While getting a new puppy will certainly bring joy into your life, it is definitely going to require a lot of work. The good news is that as a puppy gets older (even on a week to week basis), their behavior will drastically improve. One of the hardest things to train a puppy to do is to not use the bathroom in the house. Cleaning up puppy accidents is no fun, especially when they target an expensive piece of furniture or rug.
Preventing puppy accidents at night can be a very hard task. This is because most puppies have very small bladders. The first couple weeks will be the hardest, as a puppy can usually hold its bladder one hour for every month of age. Therefore, a puppy that is 3 months old can only hold its bladder for around 3 hours. Of course, they can hold it a little longer at night when they are sleeping. However, a puppy that is 3 months or younger will most likely need to be taken out at least once per night to go to the bathroom. However, there are many things you can do in order to prevent puppy accidents at night.
How to prevent puppy accidents at night?
Follow these important setpes in order to prevent puppy accidents at night:
- Feeding
You should give your puppy its last cup of food and water around 2 hours before they go to sleep. This will give their body enough time to digest the food, and then you will be able to take them out one last time right before they go to sleep. If your puppy is making a lot of accidents at night, try reducing the amount of water and food you give them for dinner.
- Peeing outside
When your puppy goes outside to pee, keep a close eye on them to ensure they actually go to the bathroom. Puppies are very curious animals, and they might get distracted when they go outside and then forget to use the bathroom. It is also important to reward your puppy with a treat when they properly go to the bathroom outside. This will help them learn that peeing outside is the right thing to do. You should always take your puppy outside to go to the bathroom right when you wake up.
- Comfy space
Another great way to prevent your puppy from making accidents at night is to create a comfy place for them to sleep. This can be in a crate, or in a certain corner in a room. We recommend confining this space with borders so they can’t leave. A puppy is smart enough to know not to poop or pee where they sleep. Therefore, even if they have to use the bathroom, they will hold it as long as they can so they don’t poop or pee in their bed.
- Clean thoroughly and quickly
When your puppy does make an accident at night, it is important to clean the spot up as quickly as possible. We recommend using an enzyme cleaner which will completely remove a dog’s odor. If a puppy smells a previous spot where they made an accident, they might be compelled to mark the spot again.
- Don’t punish
It is important that you don’t punish your puppy for making an accident. Instead, use the steps listed above so that your puppy can naturally learn to only go to the bathroom outside. Punishing a puppy in this situation will only cause them to have anxiety, which will only make the problem worse.
