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Should puppies be given water at night

hollysh

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I'm not sure if it's right or wrong to give water to a puppy before bedtime. I just took my puppy out at 10pm for her last toilet break and as soon as she comes in from going outside she goes straight for the water. She wanted to drink it all but I picked it up after she had had 2 gulps. I don't want her to have accidents during the night. Also would you put water down in her pen if you have to go out during the day?
 
Yes. I'm seeing conflicting opinions on different websites. Some say it's good for toilet training puppies. Some forums people are actually saying it's cruel not to leave water down during the night. I honestly don't think this is the case. You don't need water when your asleep. I don't.
 
But then it worries me that I'm not doing the right thing. I think it's worse than having a child how much we worry about our pets )
 
How old is your pup. No maybe we don’t need water or wake up in the night to go to the toilet but if your pup is very young then like a baby it cannot get all the water it may need during the day and will also need to go to toilet in the night, the pups bladder will not be big enough to hold a lot of water so would be needing frequent toilet breaks even through the night. Do you use puppy’s pads?
 
Personally,I've never denied any of my dogs water,pups or adults.
 
If you are feeding dry kibble, your puppy should be able to drink enough required water to re hydrate the consumed food without restriction. Raw fed dogs and puppies will require less water.
I would never restrict any dogs water intake without a medical reason.
 
She's just over 3 months. She's been picking up the toilet training really quickly. Her last walk is at 10pm where she poos. Then I've just taken her out again at 6am. She has water up until she goes to sleep and when she gets up. But it appears I may be wrong on this so will have to do some more research on the subject.
 
My dogs pups included always have access to water 24 hrs a day ...
 
Ive always given my dogs access to water 24/7 Murphy is upstairs with us at night so he has a night time bowl in the bathroom.
 
All our dogs have always had access to water at all times day or night unless otherwise on vet advice. Personally I think it unkind to deprive any animal of having a drink at any time it feels the need.
 
Hi @hollysh. I gave mine water until 1 hour before bedtime from the age of 8 weeks to around 12 weeks when she was fully toilet trained. From day two (i.e. from 8 weeks old) she slept straight through the night and didn't wake up to go to the toilet once. In the morning she was never that interested in drinking i.e. she didn't seem thirsty.

Please remember that a lot of people will make statements to you as if they are absolute fact. I went through the same thing as you, worrying whether I was doing the right thing etc. I found the best thing to do is to ask people simply to tell you what their experiences with their own dogs have been, rather than to give you opinions on what all people should do, or generalised statements. Then you can gather a picture of how different it is for different dogs and people, or what the majority of people have experienced. In the end do what you think is right for you, your pup and your particular circumstances. You seem like a conscientious person so I'm sure you'll be sensitive to your pup's needs :)
 
Jasper hasn't had access to water at night since he started sleeping in our bedroom - we have to keep the bedroom door shut as DS1 is nocturnal and would wake us up otherwise, and Jasper would make too much of a mess drinking in the bedroom. But I'm pretty sure he'd wake us up and ask to go downstairs if he was thirsty in the night.

If in doubt, with a young pup it's probably safer to give access to water just in case, even if it does mean more disturbed nights.
 
Dennis doesn't ever drink water at night. He does have access to it downstairs if he was really desperate but he's far too lazy! however, he is 11 now so I may act differently with a puppy.

I think @Michele83 is right. It can be a different situation for each dog. If you didn't put water in one night and then found that the dog was desperate for a drink in the morning then maybe they should have constant access.
 
Lack of access to water can cause dehydration and can cause kidney problems...I'd much rather mop up puddles knowing I was doing the best for my dog's long-term health.
 
Our pup often wakes up has a quick drink and lies back down to sleep. I personally would always keep a bowl of water nearby, however I can't say what's best.
 
But then it worries me that I'm not doing the right thing. I think it's worse than having a child how much we worry about our pets )
Give a little water say 1/4 of the bowl encase they get thirsty
 
My 2 cents - there should always be fresh water. They drink when they are thirsty, not for the fun of it.

As far as toilet training - our boy had practically no accidents in the house (we picked him up from the breeder at 12 weeks).
But for the 1st couple of months we would take him out all the time, including during the night.
Sure, good night sleep was a luxury for the first few months, and I often slept downstairs on the sofa with him - this way it was easier to scoop him up and take him outside whenever i heard him moving. Some times he needed to go, other times it was a false alarm - but hey, that was the price for clean rugs :)

That we picked him up in December didn't help. So, not only sleeping downstairs on the sofa, but having some kind of warm clothes near by - hear noise at 1 AM, wake up, get dressed, scoop up the puppy, run outside, maybe he goes maybe not, back inside, the puppy is full of energy and wants to play, somehow put him to bed... try to fall asleep... 2 hours later hear noise again, wake up, get dressed, scoop up the puppy... and so on. :) Until it's time to go to work!

Good times, I miss that. Seriously. This was training the hard way, probably, but as far as preventing accidents in house - worked brilliantly.
 
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