Potty Breaks In The Middle Of The Night

[Guest jaws4evr]

So we've had Twix for 7ish months now, and she's lovely. She has had a couple of accidents in our carpeted basement, but we have since baby-gated the access down there and haven't had any issues since. We leave her loose at night, she usually sleeps either in her open-door kennel, or in a dog bed in a nearby room. She's quite good at asking to go out, at night she'll come in the room and give al ittle whine (since I wake up at the drop of a pin), or by walking around the room whic wakes me up from the clicking feet .

 

Lately she seems to ask to go out almost every night, at between 12 and 3am. I let her out and most times she does pee, but she doesn't seem to have to go URGENTLY, as she does sniff around first before going. Occassionally she just stands by the door outside looking at me!

 

If she obviously doesn't have to go, I usually put her in her kennel (which is in our room) and lock the door, and she's quiet for the rest of the night. (ie, night time is not play time no matter if you wake me up or not!)

 

My question is, she CAN hold it I'm sure, she holds it for longer without protest during the day when we're home, and I'd really love to be able to sleep through the night. But, I don't want to ignore her asking to go out, since I want to reward her for being proactive and telling me if she has to go! And, if I ignore her I'm concerned her next plan might be to mash herself through the baby-gate into the basement to take matters into her own hands.

 

So, how do I wean the dog off of her middle of the night bathroom breaks, without teaching her it's useless to ask to go out?

[Guest Swifthounds]

A Hound that wakes you every night to go out either 1) has a medical problem, or 2) has learned he/she is not expected to sleep through the night and hold his/her bladder for 6-8 hours. IT doesn't sound like your hound needs to go more frequently any other time of day, so it's not likely it's a medical issue.

 

It's important, perhaps moreso with a dog like a greyhound that never had a reason to signal potty needs at the track, to reinforce them giving you some signal when they need to potty. That said, that training also teaches them that certain behaviors get you a trip to the yard or a walk - even in the middle of the night. The middle of the night is your rest time, but your hound sleeps much of the day, so it's not the same inconvenience to you that it is to him.

 

Everything you do with your hounds trains them, and if they think you either expect them to get you up at 3 am for some attention and a potty trip, or that you're willing to do so to accommodate their desires, that's what they'll do. Putting her in her kennel is a good start. You may want to try that and then the next night, put her in the kennel when you go to bed. Give that a few nights and try leaving her free and see if she wakes you again. IF she does, repeat. She'll get the idea if you're consistent. You're not teaching her not to ask to go out when she has to go, unless you're ignoring her during waking hours as well. What she is learning is that she should not, because she's bored or lonely, wake you in the middle of the night.

[Guest lisa_grublesky]

We are struggling with this as well, except Sundae tends to get us up 2 times a night.

We have tried PJ's and that didn't work.....I have told her to lay down, but that only buys an extra hour.

 

Sundae is in her cage all day while we are at work. The way I justify it in my head is that she holds it all day when she is in there, so when she is a free pooch, she wants to go more frequently. I know......weird, but it is what gets me through the wake up calls!

 

Good luck!

[sarabz]

We are struggling with this as well, except Sundae tends to get us up 2 times a night.

We have tried PJ's and that didn't work.....I have told her to lay down, but that only buys an extra hour.

 

Sundae is in her cage all day while we are at work. The way I justify it in my head is that she holds it all day when she is in there, so when she is a free pooch, she wants to go more frequently. I know......weird, but it is what gets me through the wake up calls!

 

Good luck!

After about a week with Bella, we started having the same issue. I was advised by several people that she may just be testing us, unless it's a medical issue. We had a vet appointment anyway, so she was thoroughyly checked out and nothing was wrong. She went back into her crate at night with the door closed, and the first time she whined at an ungodly hour, the squirt gun was employed. Only had to use it two nights in a row and she got the message just fine. Now we keep her crate door open at night (with the bedroom door closed) and she doesn't make a peep until she's aware that one of us is awake.

 

So - rule out medical issues first, then know it may be a test or asking for attention on her terms.

 

Good luck!

 

PS - excuse any spelling errors - I can't see the whole message I'm typing so hard to go back & correct

[Guest MyBoys]

Another thing I found is that if there are critters in the yard mine will want to out in the middle of the night, even though they can't see them they certainly can either hear them or smell them.

[Guest kydie]

my pack, like MyBoys, like to go out and check out the yard And each dog is different I have one that is a big water drinker, so I can guess He may have to go out at night, and one that is not a big water drinker, and if she gets me up, she really has to go out, and the youngest, the clown, I know he is just crusin' the yard, unless he has been out running all day and drinking water a lot, then a night time outing is not out of the question, so I guess what I am saying, know your dogs helps with the night time outings, for me "I'd rather get up than clean up" good luck

Edited May 6, 2010 by kydie

[Guest jaws4evr]

for me "I'd rather get up than clean up" good luck

 

Couldn't have said it better! I definitely default to getting up thus far!

[macoduck]

Gracie does a similar thing. It happens more when there's a full or nearly full moon.

[Guest sheila]

does anyone find that over time they begin to recognize a certain tone to the 'I gotta pee' moan? I have a dog door now so it's not an issue, but before that I began to hear a subtle difference in the middle of the night alerts.

When a dog really needed out their vocalizations seemed to be lower pitched and longer. When they needed out RIGHT NOW this also came with a wet nose poke and I knew to get up right then and there. However when the vocalizing was a higher pitched cpl of 'Woo woos' at the door and a sigh when I told them to go lay down I knew there was nothing to worry about.

[Guest Swifthounds]

There's a difference with mine. That's also because they know that if they wake me, it had better be a need and not a cat in the yard, or an "I'm bored" moment. Just like they vocalize when you're awake differently when they need something as opposed to when they just want your attention.

 

The last time this subject came up someone took offense at my suggesting that her dogs woke her int he middle of the night (outside of dire emergency) because she taught them to and reinforced that behavior instead of discouraging it. She had no explanation for the miracle that is 15 years, 8 greyhounds, and two IGs and my having never been awoken "just because."

 

Hey, my hounds are smart. They've seen me before

[Batmom]

What I did with Joseph when he came home was:

 

-1- The dogs sleep in the bedroom with me. No roaming the house.

 

-2- I set the alarm clock for @ half an hour before I thought he'd get up. Yes, this hurt. When you go to bed at 9:00 p.m. and maybe don't fall asleep till 10:00, setting the alarm for 2:00 a.m. is not a natural act.

 

-3- When the alarm went off, we got up and went out.

 

-4- Over a period of @ 3 weeks, gradually set the alarm later, until we got to the time I wanted to get up (5:00 a.m.). If he got up before the alarm went off, I'd tell him once to lie down and then ignore him no matter what. Also not an easy thing at times.

 

But, it worked very nicely. Joseph learned that we get up when the alarm goes off. Unless he's ill or accidentally drank too much before bed, he respects the alarm.

[arandomchic]

You don't mention exercise, but I'm wondering if maybe Twix needs a long PM walk to tire her out (or active playtime) and empty her bladder? Molly is so wiped out by the end of the night that we have the opposite issue. Once she's asleep, we can hardly get her up to go out! Sometimes it's 10pm and we know she hasn't gone in awhile and won't be able to hold it until her morning walk. We literally have to coax her awake for her last potty of the night!

[Guest GreyRabbit]

I get woken up every night between 1 and 3 also, but Cosmo has early stage kidney issues...drinks a lot ... can't concentrate his urine. So while I don't really have any advice better than what you've received here, I feel your pain and if it's not medical will be envious that you will be able to get a full nights sleep someday soon

 

 

Also, random response to the comment that you feel bad that your dog is alone while you're at work all day so cater to his every need (even in the middle of the night), I use the same rational for spoiling my dogs...and am well aware that is is very disfunctional!!! I always think, god help me if I have children, they are going to be spoiled brats!

[Guest Energy11]

In Florida, mine had a doggie door, and came and went if they had to go in the middle of the night. Here, NO WAY would we have a doggie door! NOT with all the critters around here!

 

YES, we get up and down during the night. Mine are all healthy (**labs every six months), but they do have to go sometimes during the night. Goldie cannot hold her bladder for more than four hours... she HAD renal issues years back, all fine now, but still, a weak bladder.

 

We HATE this, but the dogs come first, AND we are both retired, so we CAN get up with them. We all sleep in, in the mornings.

 

I lose a lot of sleep due to my puppers, but, as I mentioned above, THEY come first in my life, and I do mean, first. ... that is the way I want it.

[Guest Ashleigh]

Hank and I went through this for about a month. It started when he had severe diarrhea and couldn't hold it for more than 2 hours. It lasted about a week...me getting up every 2 hours in the night. Finally when he was better, he thought it was fun to smack his paw down on my night stand by my head to wake me up to take him out again. I have witnessed that dog, in the winter, hold his pee for more than 24 hours. This, to me, was just testing. He knew he could get me up so this is what he wanted to do. I went for just over 3 weeks of telling him 'no' and get back to bed. Night after night it was still a game for him, but now he sleeps through the night.

 

You said you give her free reign of the house at night...I would shut your bedroom door. Make it so the bedroom is like a large kennel. You said when she's crated she stays quiet, so just expand the crate. There are too many noises at night that are easily heard. I wouldn't giver her the option of getting to go outside. Night time is bed time and that should be that!

[Guest jaws4evr]

There's a difference with mine. That's also because they know that if they wake me, it had better be a need and not a cat in the yard, or an "I'm bored" moment. Just like they vocalize when you're awake differently when they need something as opposed to when they just want your attention.

 

The last time this subject came up someone took offense at my suggesting that her dogs woke her int he middle of the night (outside of dire emergency) because she taught them to and reinforced that behavior instead of discouraging it. She had no explanation for the miracle that is 15 years, 8 greyhounds, and two IGs and my having never been awoken "just because."

 

Hey, my hounds are smart. They've seen me before

 

 

 

Sounds like you've got it figured out. So, how do I discourage her from waking me up "just because", without discouraging her for waking me up if she actually needs to go outside? I haven't learned the difference in tone yet so I don't feel like I can distinguish between "pet me" and "potty!" yet. She's a very very sensitive soft-tempered girl, she's very easily corrected. I'm worried if I do correct her more than shutting her in her kennel, she'll stop asking for potty if she really has to go. She does occasioanlly either have an emergency pee, or a runny p oo p in the middle of the night.

[Guest oldNELLIE]

I give Nellie three tries. She is up often in the night , so this might not be the best advice, but it's what works for us

 

Our condo is set up front to back, with the door at one end and the bedroom at the other. Nellie will trot back and forth (she doesn't really whine to go out) when she is awake and wants to go out. 1st back and forth gets a "go lay down!" if she doesn't lay down and comes back and forth again we ignore her. Is she still doesn't lay down then we get up to take her out. I feel like this way if she really has to go she can let us know. If she is just fooling around she usually gives up after one or two tries.

[Guest LashandRed]

We had the same problem/challenge with our girl Lash, we took her to the vet the first time and the labs came back all clean and perfect so we were challenged with what to do. At least she was waking us up. It got to the point where I asked for the tests to be rerun and we made sure it was her earliest pee of the day. Came back it was a badder infection. The second tactic we use is to make sure we have a longer walk at night. We do our last one at 10:00pm. Also living in Calgary I know she is distracted by the number of criters that are out at night, jack rabbits etc, so I try to make sure that she actually finishes her business before we go back in. If we can hang out long enough she eventually goes again.

[Guest Swifthounds]

Sounds like you've got it figured out. So, how do I discourage her from waking me up "just because", without discouraging her for waking me up if she actually needs to go outside? I haven't learned the difference in tone yet so I don't feel like I can distinguish between "pet me" and "potty!" yet. She's a very very sensitive soft-tempered girl, she's very easily corrected. I'm worried if I do correct her more than shutting her in her kennel, she'll stop asking for potty if she really has to go. She does occasioanlly either have an emergency pee, or a runny p oo p in the middle of the night.

 

One approach, if you can manage it, is the routine outlined in Batmom's post, above.

 

If you don't want to go the progressive alarm route, try nice long walks in the evening (both for the exercise and to make sure your hound has at least two full opportunities to do a full potty before bed), with the last walk being right before bedtime. Take up any water bowls 1-2 hours prior to bedtime. The trick to teaching them not to wake you up in the middle of the night "just because" is to make sure they don't need to go.

 

Have her sleep either in your bedroom at night, or in her crate. The first time she whines, just ignore it. If she whines again,take her over to her crate and put her there. If you really suspect she has to go, leash her up and take her for an on leash potty and then put her back in the crate. On leash potty trips tend to discourage the pottying for amusement or just to wander the yard.

[Guest iconsmum]

We are struggling with this as well, except Sundae tends to get us up 2 times a night.

We have tried PJ's and that didn't work.....I have told her to lay down, but that only buys an extra hour.

 

Sundae is in her cage all day while we are at work. The way I justify it in my head is that she holds it all day when she is in there, so when she is a free pooch, she wants to go more frequently. I know......weird, but it is what gets me through the wake up calls!

 

Good luck!

After about a week with Bella, we started having the same issue. I was advised by several people that she may just be testing us, unless it's a medical issue. We had a vet appointment anyway, so she was thoroughyly checked out and nothing was wrong. She went back into her crate at night with the door closed, and the first time she whined at an ungodly hour, the squirt gun was employed. Only had to use it two nights in a row and she got the message just fine. Now we keep her crate door open at night (with the bedroom door closed) and she doesn't make a peep until she's aware that one of us is awake.

 

So - rule out medical issues first, then know it may be a test or asking for attention on her terms.

 

Good luck!

 

PS - excuse any spelling errors - I can't see the whole message I'm typing so hard to go back & correct

 

 

 

You put her in a crate and then used a squirt gun?? Get a p-r book or get a p-r trainer before your next problem because that's a very harsh way to treat any dog - much less a dog you've only had a short time