# My almost 4 mo. old needs to be let out every 2 hours



## marjo1213 (Nov 2, 2010)

Good morning everyone,

House training for my new puppy is going pretty well except for at night. She's almost 4 months old and at night she needs to be let out every 2 hours, sometimes even every hour. I kept reading the rule that puppies can hold their pee for however old they are plus 1 so I was expecting her to be needing to go out 2-3 times at night. She doesn't pee in her kennel but, I was thinking maybe her kennel makes her more anxious causing her to have to use the bathroom more often.

I guess I just want to make sure her house training is coming along the right way. I was hoping for more of an increase in the length of time between bathroom breaks because it is getting a bit tiring. Do you think she'll eventually be able to hold it for at least 4 hours or maybe even sleep through the night?

Thanks in advance!


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## The A Team (Dec 1, 2005)

Would it be easier to put up an xpen in your bedroom? Large enough for a bed or crate and a pee pee pad?


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## Cosy (Feb 9, 2006)

She's still a baby. You can add a pad to a pen for her as Pat suggested or perhaps remove her water an hour before you go to bed and take her out right before. If you feel the crate is causing anxiety I would definitely go to a pen or perhaps pen her in a small bathroom with a pee pad and her bed.


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## MyLuna (Mar 6, 2011)

I am guessing all our babies are totally different and it probably makes it hard on us to know what is 'normal'....My Luna Bella arrived a little over 12 weeks and she seemed to already be able to hold her potty for a longer time than I expected. Now, at 5 months, she goes to bed (crate) at about 9:30 p.m. and we get up at 5:30 a.m. and she is always dry. I put her in her potty section of the pen (with pish pad) and after some jumping up and down to be picked up...she goes pee two separate times within 5 minutes...and then does a poop most of the time within minutes. Then she has her breakfast (she is on Primal Raw) and maybe takes a tiny bit of water with a few string beans and about a tsp of plain yogurt. She might do another poop right after breakfast. Two hours later she goes in her crate until about noon or 1:00 and she never, ever goes in the crate. She goes immediately after coming out of crate....so that is Luna Bella. Who apparently hold her potty and poop very well for an extended period of time. Now, if I could get her to stop destroying every toy given to her...that would be something!!!


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## jmm (Nov 23, 2004)

That is not a normal need to urinate. How long can she hold it during the day? I suspect this is a learned behavior if it only occurs at night (she has learned you let her out every time she complains so she does it frequently).


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## marjo1213 (Nov 2, 2010)

jmm said:


> That is not a normal need to urinate. How long can she hold it during the day? I suspect this is a learned behavior if it only occurs at night (she has learned you let her out every time she complains so she does it frequently).


During the day, she seems to be able to hold it longer which makes me think her night time habits have something to do with the kennel. On the nights when I really need to sleep all the way through, I'll put her in the kitchen with a baby gate so she can't escape and her bed and puppy pads. I just didn't want to go to the kitchen route too much because I thought it might delay her progress with using the bathroom outside so I just tried to suck it up and keep her in the kennel at night and take her out to use the bathroom when she cries. Lately, I just haven't been getting good sleep because of having to take her out and it's starting to make me tired at work.


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## jmm (Nov 23, 2004)

How long exactly during the day?

Assuming there is no medical problem, I would pick your times to take her out and take her out on your schedule. One, max 2 outtings per night should be adequate. I would set up your first one before she starts fussing. You could try a different set up...like a 2x2 pen next to your bed or one of those soft-sided pens if she'd stay in it.


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