# Puppy still wakes up at night



## Dogdays (Nov 14, 2012)

Hello! First I want to say thanks to all those who have answered my questions, and thanks in advance for any answers i recieve to this. i am such a newbie and I really appreciate it.

My airedale pup is now 17 weeks old. We got him at 8 weeks, and since the day we brought him home he has still not slept through the night even once. I understand I have a baby still, and he doesn't have full control of his bladder until he is 6 months, so should I just expect to still be taking him out for midnight potty runs for the next couple of months? 

We feed him at 7pm and then he falls asleep early - around 9 or so - and then I wake him up and take him out to pee right before I go to sleep -around 11 or so. His breakfast is at 7am, but in the night he will wake up once or twice and whine still, and he will not stop until I take him out to the bathroom. Then he goes right back to sleep.

His crate is right outside our open bedroom door, so he can hear and smell us and I can hear him if he rustles or whines (I am a very light sleeper).

Anyway, is it pretty normal for a pup this age to consistently wake up once or twice in the night still? Could it be a possible UTI or is he still too young to hold it that long? Sorry for the long post but I usually find it helpful to be as detailed as possible.


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## Jmc1985 (Nov 27, 2012)

My female MAS was like this. We were always consistent with food/water times at night and pottied her before bed, but for a month or two she had pretty set times for waking up at night and going potty. She was great about going out, doing her thing and then settling back down in her kennel when she was done so it wasn't a big deal and she did grow out of it eventually on her own. My male MAS was a complete nightmare in his kennel at night for the first two weeks but by 10 weeks old he was sleeping through the night. So they're all different. If you're not noticing frequent urination during the day I wouldn't worry about a UTI but you can always call your vet to double check.


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## Kobismom (Dec 17, 2012)

If you've ever had a UTI (I have had many... no fun!!), then you'll know that your dog would want to be going out every 15 mins, and won't be able to pee a whole lot + it would be painful as a ****ens. If your dog is only getting up 1 time in the night, then I truly doubt it's a UTI. It may just be your dog doesn't have the bladder control yet and doesn't want to mess up his crate. He's at least letting you know and by your response to take him out, he's gaining trust in you and you're training him to properly alert you when he needs to go out. 

Yeah, it can be inconvenient as far as sleep deprivation for yourself (my BF is completely sleep deprived right now!), but in the long run, your pup will gain more control and grow out of it. Just like children, some take to potty training really quickly and some wait until they're 3-4 years old.


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## elrohwen (Nov 10, 2011)

My pup is almost 20 weeks and he still wakes up. He can sleep until 5/5:30 now, but then will start to bark to go out, so we try to take him out between 1 and 3 and then he can hold it much later (and no barking). It really depends on each pup.


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## Belle12 (Dec 5, 2012)

From everything I've read, most dogs should be able to hold it for a hour longer than the number of months they are. So yours is about 4 months, so he should be able to hold it for at least 4-5 hours. Maybe he is just lonely or knows that by whining he gets let out. Also, since he falls asleep early, I would suggest waking him up a little while before you go to bed for a 20-30 minute play session. It might help tire him back out and allow him to sleep longer. It helped with our puppy since she likes to take a nap at 7pm until we go to bed.
I have a 8 week golden. She just slept through the night for the first time last night. 12am-7am. The first couple nights we had her she woke up a couple of times, then down to one. I figured out the first couple of nights that it wasn't always that she had to potty every time, but she was lonely. I kept her crate by my bed and would put my fingers in the door. She would sniff and lick them and then lay down next to them and go back to sleep.


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## hanksimon (Mar 18, 2009)

He sounds like he's doing OK - gets up, takes a pee, goes back to sleep - ideal situation, although a little inconvenient for you. He'll be getting his adult teeth soon and be teething, so his schedule may change a little... but give him two more months before 'pushing' him to sleep through the night.


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## doxiemommy (Dec 18, 2009)

If he actually pees when you take him out, then he needs to go, so keep doing it. There's no harm in it, if you make it all about business and then go straight back to bed.
Every puppy is different. Our first could sleep through the night by 10 weeks. The second not til about a year old.....seriously. She is a tiny thing, with a tiny bladder, and she didn't really have accidents, as long you took her out when she needed to go. The third, about 14 weeks old.


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## Dogdays (Nov 14, 2012)

Thanks for the responses! It's good to know its completely normal for him to still need to go out. And honestly, waking up once or twice in the night to take him out is a whole lot better than waking up to a soiled crate and puppy that both need to be cleaned!


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## seaboxador (Sep 23, 2012)

You're close to the point where dogs can sleep all night without peeing. I'd just be patient. Maybe you could cut out the two hour nap late in the evening and add in some more activity. Keeping him up until you go to bed could very well mean him sleeping through the night. 

If you get to that point, some friendly advice is have the keys/leash/shoes/etc handy when the dog wakes up. Take him/her to the bathroom first even if you're bursting. You'll pay the price otherwise.


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## Kobismom (Dec 17, 2012)

seaboxador said:


> If you get to that point, some friendly advice is have the keys/leash/shoes/etc handy when the dog wakes up. Take him/her to the bathroom first even if you're bursting. You'll pay the price otherwise.


We do this... My SCUBA jacket (which is really warm at 4:00am!!) is loaded with a flashlight, doggie bags, treats and hangs on our door. When Kobi gets restless, one of us can get dressed quickly, get his leash, and GO!


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