A Complicated Nighttime Whining Situation: Long Post, But Please Help&

[PointyPupNose]

Hello everyone,

 

Another stereotypical sleep-deprived new Greyhound owner here! I've combed through this forum and read as many nighttime whining/barking posts as I could but couldn't find anything that quite fit our weird situation here, so I thought I would explain. Apologies for this being kind of long, but I feel it's necessary to provide context so helpful advice can be given.

Our boy Sammy is going to be 11 years old in January. He has been through a LOT and is coming with some tough baggage. He raced until he was 5, was adopted by a nice elderly couple, was with them for 5 years, and then one passed away and the other had to enter a nursing home. Sammy was taken by a rescue organization and was with his foster family. On is FIRST day, he took a tumble down their front steps and BROKE HIS FRONT LEFT LEG! Fast forward, in the OR it was determined that he had pretty much shattered the bone and tore all ligaments and he had to become a tripawd. Thus, Sammy has been a tripod for only about 6 months now. The transition has been pretty tough for him. He can stand but not for particularly long periods of time. He was with his fosters for the entirety of those 6 months and didn't have anyone come visit him. The rescue thought he may just be with them forever! Well, fast forward and he found us! He has been home for 2 weeks now so all of this is obviously VERY new. We tackled several issues during his first two weeks (multiple hunger strikes by him until we figured out exaaaactly how he wanted his food...which was different from how he was eating at his foster's house), going outside to potty (we live in a ranch and have a sloping ramp to take him outside...so no stairs needed for him!) as well as a few other things. We also have two Oriental Shorthair cats who pretty much run the place and are VERY loud and vocal. He is the ONLY dog that has ever been able to get along with them! We are so proud of him and completely acknowledge that he has come very far. This brings me to my main point.

 

He has whined every night since we got him. He did this at his foster's house too. Everytime he did this, one of them would come down from their bedroom upstairs and sit/sleep on the couch or pet him or let him out or SOMETHING. The other kind of weird thing is that one of them woke up at 3:00 a.m. every morning (his normal wake up time) so Sammy was totally used to that. This person would leave at around 6:00 a.m. for work and his foster mom would not get up until 7:00 a.m. During that one hour, he whined and kind of made them crazy too. He cannot do stairs anymore and he is a 75 lb dog, so him sleeping with them was pretty much not an option. Thus, his whining at their house made sense. It should also be mentioned at this point that he can no longer do a crate: he cannot get over the lip of a crate safely. His fosters had him try, he tripped and went down on his remaining front leg- no injuries sustained but it was painful for him.

Introduce our house: we are a large close-knit family. My husband and I live with my sister. My parents as well as my in-laws come and visit/stay fairly often. Sammy is very rarely alone because someone is pretty much always on deck at the house watching the animals. We all have varied schedules in terms of work so it works out extremely well in terms of potty breaks, playtimes, etc. He is also pretty awesome even on the rare occasion that no one is home (sleeps the day away). He NEVER makes ANY sound and never does anything remotely negative (no chewing, exploring unsafe areas, getting into general trouble, etc.) He greets us at the door and gets SO excited when we come home. He has run around the yard to play chase with us (granted, this lasts about 30 seconds before his back legs start shaking) and loves pretty much anybody he meets. He really has adjusted well. But at nighttime, it's a little bit of a different story. We sleep from 11 pm- 7 am. He goes out for his last potty pretty much at 11, right before we go to bed. We give him and the cats their treats and say goodnight. His bed is about 10 feet from our bedroom door (our house is an open-concept type house, giant central room where everybody is all day). Honestly, apart from this central room, he has not been to any other part of the house nor does he wish to go (despite everything being open to him all the time). He does perfectly fine and passes out until around 4:30 a.m. At first, we were taking him out because we obviously thought that's what he needed (holdover from his weird foster's schedule). Nope. He doesn't need to go. He literally quiets down the second he sees us and goes back to his bed and is fine. We go back to bed and about 45 minutes later, the whining starts again. This cycle repeats itself until 7:00 a.m. when we wake up for good. We are both completely exhausted and these past two weeks have been pretty difficult at work for both of us. Unfortunately, we're going to have to figure out a solution relatively quickly here, otherwise we're going to have a real problem on our hands.

 

To explain this further: we sleep with our door closed. Why? Because our cats are AWFUL and will jump on our heads, attack our toes, and generally meow loudly at our faces approximately every 15 minutes. Sleeping with the door open is not an option. We HAVE noticed though, that the times we just give up and open the door for the last hour of sleep (6-7), Sammy is fairly quiet. He still whines but then hops into our room himself, peers at us, and then hops back to his bed in the central room. (After confirming that we are, indeed, still alive.) But leaving our door open all the time just honestly isn't realistic. The cats are just as bad as he is in terms of killing our sleep! Also, with our large family, it's honestly just awkward with lots of other people around.

Next option: let him sleep with us and close the door! Best of both worlds! DUH! Well, we tried that. He HATES our room! Gahhhhh. WHY?! I have no idea! He barely ever even steps foot in there (apart from the aforementioned situation). We have tried luring him in with treats. He takes his treat and hurries back out. We have tried pulling his bed in and placing treats ON his bed. He leans down, picks up his treat, and then hops all the way back to the central room where his bed USED to be to eat his treat there?!?! We have also tried bringing him in and pretty much locking him in with us. The whining and panting was pretty impressive and he refused to lie down at all. We are at a total loss as to what to do. We have a vet appointment on Saturday so of course we'll be ruling out anything medical but honestly, I feel like he just wants us to be around but doesn't want to be in our room. The other reason we are reluctant to let him sleep in there though, is that we often will go away for weekends or work conferences at different points during the year. If he's used to sleeping in our room, I'm anticipating a complete catastrophe if we ever go away for whoever is at the house taking care of him. With dogs we've had in the past, we've always taken them to friends' houses or boarded them while vacationing. Due to his mobility issues and his absolute hatred of car rides, we pretty much figured we'd be getting a 24-hour house sitter. But then how does that work if he's used to sleeping with us? It's not like the house sitter's going to sleep in our bedroom! O___O

As soon as we are up at 7:00 am, he is 100% back to his usual self with zero whining or barking no matter what. He then becomes your standard Grey and sleeps throughout the day with the occasional (very very short) zoomie outside. Pee/poop have been normal, eating and drinking are fine and he genuinely looks really happy to be here otherwise.

At this point we are so exhausted that we are not sure what to do. We've had experience with Corgis, Labs, Great Pyrenees, Collies, and Shelties but have never tackled this nighttime issue before. Those dogs were all crated and while there was some initial whining, it was AT bedtime and then they would settle down and go to sleep and that was that.

 

For anyone who actually read this entire post: THANK YOU SO MUCH! Any and all advice is greatly appreciated!!

[BatterseaBrindl]

Thank you for taking in this senior tripod

 

Perhaps get another bed for your bedroom so he still has the main-room bed, and a bed in your room.

I'd bring him in, shut the door and persevere for a couple of nights until he gets used to the new routine.

They key is to not give in to his whining. At all.

Don't move. Don't speak. Don't look at him.

Play dead.

He will figure it out.

 

How long are you usually gone on your trips?

Can a house sitter just sleep on the couch in the main room for a couple of nights?

[PointyPupNose]

Thank you for taking in this senior tripod

 

Perhaps get another bed for your bedroom so he still has the main-room bed, and a bed in your room.

I'd bring him in, shut the door and persevere for a couple of nights until he gets used to the new routine.

They key is to not give in to his whining. At all.

Don't move. Don't speak. Don't look at him.

Play dead.

He will figure it out.

 

How long are you usually gone on your trips?

Can a house sitter just sleep on the couch in the main room for a couple of nights?

 

Thank you so much for your reply! He actually has several beds around (and he's the only dog in the house so he has his choice). We will definitely try bringing in the newer one into our room at night. We have tried this previously to no avail (leaving his old bed in its usual spot) BUT we also did not do what you suggested (don't move, don't speak, play dead). So that will be the project tonight. I really really REALLY hope he figures it out before I pass out at work!

 

As for the trips, it really depends. I would say the absolute longest are 7-10 days (this is twice a year). Otherwise, it is usually a weekend. Typically, we just have family that live with us watch him because they're here anyway. But of course, they have their own bedrooms in the house so asking them to sleep on the couch while we're gone might be weird...BUT we can always ask a house sitter to do that and pay them extra... Do you think that he would be fine adjusting to sleeping in the main room again after being used to sleeping in our room at night?

 

Is there ANY truth to "if you ignore them and give no response, they'll stop"? In regards to him just staying in the central room where he normally is? Or is that complete and total nonsense and it literally never stops and he'll just keep whining/barking for all of eternity?

Edited November 28, 2018 by PointyPupNose

[BatterseaBrindl]

 

Is there ANY truth to "if you ignore them and give no response, they'll stop"? In regards to him just staying in the central room where he normally is? Or is that complete and total nonsense and it literally never stops and he'll just keep whining/barking for all of eternity?

 

This 'method' has worked for all of ours.

Nigel was the WORST, and it did take several nights to get him to figure it out, but he finally did!

Now...that said..he still wakes up 1-2 am and has to pee.

 

As well... I'm not sure where you live, but if it is cool your fellow may be getting a bit chilled.

We're in Ontario and keep our house very cool (62 ) at night so all of my guys were their fleece jammies 24/7.

[PointyPupNose]

 

This 'method' has worked for all of ours.

Nigel was the WORST, and it did take several nights to get him to figure it out, but he finally did!

Now...that said..he still wakes up 1-2 am and has to pee.

 

As well... I'm not sure where you live, but if it is cool your fellow may be getting a bit chilled.

We're in Ontario and keep our house very cool (62 ) at night so all of my guys were their fleece jammies 24/7.

 

Oh! Maybe there's some hope in him just being in the central room then? Perhaps we need to get ear plugs and honestly just play the Ignore Game and wait for him to figure it out. It really would be so much easier and better in the long run if he could sleep in the central area instead of our room because of how things are at our house. Last night, my husband did open the door, say "NO" in a loud, firm voice and Sammy went directly back to bed and didn't let out a peep until we got up at 7:00 a.m.

 

...something tells me he's done this before and is used to this reaction. Perhaps with his previous owners?

 

Our house is at 68 day and night! He seems 100% fine throughout the day so hopefully he's okay throughout the night too? I do think he runs a little higher than most Greys, we've tried to cover him with a blanket and he hobbles out of his bed and looks at us like, "Really guys? <_<" He also runs around outside (we're in Michigan) in 28 degree weather with NO coat on and couldn't care less...meanwhile his humans are freezing their butts off and hoping he finishes his business quickly! XD He's fuzzier than any other Greyhound I've ever met so maybe that just keeps him cozy?

 

 

[XTRAWLD]

Ignore does work but you have to have a strong will. Sometimes it is just easier to give in depending on how determined they are. But really any action from you is a reward for him. Have you tried a reassuring "shhhhh" when he does, as opposed to a sharp no? Tone is everything....not sure what he'd respond to. I just want to say good on you for taking him in. It sounds like he's had a rough go! I wonder aside from just wanting to be with his people, that there is more to it. He's uncomfortable, he's hungry, he's gotta go, he's cold, he's lonely, maybe medical but .....it's good you are tackling each issue. Certainly sleeping with you in your room sounds like the best solution. He is older and as older dogs continue to age and with the fluctuations he's had in his life he still has instability in routine that he was used to. Kudos for helping him, even if it means you haven't been able to sleep a wink!

Edited November 28, 2018 by XTRAWLD

[PointyPupNose]

Ignore does work but you have to have a strong will. Sometimes it is just easier to give in depending on how determined they are. But really any action from you is a reward for him. Have you tried a reassuring "shhhhh" when he does, as opposed to a sharp no? Tone is everything....not sure what he'd respond to. I just want to say good on you for taking him in. It sounds like he's had a rough go! I wonder aside from just wanting to be with his people, that there is more to it. He's uncomfortable, he's hungry, he's gotta go, he's cold, he's lonely, maybe medical but .....it's good you are tackling each issue. Certainly sleeping with you in your room sounds like the best solution. He is older and as older dogs continue to age and with the fluctuations he's had in his life he still has instability in routine that he was used to. Kudos for helping him, even if it means you haven't been able to sleep a wink!

 

Thank you so much for your response and your kind words! He honestly is the perfect dog at every moment of the day- it's literally only at night (and specifically, at around 4:30-5:00 a.m.) that we're having issues. We definitely haven't tried the "shhhh" you're mentioning so we will try that tonight. As for other concerns, he was with his foster family for 6 months and pretty much consistently performed this behavior the entire time. (With that being said, they gave him attention each time he did it, thus reinforcing that behavior...makes total sense why he's trying it with us.) We've tried going outside for potty multiple times, never really interested. He stops the moment we're standing in the doorway with the door open and after a moment (usually waits to see if he'll get pets) he'll lie down in his bed. It really doesn't seem like he has to go out. As for cold, it's a possibility but our house is set to the same temperature the entire day/night (this is the dog that gets annoyed when a coat is put on him). I'm hoping it's nothing medical and he's not in any pain. He's definitely had a tough time and we're well aware of how old he is though...just want him to live a happy life with whatever he's got left!

[FiveRoooooers]

I love your post. Thank you for adopting a senior, and a tripawd!

 

Even tho you dont want the kitties in your room, I think the next thing to try is to baby gate your boy in the bedroom with you. Can you lock the kitties elsewhere for a few nights to try this? He may not like the feeling of being confined with the door closed and a baby gate will allow him to still keep tabs on what he perceives as important on the other side of it. Light flannel jimjams can help if he is cold and it sounds to me as tho he may be. We just got a bunch of lovely coats from Irene (houndtime).

 

Best of luck to all of you. What a lucky pup to have landed with you.

[PointyPupNose]

I love your post. Thank you for adopting a senior, and a tripawd!

 

Even tho you dont want the kitties in your room, I think the next thing to try is to baby gate your boy in the bedroom with you. Can you lock the kitties elsewhere for a few nights to try this? He may not like the feeling of being confined with the door closed and a baby gate will allow him to still keep tabs on what he perceives as important on the other side of it. Light flannel jimjams can help if he is cold and it sounds to me as tho he may be. We just got a bunch of lovely coats from Irene (houndtime).

 

Best of luck to all of you. What a lucky pup to have landed with you.

 

Thank you so much for your sweet words!! The baby gate is definitely an idea, I wish the closed door would work for him because it's always kind of weird sleeping in your bedroom with the door open in a ranch-style house where everyone is on one floor and all other family members have pretty much a direct view into your room... but that's also something to consider! As for locking the kitties away, hahaha! I don't know if you are familiar with Oriental Shorthairs and their vocality, but their meows rival his barks LOL Our cats are 8-year-old litter mates; they are already locked away during his mealtimes (they HATE it and we tolerate their shrieks while he's eating) because apparently they need to eat his food because they're starving. (Yeah RIGHT.) I think then at night it would turn into a "well, the dog's quiet but now what do we do about the cats screaming all night long?" They've never been confined for all the years we've had them (never had to be honestly). Thank you so much for your suggestion though because otherwise, it makes perfect sense!

[Time4ANap]

I would order a flannel housecoat from Houndtime.com They are lightweight but provide some additional warmth if he is cold. He will not overheat in one. Anytime that Rocket got restless during the night, putting a housecoat on him was all it took to get him to sleep through the night. The coats are not expensive, so you won't really be out much if he hates it and you end up donating it to your group. Be sure to let Irene know that he's a tripod in case she needs to make an adjustment on the housecoat for that.

 

I also think that the closed door contributes to his issue. He wants to know where you are. Any chance of using a gate to keep the cats out (I figure they can jump a gate but it would be worth asking just to confirm.) while leaving the door open? If nothing else, put a bed in your bedroom for him and let him find it. He may decide that it is his new hiding place during the day and will get used to using it. For what it's worth, we have had a number of hounds stay with us over the past 10 years while their owners are away, none of them tolerate closed doors. They may not want to be in the room with you, but they want the option to be available.

 

Thank you for taking in this sweet boy. His whole life has been turned upside down. While whining gets old fast, it sounds like he's doing great considering everything he's been through.

Edited November 28, 2018 by Time4ANap

[XTRAWLD]

 

Thank you so much for your response and your kind words! He honestly is the perfect dog at every moment of the day- it's literally only at night (and specifically, at around 4:30-5:00 a.m.) that we're having issues. We definitely haven't tried the "shhhh" you're mentioning so we will try that tonight. As for other concerns, he was with his foster family for 6 months and pretty much consistently performed this behavior the entire time. (With that being said, they gave him attention each time he did it, thus reinforcing that behavior...makes total sense why he's trying it with us.) We've tried going outside for potty multiple times, never really interested. He stops the moment we're standing in the doorway with the door open and after a moment (usually waits to see if he'll get pets) he'll lie down in his bed. It really doesn't seem like he has to go out. As for cold, it's a possibility but our house is set to the same temperature the entire day/night (this is the dog that gets annoyed when a coat is put on him). I'm hoping it's nothing medical and he's not in any pain. He's definitely had a tough time and we're well aware of how old he is though...just want him to live a happy life with whatever he's got left!

I wanted to add that maybe he is hungry and has tummy gurgles. While you don't want to give him a cookie when he cries as that is simply rewarding and then reinforcing his behaviour, but does he get some bedtime cookies before bed?

 

For what it's worth, my guys have hated the bedroom door being closed, and complain quite a bit whether they are in there with me or not with the door closed.

Edited November 28, 2018 by XTRAWLD

[PointyPupNose]

I would order a flannel housecoat from Houndtime.com They are lightweight but provide some additional warmth if he is cold. He will not overheat in one. Anytime that Rocket got restless during the night, putting a housecoat on him was all it took to get him to sleep through the night. The coats are not expensive, so you won't really be out much if he hates it and you end up donating it to your group. Be sure to let Irene know that he's a tripod in case she needs to make an adjustment on the housecoat for that.

 

I also think that the closed door contributes to his issue. He wants to know where you are. Any chance of using a gate to keep the cats out (I figure they can jump a gate but it would be worth asking just to confirm.) while leaving the door open? If nothing else, put a bed in your bedroom for him and let him find it. He may decide that it is his new hiding place during the day and will get used to using it. For what it's worth, we have had a number of hounds stay with us over the past 10 years while their owners are away, none of them tolerate closed doors. They may not want to be in the room with you, but they want the option to be available.

 

Thank you for taking in this sweet boy. His whole life has been turned upside down. While whining gets old fast, it sounds like he's doing great considering everything he's been through.

 

We will definitely order a housecoat! Thank you for that recommendation. The cats can definitely jump over pretty much any gate whatsoever. I really do wish he could do a crate because I think that would help him since he was crated forever prior to his amputation. This is probably unfamiliar place + now I have no crate + where did everybody go. It's totally understandable why he does it; I just have no idea how I can help him. :/ I really like the idea of placing a new bed in our room throughout the day and just seeing what he does with it. I think part of the problem here may be that no one in the family is in their rooms at all unless they are sleeping. Everyone is always out with him in the central room, so he probably sees zero reason to even go into any other room at all. And then at night, everyone disappears. It looks like the options are to ignore him forever and have an iron will and pretty much make him adjust despite however long it will take OR lock him in our room with us and make him adjust however long it will take...but then if we go on vacation or away for a weekend, make him sleep in the central room again and ask the house sitter to sleep on the couch with him? Do I have this right or is there another option I'm totally neglecting?

I wanted to add that maybe he is hungry and has tummy gurgles. While you don't want to give him a cookie when he cries as that is simply rewarding and then reinforcing his behaviour, but does he get some bedtime cookies before bed?

 

Hmm...maybe? His fosters fed him at 7:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. So I know he went 3:30 p.m.-7:30 a.m. every day without food. At our place, it's a 7:30 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. feeding schedule so he eats even later. He doesn't get a cookie before bed but he does get jerky! (Jerky is pretty much the best thing ever for him.) Do you think maybe we should try cookies before bed?

[XTRAWLD]

I think as long as it's something in his belly for the night, you are in good shape, but I guess it wouldn't hurt to try! (Not people jerky, right? His tummy might be complaining, which could be the reason for the whining!)

[PointyPupNose]

I think as long as it's something in his belly for the night, you are in good shape, but I guess it wouldn't hurt to try! (Not people jerky, right? His tummy might be complaining, which could be the reason for the whining!)

 

LOL definitely not people jerky but a good question because I'm sure someone has made that mistake at some point! XD

[smurfette]

There are so many greyt advices and I do not have another idea but would like to ask if you perhaps have a picture for us to see.

[greysmom]

What's wrong with people jerky?????

 

Whichever route your choose, it's going to get worse before it gets better.

 

This is a longstanding habit and it's going to take some work to change it. You basically need to train him to start his morning until he hears a certain signal - your alarm, a radio going off, some house sound - whatever will be a consistent indication to him that his people are getting up.

 

Set/manage this sound to go off a few minutes before he usually begins his morning whining. Let it go off, get up and let him out or whatever he needs to do, then go back to bed. Do this for a week or so, so he becomes attuned to this sound starting his morning. Once this happens, begin moving the sound a few minutes later every week. If he starts getting up before the sound, go back and set it for earlier and restart his training. You and your husband (or whoever) should probably take turns nightly or weekly - whichever makes sense for you - so at least one of you is getting a good night's sleep for a few nights in a row. After a while you should be able to sleep your entire night.

 

Thank you for adopting this sweet boy! Congratulations!

[Time4ANap]

One other thought - is it possible to alter a crate so that he can go in without there being a lip to get over? Maybe have a local welding shop alter one to remove the lip but still ensure that the crate is solid? I think at most it's a minor alteration to the crate and might require a couple of braces along the area where the metal was removed. A welding shop came to mind because they would have the tools to cut the bars, but if you know someone who welds it may be an easy project for them.

[PointyPupNose]

There are so many greyt advices and I do not have another idea but would like to ask if you perhaps have a picture for us to see.

I have been trying to figure out how to post a picture on this site since I joined! LOL I will definitely do so as soon as I figure it out!

What's wrong with people jerky?????

 

Whichever route your choose, it's going to get worse before it gets better.

 

This is a longstanding habit and it's going to take some work to change it. You basically need to train him to start his morning until he hears a certain signal - your alarm, a radio going off, some house sound - whatever will be a consistent indication to him that his people are getting up.

 

Set/manage this sound to go off a few minutes before he usually begins his morning whining. Let it go off, get up and let him out or whatever he needs to do, then go back to bed. Do this for a week or so, so he becomes attuned to this sound starting his morning. Once this happens, begin moving the sound a few minutes later every week. If he starts getting up before the sound, go back and set it for earlier and restart his training. You and your husband (or whoever) should probably take turns nightly or weekly - whichever makes sense for you - so at least one of you is getting a good night's sleep for a few nights in a row. After a while you should be able to sleep your entire night.

 

Thank you for adopting this sweet boy! Congratulations!

 

THISTHISTHISTHISTHISTHISTHISTHIS!!!! This is the advice we have been looking for!!! AHHHH thank you so much!! I knew it wasn't going to happen overnight but I just needed somebody to tell me what to do to finally get him there because it was looking kind of hopeless for awhile. THANK YOU SO MUCH! We will try this and I will keep this thread posted.

[PointyPupNose]

One other thought - is it possible to alter a crate so that he can go in without there being a lip to get over? Maybe have a local welding shop alter one to remove the lip but still ensure that the crate is solid? I think at most it's a minor alteration to the crate and might require a couple of braces along the area where the metal was removed. A welding shop came to mind because they would have the tools to cut the bars, but if you know someone who welds it may be an easy project for them.

 

Oooooooh!! What a great idea! We'll look into this. I'll keep you posted!

[spottydog]

What about a plywood ramp that attches to the lip of the crate, and a raised bedding area behind the lip, so nothing to trip over?

[Time4ANap]

What about a plywood ramp that attches to the lip of the crate, and a raised bedding area behind the lip, so nothing to trip over?

 

I was trying to come up with this in my head before I suggested removing the crate lip entirely. A small incline on a ramp going in, and maybe a piece of plywood inside the crate, raised to a height where the lip doesn't get in the way. My only concern with trying something like that would be that the soft crate cushion might catch if he did drag his foot across it. Without actually trying it, removing the lip seemed like the easier option, but doing something like this may also work fine.

[Guest RedandRobbysDad]

We have one of our two greyts who would whine occassionally at night, even sleeping in our room. He would eventually stop, but then I couldn't get back to sleep without more Benadryl (stopped that when our doctor shared that it is believed to contribute to early onset alzheimers, BTW). The easy solution was to toss him my robe or a pair of pajama pants. He tucked them under his head and all was well. I think anything would work, because if I forget now, he grabs one of my slippers for his security thing. He had a blanket that his foster mom sent with him, but after he was here he didn't really want it after a couple of days. Some days he will have a bed full of toys.

Good luck,

Grant

 

[MaryJane]

Have one person sleep next to him (a few feet away) in the main room for a few days and see if the problem resolves. I thinking that he wakes, doesn't see anyone, and then gets anxious. It doesn't fix the problem but, will let you now if that is the issue.

[HeyRunDog]

He's worked out that at night when it's quiet and there's no-one moving around and he gets lonely if he whines someone magically appears.

[FiveRoooooers]

Another option you could try vs. setting up a crate is to set up an x-pen. I have an old one that is made of fabric with a cut-out in each panel so dogs can see in and out. Two of the panels have buckle attachments (like on some dog coats) that allows them to be used as the "gate" - and does not have a lip to step over. You can make the x-penned area larger or smaller by simply folding together the panels you don't want to use. A very quick search here to give you an idea. Here is a better one.