Risks associated with restricting nighttime water access
There are several risks associated with restricting water access, both behavioral and medical.
Besides dehydration – which was previously mentioned – restricting your puppy’s access to water can lead to obsessive behavior and an increased risk of urinary tract infections.
When water is only available for brief moments, your puppy may learn to obsess over it.
This often creates a dog that drinks all the water they can see, whether they actually need it or not.
Dogs that become obsessive over water, thinking it isn’t always available, can also start to drink from the pool, puddles, or other places they shouldn’t.
Some dogs that previously loved to play in a kiddie pool become unable to have access to one because they will try and continuously drink the entire pool of water.
In addition to obsessively drinking the water, your puppy may also start to exhibit resource guarding behaviors by growling or biting at anyone near their water bowl.
As with the obsessive behavior around water, this can turn into a dog that resource guards the toilet, sink, or other places with water as well.
Resource guarding can become a serious problem, especially if your puppy bites another dog or person.
Besides the behavior problems, there are more health problems than just dehydration at risk. Dogs that obsessively drink all the water in sight may develop the following:
Restricted access to water also puts your puppy at risk of painful urinary tract infections. Not only are these infections very uncomfortable, but they can lead to additional health problems such as bladder stones and kidney damage.
Plus, the number one health problem that wreaks havoc on a potty training plan is a urinary tract infection.
If your puppy ends up with a UTI, they are much more likely to backslide in their potty training because of the urge to urinate more frequently as well as the pain associated with the process.
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How Long Can Puppies Go Without Water Overnight?
Most puppies can go without water for 8 hours (overnight). Although, how long will depend on a number of different factors, including their age, the breed, and how much water they have consumed in the day.
The younger the puppy, generally, the less time they can go without a drink.
Most puppies can go without water for 8 hours (overnight). Even though you leave them without water at nighttime, puppies who are under 12 weeks old will most likely need a bathroom break in the middle of the night.
What do you do when your puppy cries at night?
If your puppy does wake up and cry, first make sure they don’t need the toilet (many young puppies won’t be able to hold their bladder through the night yet). Then gently settle them back down in their bed. Try not to give them too much fuss and attention – just enough to make them feel comforted.
Let Puppy Drink Water at Night: Yes, No, How Much?
As a rule of thumb, remove the food and water bowls about two-to-three hours before bedtime. So, if your lights-out time is at 11 p.m., a puppy should have no food or water after about 8–8:30 p.m. This gives you a chance to take him out for a one last potty break before settling in for the night.