd take it out. I would not speak to the dog during the process UNTIL it eliminates outside. Then, I would gently praise/cuddle the dog for going outside. We'd then return to the crate.

Once we lasted a week or so without any crate accidents at night, I would try to settle the dog vocally with repeating the "go to bed" command when it starts to make noise. Sometimes reaching out to the dog through the kennel helps settle a dog. If the water's brought up and the bladder is relieved before bedtime, and the dog is otherwise healthy, it should be able to control and hold it until morning. If the dog can not settle, or only settles for a brief period of time, I'd take it out as described above. The dog should, after time, adjust and sleep through the night. (If it doesn't, I would probably go back to my vet and explain the details. Perhaps there's something else going on besides a bladder infection.)

Only after a week or two of all-night sleeping without any outings or accidents would I return any type of special bedding. I would also get new bedding, probably. The new bedding would avoid any remaining scents of old accidents plus it would be a great reward for me (as dog stuff is FUN to buy) for successfully getting through this challenge!

Good, sound advice already given here, personnally I would have the crate in your room with you or just outside the door if you preferred that.

That's really good advice. I keep Mavericks crate next to my bed so that he can see I'm sleeping and he knows once I'm awake he can start bugging me.