By the time your puppy is about 4 months old, they should be able to start sleeping through the night without needing the toilet. (Although small breeds take longer as their bladders are smaller.) If your puppy wakes up in the night needing the toilet, keep calm and don't give them too much attention.
Most puppies will sleep through the night by the time they're about 4 months (16 weeks) old. But with some help, diligence, and proactive training, you may be able to get your puppy there even earlier!
By three or four months of age, most pups are physically capable of making it through the night — about seven or eight hours — without a bathroom trip.
According to the Humane Society of the United States, most puppies can actually sleep for up to seven hours without relieving themselves—so it definitely is possible.
Young puppies have very small bladders and can't hold a pee in overnight, so you will need to get up at least a couple of times at night to take your puppy out. It's best to let your puppy let you know when they need to go.
You're not alone. In fact, puppies typically don't start sleeping through the night until they are about four months old. But don't worry, there are some things you can do to help get your puppy on a regular sleep schedule.
The Takeaway
Puppies younger than 10 weeks won't be able to hold their urine for more than an hour at a time, and it's not until 6 months of age that puppies can wait up to six hours to go to the bathroom.
Reasons Why You Shouldn't Wake Your Puppy Up
Waking your 5 months old puppy up for a potty break might not be a good idea. At this age, the bladder is huge enough to make it for a whole night, if they're healthy. Some puppies might however take longer than usual to hold pee overnight.
Adjust their schedule.
If your pet is constantly waking you up at 3 am because they are hungry, then adjusting their feeding schedule can help them sleep throughout the night. Or your dog may be waking you up because they have to go outside to use the bathroom.
By the time your puppy is about 4 months old, they should be able to start sleeping through the night without needing the toilet. (Although small breeds take longer as their bladders are smaller.) If your puppy wakes up in the night needing the toilet, keep calm and don't give them too much attention.
Create a nighttime routine: TV off, hallway light off, outside light off, etc. This will let them know that they have to go potty because you are headed to bed. Try to wake up before they do. If they can wake you to potty, then they will learn that waking you up gets a reward of a bladder release.
Dogs can only be relied on to hold their urine or feces one hour for every month old they are, until 8 hours at 8 months old.
Puppies can hold it a little longer while they are sleeping. You will still need to make (at least) one trip halfway through the night for puppies under 4 months old, and maybe a little after that for some pups. Remember to set a (gentle) alarm for 4-5 hours after your puppy's bedtime.
It's best to remove your puppy's water bowl at night. Be consistent with the time you remove water, the same way you're consistent with feeding times. As a rule of thumb, remove the food and water bowls about two-to-three hours before bedtime.
Dogs between 10 to 12 weeks old can usually hold it for around two hours.
But in all honesty, there's no 'right time' for a puppy to go to sleep, as long as it's the same every night. While this may be the case, do note that your puppy will need, on average, around 8-10 hours of sleep per night.
Keep to a regular routine of taking your puppy outside at least every two-to-four hours and after every change of activity. This is especially important during house training and will keep accidents to a minimum. Several short play sessions during the day are better for a puppy than one long one.
That's not a good idea. A dog needs human contact. A dog needs to be let outside to do his or her business. A dog needs someone to tend to their food and water dishes.
Young dog can hold their pee for up to 10-12 hour if needed, but that doesn't mean that they should. The average adult dog should be allowed to relieve itself at least 3-5 times per day. That's at least once every 8 hours.
Pooches with this type of personality are eager learners and don't rely on their owner to keep them company throughout the day. Dog breeds that can be left alone for long periods include Labrador and Golden Retriever, Beagle, Peekapoo, or Shiba Inu.
In other words, a 3-month-old puppy can generally go four hours without urinating. So, if you sleep for eight hours, you'll need to get up once during the night to let your 3-month-old puppy out to pee.
Most puppies can sleep for approximately seven hours without needing a bathroom break. If your puppy does wake you up in the night, don't make a big deal of it; otherwise, they will think it is time to play and won't want to go back to sleep.