# Puppy pees/poops in crate with no warning



## sp2007 (Jan 8, 2013)

We just got a 9 week old Boston Terrier. At night we put her in a crate in our bedroom. It is not an overly big crate, but big enough for her to be comfortable. We take her potty before we go to bed (around 11pm) and I wake up at 5:30am. Lately I have been waking up to her having peed and sometimes pooped in her bed. She does not cry to let us know she needs to go out. And she has no problem sitting in it. Does this mean I should be waking during the night to take her out? I wish she would alert us because I am a light sleeper and I would hear her instantly.

Thanks for your suggestions!


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## cookieface (Jul 6, 2011)

In puppies that young, they generally don't even know they have to go - they just go. You might try taking her out midway through the night so she doesn't get into the habit of going in her crate and sitting in the mess. That can cause problems in the future. In a few weeks, she should be able to go through the night without a break. 

With puppies under about 6 months, the onus is on the caretaker to keep them on a reasonable schedule. Before about 6 months, they aren't really able to control their elimination - much like human infants.

If you search for posts by DoxieMommy (or maybe DoxieMom), she has excellent house training advice.


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## Puppy0226 (Jun 7, 2012)

at 9 weeks the dog can't hold it from 11pm to 5:30am. you need to be taking her out every 2 hours or so....


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## sp2007 (Jan 8, 2013)

Thank you for your replies. I will set my alarm during the night to take her out. When will I know she is ready to go longer stretches during the night?


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## Puppy0226 (Jun 7, 2012)

i'd say around 4-5 months or so.


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## cookieface (Jul 6, 2011)

A rough rule of thumb is that puppies can hold an hour plus 1 for each month of age (so a three-month-old puppy could hold for 4 hours). However, when they sleep, body functions slow down, so they can go longer between breaks. Of course, every dog is unique and will have their own timetable.

With your two month old, you'd want to aim for taking her out at least every 3 hours while she's awake (plus after waking, eating, and playing) - and you might need to take her out more often, see what works for your pup. At night, try getting up around 2:30am and after two weeks or so, if she's not having accidents, start waiting a little longer (3am, then 3:30am, etc). See what works for your puppy. Your main goal at this point is to prevent accidents, so don't try to rush it.

We got our puppy at 5 1/2 months so she was sleeping through the night, but she wasn't accustomed to being home alone for a full day. For a few weeks, I went home at lunch to let her out. Gradually, I started taking "lunch" later and later until I was leaving work a half hour early, and then leaving regular time.


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## elrohwen (Nov 10, 2011)

I would set an alarm and take her out. Every couple of weeks you can move the alarm forward an hour (maybe start at 1am, depending on your bedtime, then go to 2am, then 3, etc) and if she's not having accidents, you're good. If she has an accident, set the alarm back, or if she cries, take her out.

I liked this method as our pup never learned that crying gets him let out of his crate in the middle of the night (though he still tries it at 6am on weekends sometimes)


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