Instructions
Set your alarm to get up one or two times during the night, depending on the age and breed of your puppy. An 8-week-old puppy will usually need two potty trips during the night at first, with smaller breeds needing to go out more often than larger breeds. Living with interrupted sleep now will ensure you have restful nights ahead, when your puppy is older. If you notice that the puppy has had an accident by the time your alarm goes off, set the alarm earlier so that you can get the puppy out in time. Gradually phase out one of the alarms, and then the other, as your puppy gains control.
Give your puppy plenty of attention and exercise during the day and evening. Don't expect a puppy that has been stuck in a crate for eight hours or longer to sleep all night as well. Young puppies need a lot of sleep, but will sleep much better if they get intense play periods between the naps.
Move your puppy's crate to your bedroom or a child's bedroom, if it seems to be lonely and restless. Just being in the same room with a family member and hearing the person's breathing and turning can comfort a scared puppy.
Feed your puppy all it can eat within about 15 to 30 minutes, four times a day. As it matures, decrease the meals until by 6 months of age it is eating two meals a day. If the puppy isn't getting enough food or water during the day, it may not make it through the night. Most of the time, the puppy will cut out one of its meals on its own when it is ready. Feed the puppy on a schedule. Scheduled meals help regulate the puppy's system, which makes house training and sleeping much easier.
Take the puppy out to relieve itself at the same time each night, before bed. Make a bedtime routine, just as you would for a child, but do not play and cuddle immediately before bed. This sets the puppy up for a let down, when suddenly it is whisked into the crate and everyone disappears to their beds.
How to Get a Puppy to Sleep Longer in the Morning
Young puppies rarely sleep through the night and they will most likely wake up at dawn. This is mainly because the puppy doesn't have the physical or mental ability yet to wait until morning before relieving itself. It's partly because the puppy is lonely and missing the warm bodies of its mother and siblings. The best solution is to meet the problem head-on, and accept the fact that you will have to give up some sleep, but only for a few weeks if you handle the situation carefully. The better you keep up the puppy's house training, the sooner your puppy will be snoring away -- until at least 7 a.m.