# Help with Potty Training Please



## ksj123 (Jun 17, 2009)

Hi, I have a six and a half old hav, his name is Harley. When we first got him, he slept in his crate at night. Then, he won us over and we let him start sleeping in the bed. Well, of course, I loved that. BUT.... much to my suprise, I was changing the sheets and noticed that he had gone potty in the bed in 2 places. So, now I am back to putting him in the crate again. He doesn't mind going in there. I put him in at 9:30 or 10:00P.M. By 3:00 A.M. he is crying. I have pee pads down in my bathroom that he will not use. I think he is just getting up because he wants to get in the bed with us. How can I re-train him to use the pee pads during the night, or better yet, how can I train him to sleep through the night? What time should I take his water up? Thank you in advance for any help that you can give.


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## Pixiesmom (Jul 31, 2008)

Is he 6 1/2 months old?
If that's the case, he's old enough to hold it all night. He's probably wanting to get into your bed with you, like you suggested. It has become a routine for him-"If I cry, they will get me out".Pixie is over a year and she still sleeps in her crate. If you take him out to go potty before bedtime (ruling out that he has a UTI), he should be good to go until morning, when he's taken out again. You really shouldn't have to set out pee pads for 3AM. Try putting him in there not before, but the same time you go to bed (if you're not already doing that). If he's not ready for sleeping with you at night, in the crate is where he needs to be. Like I said, Pixie likes her crate and doesn't want to be in our bed (I have given her the choice many times and she chooses the crate every time). The crate is right next to the bed, which I think does still make them think that they're "sleeping with the pack". If he wakes and starts whining, tell him something like "Go to sleep" in a firm voice. Be diligent, it could take a few nights. Once he gets the idea that he's to stay in his crate and that you're not going to get him out, everyone will get some sleep. When she was learning, I took up Pixie's water around 8pm and she went potty one last time around 10pm. Good luck


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## HavaBaloo (Mar 24, 2009)

Consistency is the key here I think. If he doesn't want to use the pee pads, maybe he wants to go outside? Do you make sure he went potty right before putting him in the crate? If you keep his crate by your bed and he starts to whine and he doesn't need to pee then maybe just stick your finger in or re-assure him your right there.

Good luck, let us know how Harley does.


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## Mojo's Mom (Jun 6, 2009)

We need to know whether he was sleeping through the night without needing to pee during the time you had him sleeping in his crate, back before you started putting him in bed. 
How old was he when you started putting him in your bed? 

How late do you take him out for his last pee before bed?

Is there any possibility he has a UTI?

What do you do when he wakes up crying at 3am? Obviously you've let him out and taken him to the pee pad, but then what do you do after that? Do you put him in bed with you, or take him outside to pee, or what?


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## Lina (Apr 26, 2007)

I would say you need to just ignore him crying. It will suck for a few days, but he should stop after a while.

Of course, you might end up with a dog like Hitchcock who will NOT stop after a while. In fact, he never stopped. He'd wake us up at 6am every morning - and I go to bed at 2:30am most nights! - and he would cry and cry and cry non-stop. And I do mean non-stop! This went on for weeks even when we ignored him. Nothing worked for us. Now we give him free reign of the bedroom (the door is closed) and make sure he potties right before bedtime. No accidents in a long while (there were some at first, mostly due to us not making sure he potties right before bed) and he does very well sleeping on his bed on the floor. I thought at first that Kubrick would be upset because he's in his crate, but they do just fine like that: one in the crate and one on the floor.

I'm not telling you to go ahead and give him free reign of the floor, but just in case the crate is the culprit and you try at least a week or two of ignoring him, this is something you can try. In either case, if he's crying to go on your bed you should ignore it until he stops - that you should not negotiate on.


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## Scooter's Family (May 23, 2008)

We take up water at 8pm and the last time out is around 10pm. They sleep until between 6:30-7:00 unless our alarm goes off at 6am. (Weekdays)

I'd try to ignore it.


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## ksj123 (Jun 17, 2009)

Thank you all for the advice with my little Harley. I think I will just let him cry for a few nights and see how that goes. I do take him out to potty right before I go to bed. Wish me luck on tonight!


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## Patti McNeil (Apr 20, 2009)

Good luck tonight! I would definitely go back to crating all night. I wouldn't use pee pads or take him out. He should be able to sleep through the night with no potty breaks. Toby doesn't get water after 8 and he's in his crate for the night at 9. Let us know how it goes.


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## oohbetty (Mar 2, 2009)

Do you keep the crate next to your bed and do you have some soft bedding in the crate? If it's close enough to your bed he may feel like he's still part of the pack.


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## ksj123 (Jun 17, 2009)

The Good news:

Harley did pretty well lastnight. He did wake up at 3:30, and cried a bit. I ignored him and he went back to sleep. He then woke up at 6:00 A.M., which I was fine with. Also, he didn't pee in the crate, so I know that he was waking up to just try to get in the bed with me. 

The bad news:

Today I came home from work and my little Harley had gone pee-pee in his crate. He has never done that. I think it was just a little accident, and we know, those happen.

Overall, things are going well. Thank you all for your input.


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## ksj123 (Jun 17, 2009)

Oh, and yes, his crate is next to my bed.


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## oohbetty (Mar 2, 2009)

My dog is going on 8 mo now and he had a couple of set backs at around 6mo. They seemed surprising and unexplainable. We kept a close watch on him and he's reliable again.


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