# Overnight Potty Training



## Papilove (May 20, 2010)

I'm not a first time dog owner by any stretch, but it has been 20 years since I had a puppy. LOL I read the errorless potty training, and it is very much what I used to do with some minor variations. I didn't use an 'indoor potty area' back then. I'm not against the idea. In fact, I wouldn't mind my puppy learning there is a 'good' place in the house to go too since she'll be an itty bitty, and also because we spend weekends on a boat, and it would be easier to use a littler box on the boat than always finding somewhere to let her get off and go.

My biggest question is, I can't remember what to expect at night. How often should I expect to take a puppy out at during sleep time at night? I'm trying to decide between crating at night (will definitely use a crate in the daytime when I am not watching her or playing with her), or using an x-pen area with a potty box in it for the night. I typically get up once or twice (usually twice) a night anyway myself, so taking puppy out then wouldn't be a chore... but every hour, or even two might be a drag and I would probably go ahead with the indoor area idea if that were the case.


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## Stephie (Apr 29, 2010)

I can't really help out much with the indoor potty area part (mainly because I didn't want to try that at all considering I have a saint bernard, lol), and my experience may be a little different because I have a large breed puppy. However, I just recently went through the potty training stage with Dakota and he's doing amazingly well. 

Pretty much, in the beginning we crated him at night. He was taken out right before bed and placed in the crate which had a divider, leaving him just enough space to lay down and move enough to get comfortable. That way he had no space to go to the bathroom out of his area, and therefore wouldn't go in the crate. This may not be with all puppies, but Dakota would whine when he needed to go out. I'd take him outside, praise him but not too excitedly so he didn't get all wound up, then took him back in and placed him back into the crate to go back to sleep. Now, I did of course notice that if I woke up to go to the restroom during the night he woke up and wanted to do the same. If you're up a few times during the night, chances are that may be enough as long as there's not a lot of water intake before bedtime. He learned fairly quickly that being put in his crate meant that it was bedtime and the only time he got out until morning was to go potty. He is now sleeping through the night, out of the crate.

The potty training pads supposedly help a lot with the indoor training I've heard. I guess because you can train them to go on the pad and then gradually teach where they may go by moving the pad to the designated area.

I suppose it partially depends on the puppy, but I hope this was of some help


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## Papilove (May 20, 2010)

Thanks Stephie. I don't know either if the size makes a difference. I think a bigger puppy might have a bigger bladder and can hold it longer, on the other hand, maybe water intake is proportionate to size too, so not. ?


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## briteday (Feb 10, 2007)

Mostly it tends to depend on the age of the puppy. Rule of thumb about how often the dog needs to go out (they cannot "hold it" until muscles develop around 6 months old) 

age of dog in months (8 weeks = 2 months) = number of hours between potty breaks, at the MOST.

In addition, the dog needs to be taken out immediately when it wakes up, after naps, after drinking tons of water with a play session, after meals (feed 3-4x per day until 6 months old, then 2x per day, small breeds tend towards low blood sugar if they go a whole 24 hours between meals), etc...so you will be spending a lot of time outdoors. But repetition makes training easier as it gives the dog more chances at success. Remember to keep those special treats, only given at potty time for success and always the MOST desired treat according to your dog, in your pocket and ready to give as soon as the dog stands up from the squat.

So if you get an 8 week old dog you will need to take the dog out at least every 2 hours 24/7. There are some things that lessen the trips such as picking up the water bowl an hour or two before bedtime. And some dogs, even the small breeds that we have, can go a bit longer once they are sleeping soundly...and I highly suggest crating at night. It's a real bummer to wake up and step into a puddle or pile with bare feet! Also, I don't like to wait until the dog whines to go out as one dog I had got into a bad habit of whining all the time. So initially I set an alarm for 2 hours and take the dog out quietly throughout the night. If the dog is always dry in the crate at the 2 hour mark then I start to lengthen the alarm setting by 15-30 minutes. 

I've been reading your posts about boating and the litter box. I think that's a great idea while you're on the boat. But I wouldn't encourage the dog to eliminate in the house i.e. when you are not on the boat. I would keep a regular outdoor potty training going at home. And bait the litter box with a paper towel that you have wiped up the dog's urine with and perhaps pick up a stool sample from the yard before you leave for the boat for the litter box as well. Dogs, especially paps, are pretty smart about figuring out that there are different rules of the road in different places, like boat vs. home. You my find that the dog doesn't like the "feel" of litter and prefers the puppy pads or a small square of sod. I have not used a litter box with my little ones so I can't help on that one too much.


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## Papilove (May 20, 2010)

Thanks for all the great information. I remember, and have read again lately, the month=hours rule, but wasn't sure if that was the same at night. (I don't know why I would think it wasn't--wishful thinking maybe, lol.)

I can appreciate the advice about the whining. I never waited for them to 'beg to go out' either. I applied a schedule. I think my selective thinking conveniently 'forgot' what I used to do at night. (What you used to be able to do easily at 20/30 is a lot different that what you can do easily at 50, haha.) I guess I'm having a baby (at my age) and am going to have to accept midnight 'feedings' (poopings) for what they are again.

As for the suggestion about only using the box on the boat: thank you for that info too. I had worried that only using a litter box/potty pads type thing on the boat would confuse her if she didn't have exposure to it at home as well. I wasn't going to use 'litter' per say, I just tend to call any 'box' for elimination a 'litter box' haha. I was planning on pads inside the box.


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## KEichman (Jan 7, 2010)

Papilove said:


> Thanks for all the great information. I remember, and have read again lately, the month=hours rule, but wasn't sure if that was the same at night. (I don't know why I would think it wasn't--wishful thinking maybe, lol.)


I don't know if our experience was atypical, but we certainly didn't need to take our puppy out every two hours overnight, while sleeping. We got her at about 9 weeks old, and she is a small dog, too (bichon/shih tzu mix). I think the first couple of days we may have been out twice overnight (between bed at 11pm, and getting up around 6:15/6:30am). After that, it was only once, for maybe a week at the most, and since then (at about 10 weeks old), she has slept through the night. We gradually were able to make her bedtime a little earlier, and now (at age 6 months) she goes from 10pm to 6am regularly without a break (and is even fine from 9pm on, but we're up anyway, so we take her out again just before bedtime).

During the day, however, particularly during awake hours, I still take her out every 3 hours or so, even though she CAN go longer, if needed.

That's just our recent experience, for what it's worth.


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