4 Month old Puppy up at 3am to poop!

[Anonymous]

Why is my 4 month old puppy up at 3am to poop every day this week? She eats at 7am, 1pm and 6:30pm. I take her out throughout the day but in the evenings she doesn't usually poop. Last potty is at 10:30pm and she usually just pees and goes to bed. In all reality she has already been passed out since 8:30pm on the couch and I have to lift her off the couch and force her to go potty one last time before bed. Is this normal? I thought puppies at 4 months should be able to make it at least from 10:30pm-6:00pm.

When she gets up at 3 to go to the bathroom she goes pee and poop and then goes back to bed until 6/6:30ish. HELP! I hate waking up in the middle of the night.

[Anonymous]

Nope. You refuse to let her out. She needs to stay in her crate. Go for a longer walk last thing at night.

[Anonymous]

Is it a large or small breed puppy? Sometimes it takes a little longer for the smaller breeds.

[Anonymous]

That's rough. I would shift her feeding schedule slightly and have her last meal @ 4:30 pm. I would also feed her less at that last feeding - perhaps 40%, 40% and 20% for her feeds throughout the day. Limit water intake past about 6:00 pm too.

Good luck!

[Anonymous]

Puppy is 35 pounds already - will be large when she grows up.

When do I move to 2 feedings a day? 6 months? Then do you just split it 50/50? Or do 60/40 food wise?

[Anonymous]

There is no need to change feeding time. I foster puppies. They can all hold it in, poo-wise, through the night, from 8 weeks on. Reliably. Yours just decided to mess with you because you let her. Your puppy needs to be crated, in a crate small enough that she'll be dissuaded from pooping in a corner. Crate her until she remembers that nightime is for sleeping, not pooping. It should not take long. She'll whine a bit the first night, and then she'll probably get it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There is no need to change feeding time. I foster puppies. They can all hold it in, poo-wise, through the night, from 8 weeks on. Reliably. Yours just decided to mess with you because you let her. Your puppy needs to be crated, in a crate small enough that she'll be dissuaded from pooping in a corner. Crate her until she remembers that nightime is for sleeping, not pooping. It should not take long. She'll whine a bit the first night, and then she'll probably get it.

Op here - she doesn’t poop in her crate. She poops outside.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There is no need to change feeding time. I foster puppies. They can all hold it in, poo-wise, through the night, from 8 weeks on. Reliably. Yours just decided to mess with you because you let her. Your puppy needs to be crated, in a crate small enough that she'll be dissuaded from pooping in a corner. Crate her until she remembers that nightime is for sleeping, not pooping. It should not take long. She'll whine a bit the first night, and then she'll probably get it.

Op here - she doesn’t poop in her crate. She poops outside.

That's my point.
Do not let her out at 3am. She needs to stay in her crate so she doesn't poo at 3am anywhere, inside or outside. The crate needs to be small enough that she doesn't get any ideas about pooping in her crate (which some dogs will do when they're desperate, especially if the crate is large and they do in a corner, then sleep in the other).

[Anonymous]

I have never fed a puppy after 4pm. They will survive.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There is no need to change feeding time. I foster puppies. They can all hold it in, poo-wise, through the night, from 8 weeks on. Reliably. Yours just decided to mess with you because you let her. Your puppy needs to be crated, in a crate small enough that she'll be dissuaded from pooping in a corner. Crate her until she remembers that nightime is for sleeping, not pooping. It should not take long. She'll whine a bit the first night, and then she'll probably get it.

Op here - she doesn’t poop in her crate. She poops outside.

That's my point.
Do not let her out at 3am. She needs to stay in her crate so she doesn't poo at 3am anywhere, inside or outside. The crate needs to be small enough that she doesn't get any ideas about pooping in her crate (which some dogs will do when they're desperate, especially if the crate is large and they do in a corner, then sleep in the other).

Op - yes I agree she has got conditioned to pooping at 3am. What I don’t know what to do is either a) change when I feed her, b) change how much I feed her or c) how to get her to poop at night before bed instead of needing to go in the middle of the night. Do I take her for a walk?

[Anonymous]

Our dog always has to poop like that. I wouldn't force them to hold it. That's cruel.

[Anonymous]

My suggestion is to walk her just before bed, don't just take her to the yard. Walking will probably get her to poop.

[Anonymous]

That sucks, I would change the food schedule.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There is no need to change feeding time. I foster puppies. They can all hold it in, poo-wise, through the night, from 8 weeks on. Reliably. Yours just decided to mess with you because you let her. Your puppy needs to be crated, in a crate small enough that she'll be dissuaded from pooping in a corner. Crate her until she remembers that nightime is for sleeping, not pooping. It should not take long. She'll whine a bit the first night, and then she'll probably get it.

Op here - she doesn’t poop in her crate. She poops outside.

That's my point.
Do not let her out at 3am. She needs to stay in her crate so she doesn't poo at 3am anywhere, inside or outside. The crate needs to be small enough that she doesn't get any ideas about pooping in her crate (which some dogs will do when they're desperate, especially if the crate is large and they do in a corner, then sleep in the other).

Op - yes I agree she has got conditioned to pooping at 3am. What I don’t know what to do is either a) change when I feed her, b) change how much I feed her or c) how to get her to poop at night before bed instead of needing to go in the middle of the night. Do I take her for a walk?

Pretty sure that poster is telling you: change nothing, except ignore her at 3 am. She can poop at 6 am.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There is no need to change feeding time. I foster puppies. They can all hold it in, poo-wise, through the night, from 8 weeks on. Reliably. Yours just decided to mess with you because you let her. Your puppy needs to be crated, in a crate small enough that she'll be dissuaded from pooping in a corner. Crate her until she remembers that nightime is for sleeping, not pooping. It should not take long. She'll whine a bit the first night, and then she'll probably get it.

Op here - she doesn’t poop in her crate. She poops outside.

That's my point.
Do not let her out at 3am. She needs to stay in her crate so she doesn't poo at 3am anywhere, inside or outside. The crate needs to be small enough that she doesn't get any ideas about pooping in her crate (which some dogs will do when they're desperate, especially if the crate is large and they do in a corner, then sleep in the other).

Op - yes I agree she has got conditioned to pooping at 3am. What I don’t know what to do is either a) change when I feed her, b) change how much I feed her or c) how to get her to poop at night before bed instead of needing to go in the middle of the night. Do I take her for a walk?

I wouldn't change anything except for a longer walk at night. Do NOT let her out of her crate. She doesn't need to poop at 3am. She wants to poop at 3am. Big difference. She's the kid, you're the parent. Enforce the rules. She will get it. At 3 months, there is really no excuse.