My 11 weeks old rotty pup is wetting her crate at night, more often than not.  She is let out every hour to go during the day and accidents are minimal.  At night, she goes to loo around 10.30 then to bed, if I come down around 2am to let her out she will go but is still wet at 6am. I have tried to tweak the times to get it right but its not making any difference. She loves her crate and is more than happy to sleep in there. Its cosy and covered over with a dark blanket.  Her crate area is small enough for her to sleep, turn around and change position easily but is not too big.  It just has a blanket in it and no paper and a few toys etc.  We tried putting her to bed at 12.30am and getting up at 5am but she was wet.  I am a light sleeper and even if I hear a wimper, I fly down the stairs but find a warm wet patch and I'm too late. My other dogs used to go out at 3am then would hold it til 6/7am. Unsure of my next move - or maybe just carry on and hope it gets sorted, any idea's anyone??.  If she is left in the day for an hour or two, she is normally always dry.  She has only once pawed at the door to ask to go out, I am having to anticipate every wee & poo time.  She is a lovely pup and don't want anyone to think I am expecting too much as this young age but comparing her to my other GSD's, she is not so quick to learn this. She can wee on command and is always praised and fussed when she goes which pleases her.  I do not get cross when it happens, just clean it up and get on with it.  I use an odour eliminator for the crate and bio washing powder for the soiled bedding.

I just don't understand why people keep dogs in cages, especially ones so small she has to lie in her own wee. Puppies have very little bladder control, personally I'd leave her cage door open and give her access to a kitchen or utility room so if she had an accident she would still have a dry warm bed to sleep in.

Or have a crate large enough for her to get away from her bed to wee (more like a playpen), but still be securely contained.

If you look into crate training, it is advised that the sleeping area should be small so that they leave their bed to go to loo, therefore 'asking' to go out.  To make it too big encourages them to go at one end which does not teach them anything.

That's why I don't use crates. I refuse to confine any animal in anything so small that they don't have free movement. If you're going to have her so restricted you're going to have to have her crate nearer you at night (either in your bedroom or you sleep in the kitchen) so that you can get to her in time to let her out.  Every time you're too late to let her out teaches her that she has to wet her bed. Better that she can leave it than have to wet it.

ETA: See this article about crate size.

You make is sound like a punishment! Its not.  If you don't use crate thats fine but many of us do with great success and happy dogs.

see this link: http://www.perfectpaws.com/crt.html

just one of many

> with great success

:-D

>with great success

Except this time ... ;-)

From the link you posted: If your dog soils her crate because you left her there too long, the house training process will be set back several weeks, if not months.
At the moment you're leaving her in there too long after she's woken up, so need to get to her sooner - or alternatively set your alarm clock to wake you and go down to her before she naturally wakes and take her out.

yes, all my dogs have been puppy trained this way and nearly everyone I train with does the same.  As soon as the pup has got the hang of where its appropriate to go to loo the crate can be made bigger.

I've never used a crate, I used puppy-pads for house-training - wow what a mistake that was. It basically taught him that it's OK to wee on things in the house :( I can see there is the same pitfall with crate-training, if a pup has to wee in it's crate it will soon learn that weeing on it's bed is fine. My dog still thinks it's OK to wee in his bed and he's over 2 years old now, he sees it as a big puppy-pad :(

Oh, also with the run of the kitchen, he would wee in his bed and sleep in it, he could have moved away to wee, but obviously found the absorbent bed the cleaner option (if he weed on the floor he would lick it back up).
I'm not saying that crate training is bad, just be aware of how easy it is to teach the wrong thing.

I have been getting up at 2am to let her out

heres another: http://www.dog-pictures.co.uk/dog-care-articles/crate_training.shtml

think I will take her up with me so I can be quicker at getting her outside - not ditching the crate idea tho, I truly believe its best.

Just to let you know that I am currently housetraining our 9 week old pup. I have him in a crate by my bed and every time he whimpers (which is usually at 1.30am and 5am) I take him outside where he does what he needs to do and comes straight back in. He is then put back into his crate without any fuss until 7am when I get up with him. So far I haven't had any accidents and after reading all the comments about training pads have ditched those too. He now stands at the door when he is ready to go out and I obviously go out with him after every meal / playtime / sleep etc ads well. I think it has helped having an adult dog in the house who he follows around.
Eventually I will move him to sleep downstairs but at the minute this works for us. Good Luck

My sil has the same problem, however her dog is now 2 and she asociates a bed with wetting on it, this is all due to the fact that she is shut in her crate for too long, especially at the crucial puppy traing stage.
We had her for 2 weeks and she didnt have an accident untill i gave her a bed for 2 of the nights, she wet on them and layed in it all night and this wasnt in her crate so keep in mind that it can be a very hard habit to break.

I have only had cages since having entire bitches, (and dogs), to protect them at heat times, also going to shows. I trained them as puppies, I admit they do have very large cages were they can move round. I never allow any off the others to trespass into there cages it is there space and there's only. They take thereselves in it, with there treats "private property" lol.
Puppies can't hold there bladder till well over 3 months some longer. Is it possible to leave paper outside the cage, and leave the cage open for a little longer? you don't want her to think she can wee in her cage, but! my opinion, you have to give her an alternative for a little longer. take the water out of the cage when you go to bed, put it back the min. you get up. She may be drinking through the night! I hate even saying this, as some people may take it literally, as dogs should have access to water at all times. If you are going to bed late and getting up early it may work.

Denese

Rather than teach her to go on paper in the house I would rather be quicker at getting her out at night so she doesnt have the opportunity to wee in her bed.  With paper training you can make a rod for your own back IMO. I can only assume that her whimpering is so quiet (bless her) and I am not hearing it until she is bursting, then running down stairs into utility is just not quick enough for her to hold it.  Crate nearer me I think is the answer.

I think I am being a little ambitious with my expectations, she is only 11 weeks old and am doing what I always say never to do............. compare to my other dogs who, with this method were totally dry at night within a few weeks.

I would get up two or three times in the night to take her out as she obviously isn't yet capable of going more than an hour or so without needing to go to the toilet. Is she in her crate during the day as well or just at night time?

One of my dogs was crate trained but he only went in the crate at night or at those times when it was not safe to have a puppy around one's feet - openining the oven, dishing up dinner etc. We used a very large crate and had a box at one end for his bed but he had a fair amount of space to move around in. He never wet or soiled in his crate at all but that was down to being very vigilant and always ensuring that he was taken outside regularly. The crate was used only for his own safety and he was very rarely in it during the day - sometimes he would take himself off for a sleep in there but most of the time he was with us in whichever room we were in at the time.

I have used crates with both my dogs, big crates with a bed area at one end and newspapers at the other end incase they needed to go. Both pups came here at 9wks old, my bitch wet her crate about half a dozen times between 9wks and 12 wks, clean and dry ever since, my dog has never wet or messed his crate and he's now a year old. I keep reading that pups can't control their bladder until they are 4-6mths old but both mine managed it and they slept through the night (from 11pm till 6/7am) from the day they came home!

She goes in it at night and for a few hours in the day when I go out, walk the other dogs and school runs etc and is dry and happy in there. The door is open other times and she takes herself off for a sleep in there throughout the day. 

I have just let her out and when I came back in my GSD bitch who is 3 was snuggled up in her crate! :-)

I am noticing that her wee's are longer so that must mean her bladder is getting stronger and able to hold more. 

I don't think my pup ever read the book that says dogs don't pee where they sleep!! 

I'm at home so was very attentive to his needs, taking him out every 30 mins, when he woke, after play etc.  I was also very vigilant for all the signs throughout the day.  He started upstairs with us at night til he learnt to settle and we learnt his bladder timings; I was up several times in the night to ensure he didn't need to get agitated and went back to sleep peacefully.  He was praised for going outside BUT we still had accidents indoors at this age.  He also didn't get the hang of not peeing in his bed for ages...

He was on vet fleece so I assume it kept the urine away from him, so not like sleeping in a puddle, but also it seemed more like bladder overflow rather than a conscious pee.  In fact I'm sure he would go in his sleep, as we never heard a peep from him.  It felt like he had the bladder capacity of a walnut :)

Luckily it passed and at 2 years old I'm now amazed at how long he can hold on or rather, how long he can pee when he does eventually decide to go.  He's like a horse!

I simply got used to washing regularly and then had to buy a new machine earlier than it might otherwise have been needed!! :)

Well, its been since last friday since we had an accident of any kind in the house during the day and last night I got up at usual at 2am ish and let her out, when I came down at 6.30am she was still dry.  I use vetbed too, its great for taking the wee away so maybe using a less absorbent balnket could help.  She is such a little star, we went to our 1st puppy class tonight, she was amazing and turned heads! Silly woman said 'oh isnt she lovely, what breed is she' I replied 'she is a Rottweiler' she replied 'errr'. How narrow minded!  Good job I can laugh it off!
I thought maybe she could be weeing in her sleep as I am so sure if she wimpered I would have heard her, anyway, we will get there in the end.

Its like Children and potty training, each child is different to the other, much the same as each dog is different for each owner..... Try and relax, eventually it will be a thing of the past.  I am sure your girl will have the odd hiccup and maybe when you think its all sorted, sometimes they have an odd accident again.... Clean up, fresh bedding and a cuddle (after Showering down and blow drying ha ha).

Crate Training has worked for me, I treat it as their sleeping quarters, their safety when i am occasionally out and also their safe haven away from me :-).  I am gathering the majority of dogs instinctively will not dirty/wee in their sleeping area, so once puppy starts to change to adolescence and to adult, they mess less and less. Good luck

Personally I would not be leaving an 11 week old pup without newspaper one end of their crate during the night. I do think you are perhaps expecting a bit too much from such a young puppy. By not giving the pup access to somewhere suitable to relieve themselves you are teaching her to do so on her bedding - which is not nice for her or you. This could turn into a habit that is hard to break.

I did this with my other dogs and when they needed to go to the loo, they made themselves heard.  I would come down and let them out as often as they needed to go throughout the night and gradually the trips to the loo became less and eventually they held on all night.  I just assumed she would let me know that she needs to go.  We will get there in the end I am sure.   

I just assumed she would let me know that she needs to go.  We will get there in the end I am sure.   

I have one dog who will walk to the back door and give one woof when he needs to go out and another dog who never asks. He will sometimes walk to the conservatory and stare out of the door and this usually means he wants to go out but most of the time he doesn't do this so I just have to ensure that he gets let out at regular intervals.

> I just assumed she would let me know that she needs to go. 

At 11 weeks old?  

All my others have done (this was meant by her making a making a wimper to say 'I need to leave my bed to go') And at almost 12 weeks old (tomorrow) she now is.

My first GSD was 'asking' to go out at 9 weeks old and my 2nd around 10 weeks, be being very on the ball with taking them out so often and using a crate properly it is known to speed up toilet training.  My only mistake was expecting her to do it the same age as my others. We have it sussed now.

I would have her checked for a UTI its very common We routinely crate train puppies and accidents are not common place .I do not use any bedding its too tempting

I makes me sad to think of dogs "routinely" crated. And even sadder to think of a pup in a crate without bedding, in case it gets tempted to pee on it!
How awful to be a pup in a crate, without the comfort of even a soft bedding.
Surely, we choose to live with dogs because we love them, and are prepared to share the ups and downs of puppyhood?
I'm sure I'll get some harsh remarks because of this, and I usually don't post when my opinion differs too much, to avoid
arguments. But this I just couldn't let be.
UTI in a dog by the way, (if you mean urinary tract infection) would definetily manifest itself during the daytime, as well as at night. You'd see a pup straining to pee, with only a few drops at a time.
Not at all what's been described in this post.

If KM had read my latest post it says that it is sorted now.  I would never leave a pup in a crate without bedding, after all its a nice place to be, comfy and warm. It has it benefits of safety as another reason I use them, for the time they are in there they are safe from chewing furniture and more importantly cables which could cause them harm.  She is going to bed at 11pm and I get up before she does now to let her out for a wee (baby intercom listening in throught the night) at 6am so that is great. Completely clean.  What a good girl!.  She is in her crate for an hour or so a day when I nip out or go shopping and is dry then too.  The divider has been removed so its at its maximum size (48 inches long) full of toys and doggie teddy. Pawing at the door when she needs to go now too. :-)

> when my opinion differs too much, to avoid
>

Have to say I don't like routine crating which seems to be something that has come from the USA.

I am quite appalled on US based lists that people think it absolutely normal for a dog to spend most of it's time when not directly supervised by the owner in a crate, or as they like to cal it a kennel (It's a cage).

They are very useful things to have, especially if you travel with your dogs and especially when you have multiple dogs, but they are very easily over used.

There have been threads on this topic.

Frankly I do not like the idea of using them for house-training at all, if a puppy needs to go it needs to go.  I hear of far more UTI's on US lists, and I wonder if this is because dogs and especially puppies are made to 'hold it' painfully long.

I am not suggesting the OP is overdoing the crating just commenting generally.

oh well geez sorry I tried to help. and they can easily eat the bedding as they get older and get an obstruction is why we don't use beeding

and no people over here do not leave puppies in crates so long they develop health issues I can see why poeople leave this board

>and they can easily eat the bedding as they get older and get an obstruction

Without bedding, as well as being cold, dogs are prone to pressure sores. In my 3½ years working for a vet we've never had a single dog have problems through eating bedding. Obstruction from eating bones, or socks, or stones, or corncob, or toys (both their own and childrens') yes, but never bedding.

My dogs have never eaten their bedding - hope I am not tempting fate saying that but they usually amused with toys, stuffed kongs and pig ears when left which is much tastier. IMO

My bitch has a cushion type bed in her crate and has never even nibbled it but my dog will go into her crate and chew at her bed so I don't trust him with a cushion type bed in his crate. He has a sheet of vet bed and I often wonder if it is warm enough at night, they both sleep in the kitchen and have a thick blanket over their crates for warmth but I often think about buying him a bed but are there any out there that are 100% chewproof?

There are hard plastic beds which my older two have, they have one each with cot quilts/fleece blankets etc.  The beds themselves have a few teeth marks in from years back but would be pretty sturdy for most dogs I pressume.  When you say bed, is this what you mean or a bed to go inside a crate?

I mean a bed to go inside a crate as he only has a sheet of vet bed.

OK- mine never feel the cold (both breeds double coated) eldest one fell asleep in the snow once when he came out with me in the garden and we were playing with the kids, other goes out of her way to jump in an icey stream in the winter. :-)

I'm sorry if you took that personally Kelly, it was not meant to be, but a reflection of what I have seen said by US list members and seen written about management of puppies using crates.

Including a theory that a puppy should be able to go x amount of time at x age and x number of minutes more each month after.

In my experience when up and awake a young puppy can need to toilet every 15 minutes and go even go 6 hours when asleep.  Yet I know of a puppy bitch who was only allowed out of her crate in the day according to schedule, took to cleaning up accidents because of and being told off for accidents, and then getting a UTI.  Coincidence maybe.

It does seem to be acceptable according ot many in the USA to crate a dog throughout the working day, as well as at night, and continue this into adulthood.