I have a 16wks old BC, who has been great with toilet training and being left in his crate until this week when he has turned into the puppy from hell. He has gone from slepping from about 11pm till 6am which was great if he did wake he was happy to be let out to go to the toilet and then he would go back happily till about 6. Now he goes in his crate at about 11pm and will wake maybe 1am or 2am or 4am, he goes out to the toilet but he then will go in his crate but by the time I walk back up the stairs he is barking, so i have to go back again. This morning he woke at 1.30 went out to the toilet, back in crate I got upstairs and he barked when down and he went out again, i went back up again and he barked (have to say i don't go straight away) but I ended up back down stairs on the settee I didn't let him out, just told him no and he stayed fairly quiet in his crate until 6.30ish. Why is he suddenly doing this and what can I do to stop him, both me and my OH are shattered. When we do go him no lights are put on it is very low key justing letting him out, telling him he is good if he goes to the toilet and then back in crate. Please help.

Is he on three or 4 meals a day?

I would make the last meal around 6..ish giving  him plenty of time to go the loo...

is the crate covered ..if not try putting a cover over it and maybe a piece of your old clothing that you have been wearing in the crate with him

I know its hard to leave them to bark but if possible try not to go back because you are setting up a routine if you do go to him dont speak just toilet and crate then lights out.

you could always try putting the crate in the bedroom with you .

Hi,

It sounds a bit like he's learnt that if he barks he gets you to come running - If he wakes at 2 or 4 and you go down to let him out to the toilet (fine) then put him back and by the time you get half way up the stairs he barks and you go back to him, then he is learning that if he barks he gets you to come to him - so understandably he is doing what works!  What is his daily routine is he having enough stimulation to tire him out sufficiently to sleep through the night.  Are you making sure he has gone to the toilet right before he goes into his crate at night time?  Maybe he's a bit lonely, it's possible that he's rather fond of you now and misses your company when you leave him at night time - you could maybe move the crate into your bedroom for the time being and gradually move it towards the bedroom door then onto the landing etc to wean him out of your bedroom if you don't want him in there permanently.  If you don't want him in your bedroom at all then your going to have to ignore the barking and not go downstairs to him other than maybe once to let him out to the toilet, preferably before he starts barking.  You may have a couple of miserable nights, but he will realise that his barking behaviour is no longer getting the required response and will stop it.

HTH,

Karen

Hi

The dog is training you, not you training the dog.

You say: "by the time I walk back up the stairs he is barking, so i have to go back again"

Why???  You know he doesn't need the toilet - you just took him out.  Just ignore him!

"This morning he woke at 1.30 went out to the toilet, back in crate I got upstairs and he barked when down and he went out again, i went back up again and he barked (have to say i don't go straight away) but I ended up back down stairs"

Sorry, and no offence intended but this is just ridiculous.  You know that the dog has bladder control enough to go from 11pm-6am, because he was doing that routinely until 16 wks old.  You know that he doesn't need to go to the toilet again, if he has just gone out.

Every time he barks and you come running, you are just rewarding his barking.

If you wait a long time, and he keeps on barking, and eventually you come, then you have just rewarding a LONG amount of barking.  And that's what you'll get in future, because you get what you reward.

If he goes to the toilet at 11pm, and first wakes at 1am, that's only 2 hours.  He has previously been going until 6am without a toilet. 

Just lie there and listen to it.  IT might take a long time for him to be quiet, but you have to wait for complete silence.

Even if you think that maybe one time it is genuine and he really does need the toilet, you must still wait for silence, even 2 seconds of it, before you go down to him - or you are rewarding the barking and will just get more of it in future.  If you don't want a dog that calls you every 2 seconds and learns that he has the power to make you come running, just by barking, then don't train that!

Has the vet checked him out for any UTI or other health problem that might be causing him to wake?

Also is there anything else that may be keeping him awake, noises outside or even inside the house?

It may be worth sleeping downstairs for  a week or so as it may break the habit, if say you have neighbours who might complain if you leave him barking..,try to think if there may be valid reasons, if you are satisfied, take the firmer route of totally ignoring the barking (it may get worse before it gets better, known as an extinction burst :P ).

Good luck

Lindsay
x

Are you TAKING him to the toilet or simply letting him out?

It may be that he has found it more fun to play about outside than actually toilet and so you go back to bed and he needs to toilet!

Take him out, WATCH him toilet, put himto bed and ignore him. If you are sure he will wake you up at 2am or something set your alarm for ten to, and get there before he barks, let him out to pee and make sure you see what he does, go back to bed. If he barks again THEN, ignore him. You know he peed or whatever.

Dont reward barking by going to him though!

Em

Apaert from having realised barking will get your attention the reason he is waking is likely to be that he is now teething. 

Very similar to the situation with a baby, they establish a nice routine and then it al goes out the window and you get sleepless nights when they are uncomfortable with their teeth. 

Also as she gets older he will nneed to sleep less, so ti is worth considering if he has enough stimulation in the day, and then a wind down in the evening so that he is in the right frame of mind to settle for the night.

he is on three meals a day and the last is usually 6ish. When I let him out I tell him to go to the toilet and I watch to make sure he does (I also praise him when he does). I realise that going to him is getting him in to a bad habit but I do have neighbours to consider and I don't wish to upset them. I do not want to move him upstairs because that is where my other dog sleeps and he isn't keen on the pup so upstairs is his space to escape to. He gets plenty of play before he is crated and last night he was also walked prior to bed time and was tired when placed in his crate at 11 but he only lasted till 1.30 (when he did go to the toilet when let out). His crate isn't covered as I tried this when I first got him and he made more noise with it. Hopefully as has been said it is cause he is teething, also recently it has been windy by us so it could be some noise that he isn't used to. Thanks for the advice, I'll see how it cause and it might be that some time sleeping downstairs is required.

I used set my alarm to just before Rjj was normally asking to go out & took him out before he was asking to go & then gradually lengthened the time so he got into my rountine LOL it is easier for me as I live in a bungalow & his crate is in my bedroom

Sleeping downstairs might be the way too go for the time it takes to get him into your routine

Good points MM, as was Brainless's about the teething :)

I also suggested about sleeping downstairs, it may be all that is needed to break the cycle.

Once the routine is established it's much easier for the pup to keep to it :)

Subtle forms of minor brain washing ;) the dog into complying without even him/her realising it-LOL it ain't easy when you have a smart puppy :D

:D