Night time puppy pad

[Bruce's Mummy]

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Hi, Bruce is my 5month old Cockapoo. He stays in a pen at night with his crate, water, a puppy pad and a toy to chew. He uses his pad during the night but stays quiet until we wake up between 6-6.30am. I want him to stop using the puppy pad at night and wait until the morning when we let him out for a wee. My friend suggested I lock him in the crate as he won't pee in the bed. I tried this last night and as I suspected he DID wee in his bed in his crate. I have no idea how to fix it. Help?

 

[Biker John]

Two things in my opinion, first I do not like puppy pads they tend to teach the dog that it is fine to go indoors. Overnight is a long time for a youngster to go without needing a wee, think of young children they cant hold it all night. What I do with a pup is put it to bed, then set my alarm to wake me after 3 hours at first, get up take it out. Plenty of praise when it does a wee, put it back to bed then repeat after 3 hours. As the pup ages I extend the sleep time. At 5 months old I would be thinking of getting up after 5 hours sleep.

 

[Bruce's Mummy]

Thanks for your message I like this idea. Il give it a go tonight! Shall I get rid of puppy pad altogether then? Or leave it down just in case? I don't want a soggy floor!

 

[JoanneF]

I echo what Biker John says, and just in case he doesn't log on again today I am going to chip in. Puppy pads are confusing for a puppy because they give a mixed message about whether it's ok to toilet indoors or not and getting up before any accidents is best. But if you take away the pad now you might distress the puppy by giving him no alternative but to toilet where his pad used to be, should you not be up quite early enough to get him out. So as you have started with them, I would leave them down now BUT aim to get up and take your puppy out before he has needed to toilet. At this stage I would aim for a dry pad before you aim for a dry crate/bed. Can you hear him moving from where you sleep? That would be good (but speaking as someone who has slept through our burglar alarm going off - twice - I know it isn't easy ...). If you get up at, say, 3.00 am and the pad is wet, make it 2.30 tomorrow. You may need several nights to get it right but once you know his toilet time, spend a few nights getting him out just before that then start pushing it later by 10 minutes for a few nights, then another 10, then another 15 etc. until you are going through the night.

 

[Bruce's Mummy]

Thanks, il give it a go! I did think moving his pen and crate to a different corner of the room, and taking the pad out. That way he isn't in a routine of peeing in a certain area? Il leave it and do as you say until I know his routine. I just hope he goes back to sleep after midnight pee!

 

[Nanny71]

Never had a problem with puppy pads. Dudley had originally been my grandaughters dog and as she lived in a flat he used puppy pads. When he finally came to us at six months old he carried on using the puppy pads for about two weeks but in the meantime I took him out every two hours and he got the idea. He was never crated and after the original two weeks managed to go all night with no accidents. He slept downstairs, still does and nearly two years on has never had an accident except the night after his castration even though I slept downstairs with him We take him on holiday once a month in the summer and he has never pooped or wee'd in any of the strange places we have stayed. Are we just lucky?