# Puppy falls asleep straight after food - what to do?



## BellaWild

Hi,

I am new to the site, I found it while searching for some advice. I have a golden retriever puppy - Bella - and she is just gone 9 weeks old.

We have been doing fairly well with house training but I have a pressing question....

she wakes in the morning at 5.30am and whines to go outside when she does both her "businesses" and gets lots of praise. then at 6.30am is breakfast time - which she generally eats most, if not all, of her portion. but after breakfast she does not want to go. at first I took her outside after breakfast, but she was just more interested in eating leaves, playing, exploring, sitting (anything! other than going to the bathroom). even tho all the books and advice tell you that she should need to go around 15mins after eating!

today, I thought I would wait and see if she "asked" to go outside to go after breakfast but instead she has just fallen asleep.

the same pattern happens at her 10pm supper feed too, she goes out at about 9 / 9.30pm and does her business then after the 10pm feed doesn't need to go.

please help. she is a good girl but she just doesn't fit into the "pattern" that all advice suggests. is she alright? is it bad to let them sleep after a meal? how would I encourage her to go even if she doesn't appear to want to go?

thanks for any advice!

Becca and Bella


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## lisa.combs23

I'm interested in responses to this thread as i'm finding that our boy Finn (8 weeks) does the same. Sometimes he'll go after he eats but more often than not he's doing no. 2 not long before he eats then afterwards we get nothing! I just chalk it up to it's his routine.


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## Maddie'sMom2011

9 weeks old? Just wait!


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## ebenjamin85

I wouldn't worry, she's still young. I she having accidents because of this? If not, I would continue with your routine but instead plan on taking her out about an hour after she eats instead. If she is having accidents I would keep her outside longer by playing, etc. until she goes.


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## Molly's Mum

Molly poops before breakfast, before lunch and then after her supper, sometimes she poops mid-afternoon too. If you puppy has pooped before the meal then perhaps she doesn't need to go afterwards as well. Provided your puppy is having healthy looking poos and is going roughly the amount of times per day that you feed her, and she's not having accidents in the house then I wouldn't worry.

Molly wakes at 6.30 and then after toileting she'll sleep again until breakfast which is 7.30am for us.


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## cubbysan

My puppies did not always have to go after they ate. I remember with Brady, after dinner I would end up having to take him out every 5 minutes for the next 2 hours after his dinner before he went. During that time I would have him leashed to me while we went back in the house. Exhausting- YES, but it was definitely worth it and it was only for a few weeks.

If she falls asleep, carry her into her crate, then take her out when she wakes up. 

The rule is to take them out after each change of activity - waking up, eating, playing etc but they won't necessarily always have to go, it is mostly to prevent them from failing by having an accident in the house.


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## Willow52

I wouldn't worry too much, puppies/dogs have their own routine for "going", just like people. 

In the morning Hank eats first, then goes out. You would think after being indoors all night he'd want to go first think. He doesn't go out before bedtime either. I remember when he was a puppy standing out in the dark trying to get him to go before I put him in his crate for the night. I finally gave up.


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## Nath

Just like new babies, the play, eat, potty and sleep. Totally normal. My pups get up in the morning play, take a walk, eat and crash. Then we have another few hours of play then crash for a couple of hours. I remember this going for at least 6 months.


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## BellaWild

Thanks for the advice! I am pleased that other people have similar experiences, and that little Bella is just like other dogs. I think I may have been taking the advice from books a little too literally, being a first time pooch owner!
Bella isn't having too many accidents in the house, and has never pooed in the house. She "asks" to go out for a poop, by a small whine by the door already, and we are getting better at spotting the pre-wee motions too!
Thanks again for the responses and so fast too!
Becca and Bella x


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## Our first puppy

BellaWild, we had the exact same "problem"! When we brought Loka home, we thought she had something wrong with her, and were really stressed because she wouldn't go to the bathroom! I don't think the problem is with you taking the books too literally, I think the problem is that the books all say pretty much the same thing - ALL puppies HAVE to go to the bathroom IMMEDIATELY after eating. There is no mention of pups that can just hold it longer, and luckily it seems like you have one too! On day 1, Loka went 8 hours without peeing, and by night 3 was sleeping through the night (11pm - 7am). Now during the day we take her out every 1.5-3 hours, depending on whether she's napping or not. Particularly we take her out immediately after she wakes up from any nap. 

The only problem with having a puppy that can go longer without bathroom breaks is that you have to become a lot more aware of their "looking to go to the bathroom" behaviour before they go in the house. But in the long run everyone has to do this - you just get to figure it out sooner than others! For example, Loka will just stop what she's doing, even a good play session, and start sniffing. Now she's starting to go towards the door, but that only started in the last week or so. But the first week we had her in her crate every time we couldn't be there to watch her directly, just to help prevent accidents. 

Good luck! Trust me, it seems tough and stressful now, but once you figure out Bella's schedule you'll be happy she can hold it a bit more!


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## Nath

BellaWild said:


> Thanks for the advice! I am pleased that other people have similar experiences, and that little Bella is just like other dogs. I think I may have been taking the advice from books a little too literally, being a first time pooch owner!
> Bella isn't having too many accidents in the house, and has never pooed in the house. She "asks" to go out for a poop, by a small whine by the door already, and we are getting better at spotting the pre-wee motions too!
> Thanks again for the responses and so fast too!
> Becca and Bella x


When Bella wakes up just make sure you take her out to potty.


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