Puppy is almost 12 weeks and still cannot sleep through the night?

Question

I have a chocolate lab, who is almost 12 weeks old and I have had her well over a month now and she still cannot sleep through the night without having to go out and go potty in the middle of the night! Everyone I have talked to said she should be able to sleep through the night now, and to just leave her and ignore her but she has to poop in the middle of the night. It's not just going out to go pee. And the last time I just ignored her she pooped in her kennel even though the kennel is so small there is no extra corners to poop in. She will poop then just lay in it!!!!!
She does not have anything to eat after 5 pm and no water after 8 pm and she goes out her last time at 10 pm then wakes up between 1 am and 3 am having to go out to poop then wakes up again when I get up at 6 am.
What am I doing wrong? We also started to use the bitter apple spray to discipline her from barking but it does not seem to be working.
Help?

I have been hearing that Chocolate labs are harder to train, a lot more stubborn and hyper. She gets plenty of play outside during the day, she is pretty much out there all day because if not all she will do is scream and cry in the house for hours and will not sleep.
My husband is going to be putting her in training this weekend to hope that will make a difference.
No matter how long you leave her in her kennel during the day, no matter how much you tell her now, use the bitter apple or just ignore her she will still scream and cry and its only been this week that I have resorted to leaving her outside all day. All I hear is that she should be fine by now, now more crying or barking...nothing. But she still is, what am I doing wrong?

The dog DOES go potty before bed at 10 pm but she wont poop then. And she eats at 4 pm...last meal...and i know she poops just after she eats, but then she has to go in the middle of the night then. And we wont let the dog sleep with us because I am slightly allergic to her. Plus the upstairs is the cats part of the house and the down stairs would be hers. I do take her out before bed, she poops after she eats but for some reason there is still the need to go poop early in the morning!

Even if she can see us all night (When i slept down on the couch thinking that would make a difference) she would still scream all night. I tried everything from music at night to tv, to a heart beat and her seeing me while sleeping nothing worked. She seems to be so much happier outside. She is quiet and happy...should I just saw screw it and leave her outside for good? It was a huge mistake to get a dog that had never been inside before :|

With the bitter apple, I read to use it when they bark, or do something wrong.
When she barks we spray her in the mouth and as soon as she is quiet she gets a treat and affection. BUT it does not work when she is in the house she will still scream it only works outside.
Her poop sometimes is hard and looks like normal dog poop and sometimes its a bit runny.
Then when she chews on something she is not supposed to we spray the bitter apple on THAT and she laves it alone. Then she has tried to eat her own poop before and i sprayed her for that because usual i get out there and clean it up just as she is done so we don't have that problem.

I had a trainer tell me to use the bitter apple this way it is a lot like the spray bark collar. What is so wrong with it? I just spray it in her mouth when she barks?!?!

Answer 1

1. There is no difference in "personality" of labs when it comes to colors. NONE!!!!
2. I don't understand your way of using the "apple bitter"
3. How does the poop look like? Perhaps it's digestion issue and she just can't hold it properly???
4. You seem to be on the right track, however....don't get UPSET with your pup. She's still a babie.
Late Entry : this is not proper use for "bitter apple". Please do not do it!!!
2. lots of labs have a digestion issues due to overbreeding and their body structure.
3. If you can rule out the food as the reason for night poop, consider extra exercise/ walk prior bed time.
Best of Luck...and most of all, do not use apple bitter this way.

Answer 2

it might be the food you are feeding that causing her to go to the bathroom more often. What are you feeding your dog? also no food after 5 actually sounds wrong. her tummy is really really empty in the morning, thats a really long time for a 12 week puppy to go without food. also if you think about it, she has to go around 3 am or so you said, so if you feed her at say 8 and make sure that she poops at 10 pm (last time you take her out, she is likely to poo) than i think she might be able to sleep through the night.

As far as barking? how are you using bitter apple spray to discipline her barking? bitter apple spray is used to spray things you don't want your dog to chew, it has a very bad taste. i really hope you are not spraying your dog with bitter apple spray, cause if that gets into her eyes, it probably really really hurts


***Edit*** seriously 4 pm to to early for her last meal.. she probably wakes up that early cause she is hungry, and usually when puppy wakes up puppy has to go pee/ poo. Try feeding her around 8 and taking her out than. I am betting your problems will be gone.

***Edit 2*** please don't spray your dog with bitter apple spray. that will really hurt her. some trainers do recommend spraying your dog with WATER when she is doing something wrong. I simple tell my dog "Ahh Ahh!" take her away from what she is doing wrong or take whatever she is chewing out of her mouth and give her her toy.

**Edit 3***
it can get into her eyes and burn her eyes. use water bottle instead, just as effective without the pain

Answer 3

You know I had the same problem with a golden retriever. The puppy didn't like sleeping in the kennel, when I let him out and just slept on the floor next to our bed he was fine. I think in their eyes they are part of the family until bedtime but then the kennel at night and maybe just doesn't seem fair to them? But if that doesn't work try only feeding the puppy in the morning or early afternoon then his bowels will move earlier and no need to middle of the night poops!

Answer 4

I have a lab myself... she is 2 years old and believe me if I didn't love her so much I would have gotten rid of her. We had the same problem with ours when she was a puppy. The best thing for us was.... putting her in the kitchen with a puppy pad (training pads) which we trained her on if she couldn't hold it till we woke up or got home. Keeping a loud ticking clock in the kitchen with her would make her sleep through the night pretty well. Barking is something that all puppies and full grown dogs will do. Using a water gun and spraying them with it scares them but doesn't hurt them as well as using the word NO. Anytime my dog hears me say no she knows she is in trouble. Although it took sometime it worked for us. Be patient that is the key.

Answer 5

Get a cage and lock her in it through the night, she will soon realise that if she wants a poop she poops in her bed and has to sleep in it. Also around 15-20 minutes after shes eaten let her outside for half an hour or an hour and make sure she goes to the toilet, same after shes had a drink.

Answer 6

Puppies have very small bladders and poop goes through them quickly This puppy is sleeping during the day and doesn't have the need to sleep through the night, but has to relieve it's self sooner than you let it out. Puppies go alot and you have to live with that. Older dog's can do this, but puppies have to go much more often, and it figures the kennel is where it has to go, as she can't get out. they are just like baby humans . They poop and pee alot and if they try to hold it , it hurts them.

Answer 7

Your,not doing anything wrong it just seems like to me you love your dog allot and want to be able to sleep but you can't.But,the only thing you can do in that case without wanting to get rid of her is to try taking her to a good dog park with other dogs her size and let her play with them then you might see a different in that after you bring her back home for the night of RNR rest and relaxations

Answer 8

You aren't doing anything wrong, the general rule of thumb is your pup should be able to hold their stuff as many hours as they are old. So, that being said your pup should hold for 3 hours, they have very small bladders and bowels, give her a break she is a BABY! Barking alot??? I have a lab/staffy mix and she wasn't barking a lot at 3 months old....I think you are being to hard the pup and yourself, it takes time!

Answer 9

They are like children. My Chow was the same way. I got up at the same time every night for about four months. It took time before he got it right. I also had a lab and o brother he gave me a "run for my money!" He eventually got trained but would eat and chew on everything. 12 pack cans of beer was his favorite (yes with the beer in them). We named him Bud, short for Budweiser. Contact Ceasar he is great you might need him for that Lab. LOL Good Luck and be patient!

http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/channel/dogwhisperer/

Answer 10

You should take her out before you go to sleep and who ever goes to sleep the lastest should let her out before they go to sleep too. You should get a bigger cage for it. We have a lab and this worked for us.