Specman

Max is a year old now and has been with us for 6 months. He sleeps in our bed with us and our other dog. He has never been a good sleeper usually wakes up around 5:00AM. Sometimes he will whimper at the bedroom door in the middle of the night to go out.

This does not happen very often and sometimes coincides to when I have to the bathroom anyway. Lately he has been jumping off our bed and just whimpering for no reason. He doesn't want to go out or anything else that I can figure out.

So between getting up a 5:00 and being up at night I am feeling a little sleep deprived. We are going to try to get him more exercise but, it is difficult because I work a lot. I take the dogs for a walk in the morning and we play catch in the house when I get home from work at 7:00PM. The dogs are with my mother-in-law during the day and they go outside and play together. I would appriciate any suggestions.

murphys

I'm not sure if you are having a similiar issue to mine, I'll let you decide. We have had Fritz since late Oct 2012. Fritz is nine months old and is crated in my bedroom at night. Our routine is last time out so he can poop and piddle if needed and then up to the crate with a treat, antler and/or a toy. For the last several days, he starts to whine within 5 minutes of being in the crate. Then it's get up, take him outside on a leash, no playing, up and down the yard in case he needs to poop or piddle and then back inside and back in the crate. If he again whines, he is told to go to sleep and he settles down. Is it possible he is testing your rules? Fritz definitely is.

Ryker-&-Canyon

I am of no real help. Thankfully, knock on wood, Canyon and Ryker have been sleeping very well at night. I do want to say I am sorry you are not getting enough sleep. I hope Max is able to sleep through the night for you very soon. Murphys suggestion of testing you might be the answer. Another suggestion is maybe that he gets lonely and knows that asking to go out gets you up. Maybe, if he doesn't already have one, find a favorite stuffed animal to sleep with or a blanket. My two boys nap and sleep with Monkey. Before I bought several, I forgot to bring Monkey down one morning and they were fussing at their normal morning nap time, I realized Monkey was not with them and brought him down, they went right to sleep.

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Poodle mama to Ryker and Canyon

fjm

Could be adolescence, could be that he needs more exercise to tire him out (tip: brain work is much more tiring than walking!), could even be that he is hungry or thirsty. I'd try more exercise if you can manage it - perhaps a session or two at daycare, or a dog walker, or a 30 minute walk when you get home, and/or some brain stretching training or games (the Ottosson toys are excellent, or invent your own with paper cups and patty pans). Then I'd give him a snack at bedtime, and a few ice cubes, and see if that helps.

Is there a noise that is waking him perhaps - heating coming on, or a neighbour's security light switching on or off? Or, if he is not yet neutered, could there be a bitch on heat nearby? When my two get the night time wakefuls without needing to go out it is usually because Tilly cat has been out rabbiting, and they want to join the midnight feast...

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To sit with a dog on a hillside on a glorious afternoon is to be back in Eden,
where doing nothing was not boring- it was peace.

~ Milan Kundera

MollyMuiMa

Molly is just turning 11mths old and she is doing the same thing except she goes to where her leash is hanging (my bdrm door) whacks it against the door AND whines! If it's before 12(I go to bed around 11) I'll take her out but when she does it at 3 or 5am I try to ignore it. Sometimes she's soooo insistent I end up getting up! Usually I just tell her NO! and go back to sleep....at least until 6!LOL!

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I pledge allegience to Ms Royalty
In the United States of her kingdom
And to her rules for which it stands
One Princess under God
In the visible
With diamonds and bones for ALL

MollyMuiMa

Molly is just turning 11mths old and she is doing the same thing except she goes to where her leash is hanging (my bdrm door) whacks it against the door AND whines! If it's before 12(I go to bed around 11) I'll take her out but when she does it at 3 or 5am I try to ignore it. Sometimes she's soooo insistent I end up getting up! Usually I just tell her NO! and go back to sleep....at least until 6!LOL!

__________________

I pledge allegience to Ms Royalty
In the United States of her kingdom
And to her rules for which it stands
One Princess under God
In the visible
With diamonds and bones for ALL

Specman

I'm hoping that this is adolescence and that he will outgrow it but we did the dog park today and I will be walking the dogs right before bedtime!

Specman

Max slept through the night until 6:30 this morning! I will keep up the mental and physical exercise today and see how it goes.

Ryker-&-Canyon

Yay!!

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Poodle mama to Ryker and Canyon

Carley's Mom

Stella was just like that ... I started to feed her at around 10:00 p.m. to try to get some much needed weight on her. That make her 3rd meal for the day. And since then she has been no problem at night! Try giving your dog a bedtime snack and see if it helps.

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