Going To Bed Early

[Guest rachelee]

Bistro has taken to going to bed upstairs early, around 7 or 7:30. He asks to go out around then and proceeds to go upstairs and retire for the evening. I try to call him down for another pee at 9ish, but it hasn't been working lately.

 

He used to stay downstairs with us until bed, but the last few weeks he's decided to go upstairs himself. I'm taking this as a good thing so that if he wants to get away from the baby, he knows upstairs is where he should go.

 

He doesn't ask to go out until 6:30 or so the next morning. I usually walk him at 7 or 7:15. Our morning walk is our long one, usually 45 min or so.

 

Is this weird? Just wondering if it's normal for him to not want to go out one more time before bed... I guess if he's okay with it and not demanding to go out at night then it's okay?

[JAJ2010]

I would bet it's too cold to want to go pee at 9 again! our girls will go through phases where they get mad at us if we aren't in the bedroom by 8pm. if you have a baby he might just want some quiet alone time. I would take it as a good sign!

[grey14me]

If he's able to hold it that long then no problem! Holly likes to go to bed early, too. Sometimes she will come back downstairs if we are downstairs longer than she thinks we should be and we get her to go out then, but normally she's fine for the whole night...goes up around 7:30 and I take her for her first walk at 5:30.

[Guest redreed]

Jock does the same thing --- he goes out about 8 and then he takes himself off to bed. No amount of treats will get him out of his crate, so I just let him be. He doesn't wake up in the middle of the night so I guess he's okay. I agree with the "it's too cold" comment. This weather has been awful.

[HeidisMum]

Sounds fine to me. I wouldn't worry about it if he isn't asking to go out during the night.

 

When we first got Heidi I stressed about whether she missed the last trip out before bedtime. We quickly learned that she knows her bladder better than we do. We usually try to take Heidi out around 8-9pm and back out in the morning at 5:30 during the week and slightly later than that on the weekend. Sometimes she will ask to go out around 7pm. When that happens I will jingle her collar around 9pm and take her out if she wants to go, if she doesn't want to go out we don't force her. She doesn't seem to mind waiting until morning.

[GeorgeofNE]

My parents have a dog that can easily go 14 hours or more between outs! Yes, I'm serious! They are willing to let her out any time, night or day in their fenced yard, but if it's raining, she doesn't go out!

 

So if the dog isn't having accidents, I guess it's normal for him!

 

Another friend had a bulldog, and he had to wake the dog up on Saturdays to take it out he'd sleep so long!!

 

Sigh. I dream that one day I will have a dog that sleeps past 5:30 AM!

[Guest AGirlNamedMe]

Bella usually only potties 2-3 times / day. I take her out for walks, but she just doesn't have to go. When she goes, it's normal pee and poo.

 

I'd say that as long as the dog is making it through the night and not doing the OMG-I-Gotta-Go-RIGHT NOW dance in the morning, it's ok.

[Guest desertdog71]

Getting mine to come back inside is more of a problem then getting him to go out. Espescially when its muddy outside, and I want him to be quick, he always finds more mud and I have to wipe him off for the 10th time that day. We hung a large jingle bell by the back door, and if he wants to go outside, he rings the bell.

[Guest Mom2Shiloh]

My boys usually go out one last time around 9 p.m.; Agnes my broodie does not Like to go out in the dark very much so she usually declines. Of course she is the first one who wants me to get up in the morning but since I openly acknowledge that since I retired I stay up too late and sleep in too long, that's perfectly alright.

 

Your pup is probably reacting to a combination of dark earlier and cold weather.. sounds perfectly normal to me.

[DevilDog]

Roscoe does this and I've often wondered if it's ok. But as someone said, they know their bladder better that we do!

 

Roscoe will retire after his evening snack. I can always get him up to go out at 10 or 11pm, but he needs a little coaxing. He goes a decent amount, and then I take him out at 8ish the next morning. He never asks to go out.. sometimes I wonder if he'd know how to ask because he really never does! On weekends he'll sleep in and I often have to kick his butt out of bed to go out. He can hold it forever and has never had an accident.

[Trihounds]

UGH -

 

Brucie has been putting himself to bed for many months now and has held it through the night fine. Last few weeks, he's been getting me up almost every night to go out. I ignore him for awhile but too much barking later, I cave and let him out. Sometimes he doesn't even have to go . I've been forcing him out even after he goes to bed but sometimes that doesn't matter...he's up again several hours later. MUST break him of this habit!!

[Guest KennelMom]

Last turnout is generally optional for our dogs. As long as they can hold it till first turn out, it's up to them. However, a particular dog has a history or waking us up for a midnight outing or we know they have potty control issues, then we do make them go out. Only a few choose not to do the last two turnouts after dinner...and most of them will do one or the other.

[seeh2o]

My 2 girls (one of them 14 years old) are finished with their business by 8:30. The older one goes to bed for the night, Claire mills around a bit, then settles in. I make Carl go out when I go to bed because when he first came home with me he would wet on the floor at night. I don't think he would do it anymore, but I still make him go and he almost always pees (but then again, I think he has four tanks so can almost always pee!). When I was trying to get him into the habit of it, he wouldn't budge so I would put the leash on him and he would willingly walk outside with me.

[Guest dancewkathylee]

Bistro has taken to going to bed upstairs early, around 7 or 7:30. He asks to go out around then and proceeds to go upstairs and retire for the evening. I try to call him down for another pee at 9ish, but it hasn't been working lately.

 

He used to stay downstairs with us until bed, but the last few weeks he's decided to go upstairs himself. I'm taking this as a good thing so that if he wants to get away from the baby, he knows upstairs is where he should go.

 

He doesn't ask to go out until 6:30 or so the next morning. I usually walk him at 7 or 7:15. Our morning walk is our long one, usually 45 min or so.

 

Is this weird? Just wondering if it's normal for him to not want to go out one more time before bed... I guess if he's okay with it and not demanding to go out at night then it's okay?

 

Sounds good to me! I take my boy out at midnight and sometimes he still wakes me at 4 to go out again!! 6, 6:30 is late for him.

[Guest happygrey]

I guess if it isn't broke, don't fix it.

 

We can always get Tatam up and out for "last call" at 11 pm-ish but it's often a challenge. He grudgingly gets up after a lot of coaxing. Then when he comes in he's the most active he is all day! Jumping and running all around. But he does settle right down and go to bed when we go up. Maybe the cold air revives him or something.

Edited February 13, 2010 by happygrey

[Guest rachelee]

Thanks for all the replies.

 

Of course, the day after I posted this Bistro began staying downstairs with us again and wanting to go outside around 9ish.

 

I do think it is the cold. It's been a little warmer lately.

 

Silly greyhound!

[Guest SusanP]

Years ago, DH, who handles the last night time turn out, began bribing the whole pack to get out of bed one last time with treats. They have to get up and follow him to the door downstairs to get the treats, then he quick muzzles them and sends them out. Now the greedier ones pester him as the time approaches. Others still have to be lured from their beds, though. It's the only time of day they get a treat to go out./

[Guest GreyBrindle]

Our Connie does the exact same thing...once she finishes her dinner she heads straight for the stairs to go to bed (we still take her out about an hour after dinner for a nice walk). It's funny because she looks back to make sure we're not going to stop her. Lately though we've blocked off the stairs because she's been waking up early at around 3am wanting to play and get her day started (too much daytime sleep)!!

[September]

Cookie does the same thing. She doesn't want to go out later before we go to bed. We've had to start making her though, b/c sometimes she will get my mom up early in the AM. I work third shift so I'm not here.

[Guest widowcali]

My mom has a dog like this. We jokingly refer to him as "Iron Kidney." He will go out about 6ish and eat dinner, drink, do his constitutional, then will come in. He will be in for the night and we have to push his fuzzy butt our around 6 am or so to have his breakfast and go potty. But he's older, and it's cold. No messes in the house so far.