Hi all, I have now had my 2 and a half month old GSP puppy for 6 days now and has only had 4 accidents in the house, and with that I count myself very lucky I feed him around 3 hours before bed time and will walk about an hour before bed time. As I am an early riser, I normally go to bed at the latest 9:30pm, so he normally wakes up around 12:30/1:30, to take him outside for a pee and he goes straight back to sleep. He properly awakes at 4:30 am which isn't too bad as I wake up at 5 am as my normal routine. (I have set an early alarm but he hasn't lasted long enough to hear it yet) It would be nice however, on the weekends to be able to have a lay in.. I'm not sure if I took him out at 4:30 and put him back in his bed that he would actually go back to sleep as he is so full of energy! So far am i doing ok? Would really love some advice!
My normal routine is the take them out first thing when I get up, after every meal, after every drink, after every nap, after every playtime, every hour, and right before we go to bed. Your goal is to take him out before he realizes he needs to go. This is because a puppy's bladder is so small that by the time he realizes he has to potty, he is going potty. It sounds like your routine is working well. As he grows, he'll be able to hold it longer during the night - just keep giving him plenty of opportunities during the day. For your weekend lay ins, I would have a chew or kong ready to go (I kept chews in my nightstand drawer). After his 4:30 am potty break, bring him in and give him the chew/kong. He can quietly work on those while you get a couple more hours of sleep. It may happen in stretches - at the beginning he may only keep occupied for 30 minutes or so, but just keep extending it by a few minutes and he'll get used to it. Also, keep in mind that with a change in weather, puppies can backslide a bit. The change to winter is the most "popular" time to backslide. They decide that they don't like pottying outside in the wet, cold, snow, windy, etc, so it's good to keep close watch to be sure he does his business. My Tornado-dog backslid the first two winters. This is his third and so far he is handling it well but it's still pretty mild.
Amazing, I shall invest in a Kong toy. I've already gone mad in buying him toys, every time I go to a shop I cannot resist lol. Haha that made me giggle about not wanting to go outside to potty in the colder weather. Still warm where I am but a little chilly in the evenings so now when I take him outside, he sits and intensely stares at me like he is saying " there is no way I am going outside and freezing my little butt off on my own" so I pick him up and take him up to the garden and he will then immediately go potty Thank you for that help! I shall give it a try and go and buy that Kong toy without my partner knowing I've bought Hunter yet another thing lol.
With all the dogs I have had, if I go back to bed, they do too. My present one is lazy though and has slept through the night from getting him. It doesn't matter the time, when I get up, he gets up. He won't even get up when my early bird husband does. Am I the lucky one
Tornado-dog has many toys - more than fits in a full size cedar chest... Just tell your partner that the kong is a training tool not a toy. Like Chris, mine have all quickly learned my routine. My Moose-dog was sleeping in until noon on weekends by 10 weeks old - he was a perfect boy.
You are a very very lucky one. To be honest with each passing day he does seem to be getting better. Last night woke up at 3:30am for a wee and then woke up with our alarm at 5am which was great! Now have to deal with the constant mischief in the garden. Rocks, walking on flower beds, ripping up the underlay for the weeds not to come through lol. He is a little terror !
That's a great idea...watch me walk in with a bag full of toys ..nope they are not toys, they are all for his training!! Lol.
On weekends, take your pup out at 4:30 am, spend some quiet playtime or cuddles, then put him back to bed. Over time, he might get used to a bit more sleep in the mornings. It's like a cozy weekend routine for both of you!
