8 month old Miniature poodle Potty training not spayed yet

Question
Within the last 5 days we have bought a miniature 8 month old poodle.  She has been excellent and is going outside a majority of the time.  She has maybe had 3 accidents (urine) in the house.

My question relates to her at night.  I crate her at bedtime in our bedroom.  Currently I am waking every 2-3 hours to take her outside to go potty.  Last night she would start to bark which would be my signal to take her out, however 2 of the times she would just walk around and sniff and then at 6 a.m. she actually went.

I am beginning to feel she is pulling one over on me.  

What is a reasonable amount of time to crate an 8 month old poodle at night before taking her out even if she is whining or barking?

I want to make sure I am actually teaching her to hold her bladder and not just teaching her that I will always take her out a million times during the night.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Kind Regards,
Mrs. Shearin

Answer
I am not sure it is natural for dogs to sleep 8 hours at a stretch.  I think sleeping all night is a people things that dogs adapt to.  Otherwise, I think they would alternate short periods of activity and naps both day and night.  A healthy 8 month old should have no trouble making it all night in a crate.  Many of our puppies are going all night by 2 months.  You might talk to the vet about it.  Any new dog calls for a prompt vet visit.

To quiet her down, you might try lying down next to the crate like you were going to sleep there until she quiets down.  I have found it is the only thing that works with new puppies at bed time.