Housebreaking Schedule? Please help!!!

[Vanessa and Monty]

My 8 week old puppy, Monty, is doing great with housbreaking....except in the mornings! We have him sleep in his bed instead of crating him. Every morning we wake up we find poop and pee on the floor. And i woke up at 5:30 am to take him out but it was too late. He already pooped and peed on our bedroom floor. At night, the last time we take him out is at 11. We are definitely going to crate him now 

What can we do? During the day he hasn't had an accident since a few days ago, other then the morning accidents. Help please!!! What was your schedule for an 8-11 week old puppy?

I just got my puppy last Friday and he settled in just fine. He is a bundle of joy and love. Any tips and advice would also be appreciative :)

[Vanessa and Monty]

everytime i put him in the crate he cries! it's so heart breaking

[Allyson, Peri & Taquito]

Vanessa, this is normal.  He is just adjusting to it.  Try covering it with a blanket at night or using a sound machine nearby.  Crates can be a very comforting place for dogs, especially if you use them appropriately and start when they are younger.  We hardly ever crate Peri anymore (3 years old now), but it's nice to have the option when she gets upset, people come over and she is too wild, etc...

Try a sound machine, also try putting some treats in there and get her to go in there on her own during the day so it's not just seen as a place of "banishment".

[GBK]

Every pup is different and I think should be treated for what they need.  My Buddy never cried unless it was to go out to potty.  My sensitive girl Kona wanted to at least have some connection even in the crate when she was very young.  I used to lay down on a pillow and watch the news with my fingers touching her paws or her body and that reassured her.  I slowly moved further away until she was satisfied with me being on the couch watching the news.  Once she was asleep, we were good for the night. 

I used to think, boy I'm getting soft in my old age, but not really :)  She just needed that little bit a reassurance that I was there, and Buddy didn't need that.  I hope it get's easier for you Vanessa

[Jarka, Monty & Auggie]

You got already a good amount of advice here: crating is the way to go at night. I think we packed up the crate when our pup was 5 months old. I just wanted to say your puppy is adorable and Monty is a great name! ;-)

[Stephanie]

I agree..stick to the crate.  I've been using a crate for 9 week old Darwin and he screamed the first two nights but now he's quiet.  He will scream when he HAS to go out...which is what we want him to do!  So now, if he makes noise while in his crate I know he is telling me something.

Unless I can watch him 100% he's in his crate or on a leash tethered to me.  I figure there is no reason to set him up for failure, so if I'm always watching him, or he's confined he can't have an accident!  It's worked great so far.  It may seem mean to leave them in a crate so often..but they do get used to it, and learn to find the crate very comforting.  I even use the larger size crate for a German Shepherd size dog and he doesn't have any accidents overnight.

[Nicky, Riley & Boris]

Whatever you do do not take him out of the crate because he is crying unless it is in the middle of the night and he may need to go out.  When you take him out in the night don't talk to him just tell him to 'get busy' or whatever words you use, praise when he goes and then straight back to the crate.  If necessary put in ear plugs. If you put the crate beside your bed it's ok to put your fingers through the bars to reassure him but DON'T take him out.  It should only take two or three nights at most.  I know it sounds really terrible.   Riley took two nights to settle and now he loves his crate.  We stopped crating him when he was six months and he never had any accidents from 12 weeks.  It's a lot of work when they are so small but so worth it later on. Monty is super gorgeous.

[Sue, Murphy and Bella ()*o*()]

I agree with everyone's suggestions. The crate is a big factor in night training especially. I only used the crate until they were sleeping through the night without waking to go potty. Seems it was quickly too. Maybe 3 months max. Good luck, this really should solve the morning surprises.

[Whitney Addington]

Definitely crate your puppy! I got my Murphy at 6 weeks. She never had a single accident in her crate. She did wake up in the middle of the night for a couple of weeks, but I am at home with her during the day, so it was no big deal. Some more advice would be, even though he is home with you during the day, put him in her crate for short periods just to get him used to it. My Murphy has no problems going into her crate at night. In fact, she sleeps better in her crate. Your dog will bark to go potty. We would always wait until she stopped barking for her to see us and let her out of her crate. This teaches the dog they cant go nuts and be let out, that way they don't wake everyone in the household. Let the dog out at night after they stop barking for a few seconds and when they potty outside, bring them straight back in to the crate. My dog is now 5 months and she still sleeps in her crate, but doesn't mind at all. She is about a 7 am alarm clock, but doesn't get up any throughout the night. Good Luck!