Dog waking us to go out at night.

Dinahmo

Don't some of you wake up during the night for a pee?

Thats what i thought, bet its awful being denied such a basic need all night because its seen as naughty

Our old dog used to do this - until we let her sleep in our bedroom.

If you watch the dog when he or she goes out you can see if they really want to go. However, if they roam around and like a lie down which a dog we had did then you know you have been “had”.

Our dogs go out for wee on command before we go to bed "bedtime wee wee" and we make sure they stay in the garden for 5 minutes.

I must admit the Poochon does get us up in the night for a wee. I will try the "lie down" command. I am sure he can hold it. The other dog, a Jackapoo, a girl, never disturbs us.

This thread dates back to June! How is the dog now Nandalot? Always good to get feedback.

RosiesMaw

I never ignore a bark to be let out. Especially as many greyhounds don’t bark at all so Rosie is praised for being a good dog
Gracie just used to go to the door and look stressed - not a lot of use when you’re asleep upstairs! But then of course there’s also this….

I had this problem with my greyhound for a while until I got fed up and just told her to go back to bed, amazingly she did just that and now waits for me to move first!

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Perhaps the dog is reacting to your daughter getting up in the night for her son. Does the timing correlate? If your grandson's behaviour has escalated, especially in the early hours, this could be causing the dog anxiety. I agree with Smileless that you should seek veterinary advice in the first instance. However, I don't agree with denying the dog water. All animals should have access to water at all times as advised by the RSPCA and every other animal welfare organisation.

The first thing you need to do is have the dog examined by a vet to make sure there's no UTI.

Once you know the dog's fit and well do as grandtante suggests and have the bed in a room with a washable floor and make sure there's no access to water during the night.

It's never a bad idea to get what seems like a behavioural issue checked out by a vet to rule out a physical cause. But it does sound like learned behaviour. If you do say no to a pee-run in the early hours, what would happen? If she doesn't wee indoors & doesn't seem desperate to go next morning, then you could be fairly sure that it's not a full bladder that's the problem.

Please have your dog checked by a vet before following any of the suggestions above! I have just had to have my beloved 10 yo greyhound PTS because of kidney failure. She started getting me up in the night four months ago and sometimes couldn't make it before she hadto go. Unfortunately I live in a first floor flat so there was no easy access to outside

Cockerpoo are very intelligent and tend to be sensitive. It’s possible the dog initially responded to your grandson needing reassurance,barking to ensure mum went to him. My spaniel did this (40 years ago) to alert us to a crying baby. She’s understandably been let out so now has an established routine
It does t sound like uti as she manages easily in the day
Alexa plays soothing classics for dogs, I leave that if I’m out.
My young lab took to barking about 3am. I made the mistake of letting him out, this was his new favourite thing within a couple of nights
I didn’t go in to him. Didn’t put lights on but shouted firmly Go on your bed. If the cockerpoo does t know this useful command -teach it.
Dog in a sit six feet from bed, wait command handler puts treat on bed, return to dogs side -on your bed. Repeat three times a few times daily, progress to on your bed, down stay
They’re very quick to learn and once a habit is established it tends to stick
Put simply, don’t let the dog out either up training or ignore 🦮

I echo all of what Ali23 has said. I have play Classic FM on for Toby and he also wears a bandana with calming spray.
With my last rescue, Finn, l slept downstairs for the last eighteen months of his life. He constantly needed to go out through the night.
I adopted Toby in the autumn 2023, I knew he was elderly but didn't realise he was almost 16. He soon became ill, wanting to go out through the night.
After many tests the vet found out he was suffering from a B12 deficiency. This can cause urine infections and the need for dogs to want to pee or have the urge to pee.
He now is on medication and he doesn't need to go out all hours.
Sorry it was so long winded but it could be something as simple as this.

I would get her checked out by the vet before I started saying no to requests for a nighttime wee.

I also used to play a quiet radio for my old dog at night. It really helped to keep her calm. And she wore a bandana at night with Pet Remedy sprayed on it.
Towards the end of her life she needed oestrogen tablets as her bladder became weak ( the vet said it was because she had been neutered before she as mature).

RosiesMaw

OldFrill

My anxious terrierist can be very reactive to noise, she sleeps with white noise in the background (an out of tune radio does the trick). This appears to cover external noise and keeps her relaxed. If l forget to put it on she barks at the radio thinking she can make it work. Maybe something has disturbed your dog and she has got set in a routine. Don't take her out, just tell her "bed" and leave her, hopefully she'll get the message.

If l forget to put it on she barks at the radio thinking she can make it work
Sounds like she’s got the hang of Alexa!

!

OldFrill

My anxious terrierist can be very reactive to noise, she sleeps with white noise in the background (an out of tune radio does the trick). This appears to cover external noise and keeps her relaxed. If l forget to put it on she barks at the radio thinking she can make it work. Maybe something has disturbed your dog and she has got set in a routine. Don't take her out, just tell her "bed" and leave her, hopefully she'll get the message.

If l forget to put it on she barks at the radio thinking she can make it work
Sounds like she’s got the hang of Alexa!

Dinahmo

Don't some of you wake up during the night for a pee?

Imagine if the loo door was locked “because you’ve been already before you went to bed”

Don't some of you wake up during the night for a pee?

I never ignore a bark to be let out. Especially as many greyhounds don’t bark at all so Rosie is praised for being a good dog
Gracie just used to go to the door and look stressed - not a lot of use when you’re asleep upstairs! But then of course there’s also this….

I think your dog is picking up on the son getting up and needing reassurance
Where does the dog sleep ?
There are very clever and maybe he thinks its the right thing to do in the night

My anxious terrierist can be very reactive to noise, she sleeps with white noise in the background (an out of tune radio does the trick). This appears to cover external noise and keeps her relaxed. If l forget to put it on she barks at the radio thinking she can make it work. Maybe something has disturbed your dog and she has got set in a routine. Don't take her out, just tell her "bed" and leave her, hopefully she'll get the message.

" Settle Down and Go To Sleep!"
Unless she has a UTI or other problem.

Don't find yourselves at her beck and call. She's a dog.

Dog owner is in charge, we walk ours when we awake, at noon, at dinner, at bedtime. If our dogs call out in night they'd better be sickly, anything else will lead to stern talk (NO NO NO) and back to sleep in their room.

When the dog needs to go out take it straight and bring it straight back in again. No speaking or fussing. Might it be hearing something in the garden? Is it feeling cold? I always try Adaptil plug ins for any problem. Years ago I punished a Spaniel I had that kept weeing in the house: the result was she spent the rest of her life weeing in her basket because she felt it was the only place that was hers and that she could wee in. It’s so easy to get things wrong when trying to change a dogs behaviour. It’s so tiring being woken up constantly in the night; even when you get back to sleep you don’t sleep properly. There is dog calming music that people use when dogs are scared of fireworks. Maybe playing that very quietly throughout the night where the dog sleeps could help?

Definitely needs training not to do this. We. use a dog/cat flap as our garden is enclosed and small enough to be safe. I would recommend this to anyone.