We all know how important it is to potty train your dog. This will eliminate any chances of house soiling, as well as ensure that your dog stays in a clean environment. It would be disgusting always to have to wipe dog waste every other day.
However, potty training is not always, but it is necessary. Potty training will serve you best when training a puppy compared to adult dogs. We will discuss how to potty train a dog at night below from the very first night you bring him home.
Potty Training a dog on the first night
As we have mentioned above, the first few nights with your puppy will be a bit rough. Not only has he changed his residence and ownership, but he has no idea of what he is supposed to do. Therefore, you might experience house soiling for a few nights before he can get used to it. Remember that you are the one to provide and take care of him now. This includes guiding him according to your preferred behavior.
The first night was a bit confusing. However, invest in a few paper pads and a lovely crate for your puppy. The goal is to provide as much comfort as possible while at the same time training your dog. Well, unless you want to wake up in a messy house, this is something you will have to do. This method works well when you live in an apartment building, so you cannot potty in the yard.
Get a crate for your puppy before you bring him home. Ensure that the latter has a sleeping place and enough room. You can then place the paper pads in the crate. This will make it easier for him to clean up after himself. Now, dogs are clean animals, so they will likely poop away from where he sleeps. Once he eliminates it, ensure that you remove the soiled paper pads. This way, his crate is going to be neat and clean.
However, for how long will your puppy make you clean after him? Well, this is going to depend on you. It would help if you introduced him to a designated potty area as soon as possible.
Introduce your puppy to a designated potty area
It would help if you created a designated potty area whether you want your dog to potty outside or indoors. After all, you don’t want your dog to poop and pee everywhere in the yard or house. Once you have introduced your puppy to the paper pads, he will recognize them as the only place he is allowed to potty. After all, you do make sure that you clean every time he soils the pad.
Choosing a potty area
Well, maybe it is time to get him out of the cocoon. He needs to learn how to eliminate it in a designated potty area. For instance, in your backyard, litter box in the house, or generally where you want him to potty all the time.
Choosing a designated potty area is going to depend on a few factors. For instance, you cannot place the pads in the kitchen where you cook your food or near your bedroom. Therefore, when you are training your dog to potty indoors, these are some things you might consider.
You can also get a litter box and place it in an easily accessible but secluded place in the house. For instance, you can set up the litter box near your bathroom or the laundry room.
Use confinement to potty train your dog at night.
As mentioned above, potty training your dog will be a meaningful gesture, especially at night. While we comfort our puppies when they come to live with us for the first time, keeping them in confinement for a while is essential. This is especially if your puppy has tried to escape the house before. On the same, custody will help you introduce potty training.
Usually, you will need to start with laying paper pads on the floor. Also, ensure that you take out and dispose of the waste every time your dog poops. However, you should limit the number of paper pads you use daily. For instance, you will probably start with the entire crate covered in paper pads. However, your dog will learn to potty on paper pads once you take them out.
When you start reducing the paper pads on the floor, you will notice that your puppy will not soil the parts of the house without the cushions. In addition, this will help you at night, and you can take him to another room to sleep. Do not let your dog get used to sleeping in your room unless that is where you always want him to be.
When only one pad remains, it is probably time to introduce your puppy to the potty place. If the litter box is ready, you can take a partially soiled paper pad into the litter box. Well, you can now let your puppy out of the confinement. Introduce the command ‘go potty’ to associate it with eliminating waste as you take him to the litter box.
Prepare your dog for bedtime.
Once you can potty train your dog, it will be accessible during the day and at night. Before your dog can get used to the designated potty area in the house, especially at night, you may want to take a few precautions.
For instance, you must monitor and control his feeding behavior. This is the only way to control unnecessary potty trips at night. Therefore, you must develop a routine to prevent these bathroom trips.
One of the most important precautions you should put into place is that you should not allow your dog to choose where to potty. I have never heard dog owners complaining about their dogs soiling the house because ‘they like to potty in specific places.’ Remember that this might be on your couch, mat, or floor. You don’t want to wake up to this, do you?
Ensure your dog does not get to eat or drink before bed. As we mentioned earlier, dogs tend to eliminate waste right after they have eaten. This should help you create a routine for feeding your dog before bedtime. In addition, you may also consider working out with him to burn up his extra energy. Understand that dogs will experience difficulties when trying to fall asleep. And when your dog doesn’t fall asleep, you should be prepared for a rough night as he may bark or even soil the house as you sleep.
Overnight Potty visits – Train your dog to potty at night.
While most dogs will not need you to wake up for potty trips, you might consider taking your dog to the potty area at least once a night. If your puppy has previously soiled the house at night, then wake up at night and take him to the potty. However, waking your puppy up to get him to the potty will not be easy. Sometimes your pup will be too sleepy and may continue sleeping in the potty area. However, you can pick him up and wake him before instructing him to potty.
You can set the alarm to help you wake up at night to take your dog for a potty break.
Adopting a puppy is one of the most positive things you can do. You are giving him a good home, and you will also have a companion in your house. Well, this can be exciting until you realize that you don’t have a plan for your dog to eliminate.
This cannot be very pleasant to both you and your new pup. However, please don’t despair, as we are going to give you some tips on how to potty train your puppy. There are different methods that you can use to achieve this.
Before we proceed to the next section of this article, it is essential to understand the times your pup is likely to poop.
How to Potty Train a Dog at Night
But what about his elimination? While most people will have a potty area in the house, others prefer to let their dogs out for potty breaks. This is usually the easiest method to potty train a dog, even at night. The good thing is that you can monitor your dog and determine the intervals he might need to eliminate.
On most occasions, dogs will pee 15 minutes after drinking and poop about 30 minutes right after eating. What does this mean? Fortunately for you, dogs will feed at least twice a day, while puppies might require an extra meal.
Remember, you can always take your dog to the potty based on their feeding schedule. What about at night? Having a dog pee or poop outside is excellent but fun, but you might experience a few rough nights. Well, this is mainly for new puppies.
Potty training a new puppy at night
Potty training a new puppy will not be easy, but it will be necessary. Furthermore, you will never have to deal with house soiling ever again in your life. However, given that you are both new to each other on the first day, the relationship might not be as smooth as you would prefer. Most puppies will experience fear and anxiety on the first night.
The good news is that you can predict when he might need to eliminate. You might also consider starting indoor potty training, especially on the first night. This way, you can monitor his activity at night before settling on a schedule.
In addition, potty training your puppy will help him adjust to the family even faster. On the first night with your puppy at home, you must be patient with him. Even though dogs do not take long before they can get used to new environments, it is up to you to offer comfort to your new puppy.
For instance, you might consider having him in your bedroom for the first night. This way, he will be comfortable, and your bedroom is probably the quietest area in your house. Additionally, you will notice when he is up and probably take him to a potty break.
You may start using the words go potty when you take him outside to catalyze this process. The goal is to associate this phrase with the activity for future reference. For example, you will instruct your dog to potty when you take him for a walk.
Conclusion
While potty training remains relevant for dogs to fit in our families, we can only excuse them when accidents happen. It is rare for your dog to soil the house as they know how to hold it. However, your puppy can only have it for a short period. Therefore, ensure that the potty area is within easy access. This way, your dog can eliminate even when you are not home.
The first few nights might be rough for both of you. I mean, the puppy is only getting used to the new home and new faces. You have no idea what his previous routine was like, so you do not know his bathroom behaviors, especially at night.
Therefore, be patient and offer comfortable sleeping conditions for your dog. You might consider bringing his crate with you as you go to bed. This way, you can reassure him that he is safe.
Your puppy will get used to the daily routine within a few days. Make sure you exercise or walk him every morning and sometimes evening. This way, you will ensure that he gets to burn up his extra energy.
This way, he will get tired and thus retire to bed. Make sure that his sleeping place is quiet and comfortable to ensure that he gets a good night’s sleep. I hope the above tips will help you potty train your dog even at night.
