Module 3 — First 30 Days Academy™
Surviving night three
About 6 minutes
Night one, everyone is excited and nobody minds getting up. Night three, you have not slept properly since Thursday, the puppy has worked out that noise brings a human, and somebody in the house suggests just letting them into the bed. Here is how the week actually goes.
The crate goes in your bedroom
Not the laundry room, not the kitchen. For the first three nights you want to hear the difference between grumbling and a genuine need to go out, and the puppy needs to know they have not been abandoned in a strange house.
It moves out to its permanent spot at the end of week two, a few feet at a time.
Scheduled breaks, not crying breaks
Decide before bed when the overnight trip happens — roughly three and a half hours after lights out for the first few nights. Take them out then, whether or not they have asked.
If you only go out when the crying starts, you have taught a very clear lesson: crying opens the door. Going on a schedule teaches nothing at all, which is what you want.
Make the trip boring
On lead, straight to the spot, no talking, no treat, no play, straight back to the crate. Thirty seconds. If it becomes the best part of the night, you will be doing it four times a night by Friday.
When it is not settling
Before you change the approach, check three things: when the water bowl came up, when the last potty trip was, and whether the puppy had a proper wind-down or was still playing at 10pm. It is nearly always one of those.
And be honest about the timeline. Most of our puppies are down to one wake-up by night three or four, and sleeping through by the end of week two. If you are still up twice a night in week four, message us — that is worth a conversation, not a search engine.
Before you move on
- —Crate beside your bed for nights one to three
- —Overnight break time chosen in advance
- —Water up an hour before bed
- —Last potty trip immediately before the crate
- —Nights split between two adults