Do you take your dog outside in the middle of the night?

[Anonymous]

Or do you just open the door for them? My dog wakes us up between 12am-3am to go to the bathroom. Sometimes twice! My DH takes him out, but it’s ruining his sleep. I’m curious what others do. He’s six so not elderly. No health issues. And yes we routinely try to take him out before we go to bed, but he’s in a slumber and it’s like pulling lead.

[Anonymous]

If the dog is doing this every night, it’s because you have accidentally trained him to do so. You need to retrain him to go before your bedtime and then hold it until morning. You might need to limit evening fluids to do so.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If the dog is doing this every night, it’s because you have accidentally trained him to do so. You need to retrain him to go before your bedtime and then hold it until morning. You might need to limit evening fluids to do so.

I know, we have. My DH worries so takes him out, but then it just reinforces the behavior.

[Anonymous]

Either the dog has a health issue, or he can wait until morning. Withhold water after dinner and take a good walk before bed.

FTR, I took my elderly dog out in the middle of the night - but she was 13-15. And even then, we later found a medication that helped her sleep.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If the dog is doing this every night, it’s because you have accidentally trained him to do so. You need to retrain him to go before your bedtime and then hold it until morning. You might need to limit evening fluids to do so.

+1. Your dog goes out to pee more than I get up to pee as overnight as a 56 year old woman.

My dogs can easily go 12 hours overnight.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If the dog is doing this every night, it’s because you have accidentally trained him to do so. You need to retrain him to go before your bedtime and then hold it until morning. You might need to limit evening fluids to do so.

I know, we have. My DH worries so takes him out, but then it just reinforces the behavior.

Your husband needs to be re-trained - that's going to be a more difficult task.

[Anonymous]

Absolutely not. This is nuts.
My dog is 12 and doesn’t do this. Take the dog for a short walk between 8-9 then the dog waits til morning. Once you’ve established the new schedule you can just let the dog out between 8-9pm.
My dog will pee on command. If I say “ go pee” he knows.

[Anonymous]

I take my dog to a pee spot in my yard every night before I go to bed. I wake him up if needed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Absolutely not. This is nuts.
My dog is 12 and doesn’t do this. Take the dog for a short walk between 8-9 then the dog waits til morning. Once you’ve established the new schedule you can just let the dog out between 8-9pm.
My dog will pee on command. If I say “ go pee” he knows.

Ok I am impressed! I’m laughing. I wish we could do that.

[Anonymous]

I agree it's not normal. Maybe you can try to train your dog to sleep in a crate at night.

[Anonymous]

I did this for both my dogs but only when they were old. They would go out, stare at the skies for a bit then pee and come back. My DH was convinced they were communing with their departed buddies.

[Anonymous]

Since my dog is on prednisone.she does need to go out in the middle of the night. I would just open the door for her, but we also have a puppy who just gets up because she does and will try to play instead, I walk out with them.

[Anonymous]

No I have a dog door and a fenced yard. These are requirements for having a dog. These are the only conditions in which I would have a dog. Anything less is idiotic. End of rant.

[Anonymous]

My dogs go for a walk around 7 or 8, and then out for final potty between 10:30 and 11. We usually have to wake them up for final potty. You need to do that; getting up in the middle of the night is not sustainable. And your dog now thinks that is what they are supposed to do.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No I have a dog door and a fenced yard. These are requirements for having a dog. These are the only conditions in which I would have a dog. Anything less is idiotic. End of rant.

Lol. No.