Pup probably genuinely needs that early potty trip. It's common for potty training and pup's ability to hold their urine for a long period of time to regress as pup gets older. That could be keeping him awake at night. I would speak with your vet about any potential discomfort first. I also suggest teaching the Leave It command from the article linked below, which can also be used for the licking:Īt this age pup's reason for waking might be related to pain and some incontinence. This game can help them develop it sooner though. Puppies have to learn self-control just like any other skill, while young. Gradually work up to pup becoming more and more excited and having to calm down quickly from a higher level of excitement as they improve.Īlso, understand that this will take some time and practice. Repeat this a few times each training session, then end the session (have lots of frequent shorter sessions throughout the day at this age).Īs pup improves, and can really calm down quickly, let them get a bit more excited before calling Stop. As soon as they start to get a little worked up (not too much at first), command "Stop" or "Sit" again, then wait, reward with a treat when they calm down, then continue the game after they are rewarded.
Tell her "Let's Play!" again, and start playing and getting her a bit excited again. As soon as she gets calm or sits, praise and give a treat. Wait and completely ignore her until she calms back down. Which is a bit like red light, green light for dogs.ĭuring training, get her a little excited, then command "Stop" or something she knows like "Sit", and freeze. I suggest practicing something called "Jazz up and Settle Down". That's why the Surprise method waits until they are quiet to reward that. If you intervene before they tire enough to do so, it can prevent pup from learning that, and it can also reward pup for the crying, thus teaching them to cry even more in order to get your attention. Pup needs to find out that they can eventually calm themselves and settle to sleep.
The more consistent you can be with the above training, and not giving pup lots of attention when they cry or letting them out if they don't need to go potty, the sooner a puppy will generally adjust. Surprise method - only give treats during daytime practice, not at night though: Practice the Surprise method from the article I have linked below to help pup get used to crate time during the day too - so that there is less crying at night due to pup adjusting to being alone. This gives pup the chance to learn to start falling back to sleep when they wake in light sleep if they don't really need to go potty, instead of being woken up all the way when they could have held it a bit longer.Ĥ. Wait until pup asks to go potty by crying in the crate at night before you take them - opposed to setting an alarm clock, unless pup is having accidents in the crate and not asking to go out. Pup will generally need 1-2 potty trips at night even after trained for a couple months though due to a small bladder.ģ. This helps pup learn to only wake when they truly need to go potty and be able to put themselves back to sleep - helping them start sleeping longer stretches sooner and not ask to go out unless they actually need to potty. Don't give treats, food, play, or much attention during these trips - boring and sleepy is the goal, then right back to bed after. When pup does truly need to go potty (when it's been at least 2 hours since pup last peed), take pup to go potty outside on a leash to keep pup focused and things calmer. The more consistent you are the quicker the overall process tends to take even if it's hard to do for the first couple weeks.Ģ. When pup cries but doesn't have to go potty (like after you return them to the crate when they just went potty outside) be consistent about ignoring the crying until they go back to sleep. This is an important skill for pups to learn, to avoid future, more serious, adult separation anxiety, and almost all puppies cry the first two weeks while learning it - so don't be too concerned that pup is crying during the adjustment. As you probably know, pup is mostly adjusting to being alone, opposed to the kennel then.