Losing sleep at night

surfrat · 03-04-2010, 01:34 PM

Hi gang, my mutt, Bella is 1 year old, she sleeps with us and is fantastic. BUT... she is waking us up at 2-3am to take her out every night. I guess i should be thankful shes not going in the house, but im getting tired. We feed her in the morning before work, and at night when i get home, i dont know what to do to stop it. I walk her for 1/2 hour 3 times a day, in the AM after she eats, at noon when i come home to let her out of the cage and walk her, and at 530pm when i get home from work, and she poos all 3 times. But at 2-3am like clockwork, she gets up and scratches at the back door, i take her out and she poos again and comes back to bed and falls back asleep in a minute while i struggle to fall back asleep after an hour....All her movements are very healthy, no diarreah, and she is, as the vet says , in amazing physical shape so i dont think its the amount of food.
Please help if you can....

**alfi** · 03-04-2010, 01:39 PM

You can count the time she needs after meal to go to the toilet and change the feeding schedule. (sorry for the short answer I'm in a hurry lol)

Mikey · 03-04-2010, 02:34 PM

Mikey was doing that for a while because he was bored-we watched him in the yard and he didn't toilet-just went out to play. So for him we just ignored him two nights in a row and he stopped.

If your dog is just going out and not toileting then you could do that too.

Otherwise potty before bed time twice, and see how that goes.

*I do have concern that if the dog is out peeing and cannot make it 8 or so hours without peeing, but could before-this could be a urinary tract infection or diabetes-so if this is new your should take her to see a vet before trying any behavioral stuff.

seebrown · 03-04-2010, 02:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by alfi

You can count the time she needs after meal to go to the toilet and change the feeding schedule. (sorry for the short answer I'm in a hurry lol)

To expand on that, you can also take water away a few hours before bed. If we forgot to do this and our dog drank at 10 p.m. at night, we'd have a wet crate to wake up to in the morning. :P

surfrat · 03-04-2010, 04:35 PM

Well, it isnt pee, shes going out to poo. As soon as she is out there, she poos, then pees (i think she pees cause its a "well im here i might as well" pee, and goes right back inside to bed, so its not to play either...

Mikey · 03-04-2010, 04:40 PM

If it's poo she may just be on a schedule where she has to poo then. That's easier. How many times a day do you feed her?

Gone2Dogs · 03-04-2010, 09:56 PM

I would think that she is either getting too much (actual quantity) to eat in either food or snacks or treats.

Or I would reassess what food she is getting. Some food with some dogs makes for more poop.

MySoulmateEmmy · 03-04-2010, 10:09 PM

Quote:

If it's poo she may just be on a schedule where she has to poo then

Quote:

I would think that she is either getting too much (actual quantity) to eat in either food or snacks or treats.

Or I would reassess what food she is getting. Some food with some dogs makes for more poop.

I was thinking these things as well.

~MSE

surfrat · 03-05-2010, 08:35 AM

Thank you for all the replies, update...
Well, at your advice i have cut her dinner portion by 1/2 cup, gave it to her right when i got home, and added a 4th walk at 9pm of about 10 min, and she pooped on that walk, she did wake up at 2, but i think out of habit, she circled in bed, laid back down and she slept through the night!
I will let you know if this continues, but the first night was a good one!

MySoulmateEmmy · 03-05-2010, 08:41 AM

great! hopefully what your doing helps

~mse