Hi folks,
  hope that some of you an give me some advice,I have a 14 week old GSD pup & I can not get him to go through the night,Well not all the night,
I have tried to feed him later ,He generally goes to sleep 11-12 o/clock,after being out in garden with OH & a 8 year old GSD to play ball & a last wee.
He sleeps downstairs (his choice) I leave hall door open so that I can hear him,but every day from 4-30/5-30 he comes up to wake us up,would just like him to go to 6 as OH gets up then for work ,Problem is I cannot go back to bed as he thinks that as he is up everyone should be ,so have to stay down stairs with him ,so am going without my sleep !!!!.Any advice welcome please .Judy

Mine are 4 - 5 mths old before they stop getting me up at 2-3am.

Is where he is sleeping dark at that time on these light mornings as that is more likely to wake him than wanting a wee, I have a blackout blind in the room where the dogs sleep.

I wouldn't expect a 14 week old pup to go all through the night.  It's not fair to expect it IMHO.

I would expect to set the alarm to take a pup out at 2am and 4am.  I think he is outstanding to let you know at 4.30 that he needs to toilet.  I would be well chuffed.  I think your expectations are unfair.

No must say that he has run of the downstairs <KItchen,living room ,dining room > living room curtains closed but kitchen & dining room dont have any,as we are not overlooked.I will not feed him that early as I did think that he was playing me for food ,I wait until my daughter drops her dogs of as she goes to work  then feed all 4 ,he does wee a lot when let out at that time so really think its a small bladder problem at the moment,have not had a pup for quite a few years so have forgotton all about lack of sleep !!!!

This is completely normal at his age, remember that he has limited control over his bladder, in fact I think he's doing really well and you should be very proud of him!

I couldn't get one of mine past 6am til he was 5.5 months old...

One option you could try is putting him to bed earlier, then waking him (before he stirs) for a quick quiet wee, then putting him back to bed.  If you can get him up and back to bed whilst he is still half asleep you may find that he isn't being woken up by a full bladder and might get a bit closer to 6am.  

If it were me I probably wouldn't allow him to wander the house that early, I'm also very cautious about growing puppies using the stairs.  I keep mine upstairs until I've learnt their routine (or they get too heavy to lift up and down stairs) and then I come down when needed during the night to let them out for a wee.  My latest pup was so good at night from a very young age but my older dog, when he was a pup, would wake up like yours and want the company so I'd take him with me for a kip on the sofa.  I'd anchor him behind my knees and get a few more hours shut-eye.  Bliss!!

Yes I agree with others in that you're really so very lucky!  But! pups should not be going up or down stairs at 14 weeks - I carry mine up (sleep in bedroom) until I can carry no more - they start with a few steps going up, coming down comes later and with me holding them so they don't rush it.  In between time they're not allowed near the stairs until they're fully mature.  Nowadays I sleep in a downstairs bedroom - it's much easier.  I have 3 1/2 month old pups at the moment - they are going to bed at 10.30 and at your pups age I was getting up at 3am then gradually pushing it later, now they're up at 5 or 6am.  I'm lucky I can have them out and then back to bed for an hour - but it does make for tiredness.  You are so lucky that he doesn't just wee on the floor! 

I quite agree ,but at 63 years old .I am unable to carry him Up or down stairs he is far to big  ,also we have a flight of steps for him to traverse daily as garden is on two levels.He always comes down behind me so I can make sure that he does not rush or fall.He is such a gentle lad.

My pups are crated downstairs at night, yours is a very good boy that he doesn't get up to anything left loose all night.

My collie was 3 and a half months before he was able to go through the night, but the cocker was fully housetrained, day and night, at 10 weeks! He would go from about 10.30 till 7. They're all so different. Sounds like hes doing ok to me. Good excuse to have a nap during the day! :)

He sounds lovely, but seriously do be very careful about stairs.  He is very young to be managing the stairs on a daily basis and the risk of damage to developing joints is not exaggerated. 

If he is already having to manage outside steps then I wouldn't tempt fate by allowing him free access to the staircase indoors as well.  You can use a baby gate to restrict access and either just come down at the time you know he wakes or allow him to 'call' you.  I'm sure he knows how to get your attention!

By the way - having a dog behind you on the stairs is a demonstration of lovely manners but it's often wise to let an adult dog walk down first, or by your side instead - it's all too easy for them to inadvertently knock your knees out from under you

I quite agree ,but at 63 years old .I am unable to carry him Up or down stairs he is far to big  ,also we have a flight of steps for him to traverse daily as garden is on two levels.

Good reasons for him sleeping downstairs then :-)

Some people like them and others don't. I like them for night time sleeping as it helps with the toilet training. I use a crate and when its time for bed the pup goes into the crate which is covered and has the other dog in the same room with them. My current pup is 17 weeks old and she sleeps through the night and we now rarely get any mess and she is generally clean most nights now. When they are very tiny puppies i would set the alarm around 2am to get up and take them out for a quick pee and put them back into the crate, and then all back to bed again until morning.
Just another thought and you can pick them up cheaply second hand if you don't already have one, my pup uses hers as a bed during the day as I leave the door open.

I agree with sj have alook om ebay for cheap crates which is where I got mine and use mine in a similar way to sj.He is doing great  to get that far and letting you know what he needs. Can you babygate hime in one room so even if he thinks is playtime at 4.30 after he has weed you can leave him there with some toys and go back to bed. he will get used to being on his own then as well as you getting some more sleep:)
May have a few dasy of complaints from him but at least he is safe. I must say mine can be bit like yours but if I let her out early I now go back to bed and she settles down again well usually :)
As for the garden stairs i have the same problem 3 stairs up to the lawn. We just tried to make our dogs including gsd take them gentley whenever possible and no jumoing at other times. Brooke has proved abit more trick as apart from the kangaroo genes wizzers up and downthe stairs if i am not very careful My gsd very quikly learned they were out of bounds even without a stair gate
. Thats gsd's for you  I think flat coats brains are wired differently lol

my puppy now 14 wks sleeps in a crate during the night ..he falls asleep in the living room at around 10.50 every night I usually wake him for a last toilet when I go to bed around midnight then pop him back in his bed , this has been my routine from 8 wks he has not once had a wet bed ,wakes in the morning around 7.30 to 8 o'clock and runs out with the other dogs for the toilet.
He sleeps in a room with my oldest bitch (his grandma) who is not crated who also has run of the hall.My other dogs sleep in the kitchen with crates as beds with doors open.
We have been exceptionally lucky with this boy he has never woke up once crying in the night although I havent had a pup without having an older dog for more years than I can remember, which does make training a new pup much easier.
I prefer a crate for a pup as I feel it encourages a pup to be clean .

Thanks for all your comments ,I do have a crate set up permantley?? in the dining room which is where he sleeps but he prefers to sleep under a chair ,although how much longer he will fit there I dont know ,he seems to grow bigger every day !!! He is put in crate during the day if he has a bone,chix wing etc ,just to stop his big sister pinching it ,but he prefers to sleep out of it. it was 5.10 this morning when he woke so let him out for a wee bought him back in (he thought he would sit on back step & watch the world go round) I curled up on settee ,with him on floor by the side & went back to sleep until OH got up for work at 6 ish .He shares a biccy or two whilst OH has his coffee ,then of to work he goes ,pup the goes back to sleep untill I get up .So can cat nap for a catch up So really he does sleep 6 + hours at a time at night,I just must go to bed as soon as he goes to sleep instead of reading all posts on Champdogs Fourm LOL

> he thought he would sit on back step & watch the world go round

My dogs all love the back step and I often have one on the outer step and two jostling for position on the threshold - like bunk beds :)

i really must add that to my design criteria (if I ever build my own house) - we need a very generous back step with a nice view!!

I'm glad the sofa snooze worked for you, it's what I always did with my middle dog and he still gets all daft if I ever decide to lie on the sofa.  He's just forgotten he's now 3 times the size he was as a pup and we don't fit...

Im just glad that he sleeps on the floor ,a full grown GSD on the settee & me will not go ,although saying that when I am at our caravan My daughters 9 stone boy thinks that he can share my bed .I do think that dogs have different ideas I have had GSDs for over 40 years & only 2 of them were really  outdoor dogs ,not to sleep just to spend the daylight hours in all weathers outside ,funny enough both long coated .

> My dogs all love the back step and I often have one on the outer step and two jostling for position on the threshold - like bunk beds :-)
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That's funny as we have put 4 breeze blocks flat at the bottom of my back step to make a shallower step up for pups, so we too have two on the blocks one (or even two if sitting) on the actual step and others behind them in the doorway.

they like to watch the birds.