[petrygs]

My 4 month old puppy has been sleeping really well in his crate but I would like him to start sleeping through the night. What time should I be giving him his food in the evening if I want him to hold it until the morning? He gets dry kibble for his meals. He has slept through the night before but never consistently. I have started to take a chance and ignore him when he starts to stir in the middle of the night but then the fear of him having an accident in his crate hits me and I reluctantly get up and take home out.
He usually pees and poops within a couple of minutes and we’re not out for more than five minutes at most when he does wake up in the middle of the night. I am off on medical leave for three weeks so I don’t mind getting up, but when I go back to work, I will need my sleep. It‘s just me and him so there isn’t anyone else to let him out.
Any suggestions? Thanks all!

 

[RonE]

A 4-month-old puppy may actually NEED to go out during the night, and I don't think there's a dietary solution that will avoid that.

It will improve with time and, eventually, you will come to miss those late-night outings.

Or maybe not.

 

[petrygs]

Update: My pup has started to sleep until 6:30 on average. I feed him a little earlier than I was before and he does his business before bed and sleeps through the night. I don’t know if as he ages I will be able to feed him later but for now, what I‘m doing is working. Thank you for the advice. It was great appreciated!

 

[Quinsation]

My last 3 puppies have slept thru the night from the day I got them. When I got my latest puppy at 9 weeks, the first couple weeks was a race to the door in the morning. Now, he is 4 1/2 months and I have to drag him out of bed in the morning. Granted, I do get up at 4am, but even on weekends, he doesn't move until around 6:30 or so.
The dogs eat at 5am and 5pm. I do enough training throughout the day, and he never got a mid-day meal, just used his kibble as his reward.

 

[LeoRose]

Honestly, my GSD was nearly two years old before she quit needing to go out in the wee hours. If I ignored (or didn't hear) her fussing, I was going to be cleaning a crate and bathing a dog.