Help! My puppy wants to play at 3 o clock in the morning!!!!!

by LeaLea
(Alabama, USA)

My Yorkie Baby Cocoa-bean

Hi. I have an 8 wk old yorkie puppy, her name is Cocoa-bean! On an average, we go to bed between 9 and 10 pm every night. She sleeps in her crate which is in my bedroom across from my bed so that she can see me.

She usually sleeps for about 3 to 4 hours and then she cries for a potty break. When I take her to potty (pee pads) she also gets a small snack so that her blood sugar levels won't get too low (we have already had a hypoglycemic scare with her). After snack, I take her to potty again and then I'm ready for us to go back to bed.

The problem is...now she wants to play for an hour or so. I work full time Mon-Fri, so I need my rest...I don't want to play at 3 o clock in the morning. How do I get her to understand that she needs to go back to bed and not have play time after her potty breaks? Thanks in advance for your advice.




Hi LeaLea
Cocoa-bean is a little doll! But I'm sure that's not any consolation at 3am :o)

It's very normal for a puppy to want to play or interact when she gets up to potty in the middle of the night, her clock is not set on your time and after all, SHE doesn't have to go to work in the morning.

Of course, that doesn't mean she CAN play, just that she wants to. You will have to be firm here, and it may take a few nights for her to truly understand that 3am is not party time, maybe even a week if she's very strong-willed.

After her potty break and snack, you need to put her right back into her crate, turn off the lights and go back to bed. She's going to cry and complain, most likely howl, scratch and whine too, but you need to be strong and ignore her - maybe earplugs will help at this point. It's very important not to let her out of her crate though. She's had her potty break and needs to go back to sleep.

I know you'll be tired, but resign yourself to a few nights of doing this, and I promise you that she will 'get the message' and will soon go back to be and back to sleep just like you do.

Remember to keep any talking or interaction between you during her night time potty break to a minimum. Use a low, calm voice - minimally, and avoid eye contact as much as possible. Get a night light or try a dimmer or table lamp so that the bright lights don't stimulate her. If you keep it all as low key as possible it will help her to stay calm and accept the crate more easily.

Puppies are like babies, and they eventually grow out of this night time awakening, but for now if you follow the above suggestions I think you'll find that getting her back to bed will soon be easier.

Best of luck!