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We have a 7 month old puppy who seems to need to go out at 2, 3, or 4 in the morning. We know this b/c he whines while he is in his crate and when we take him out, he pees and poops. Sometimes he just wants to be with us. We are currently in an apartment and get up at those time to let him out so he doesn't bother the neighbors. We know we should just let him stay in his crate and make him wait (since we know he can) but again, we do not want to disturb our neighbors. He always goes out (and pees and poops) right before we go to bed (9,10,11 pm). Any ideas?

>>We have a 7 month old puppy who seems to need to go out at 2, 3, or 4 in the morning. We know this b/c he whines while he is in his crate and when we take him out, he pees and poops. Sometimes he just wants to be with us. We are currently in an apartment and get up at those time to let him out so he doesn't bother the neighbors. We know we should just let him stay in his crate and make him wait (since we know he can) but again, we do not want to disturb our neighbors. He always goes out (and pees and poops) right before we go to bed (9,10,11 pm). Any ideas?

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Be sure to look at physical reasons such as:

1. intestinal parasites
2. someone getting up at night awakens the dog
3. dog food that has too much fiber (low priced food or diet food or junk foods)
4. feeding schedule
5. not enough trips outside in the evening to empty well
6. medical problem
7. schedule of bedtime and time of getting up in the morning too variable--he can't be sure he'll be able to wait that long
8. anxiety, such as being off in another room to sleep instead of crated in the bedroom with people
9. too much fun during the middle-of-the-night outings. It needs to be a very boring, quiet trip outside and straight back to bed. Keep voice low, lights dim, petting to a minimum
10. if he's not neutered yet, adolescence, increase in testosterone, and possibly a nearby female in heat may be making him sleepless.
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Kathy Diamond Davis, author, "Therapy Dogs: Training Your Dog to Reach Others," 2nd edition, and the free Canine Behavior Series articles at http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=SRC&S=1&SourceID=47

thanks for getting back to me so quickly! I will check his food - we are currently feeding him Nutro Lamb and Rice for puppies. I am sure anxiety plays a part in it but shouldn't we NOT give in to that? He eats dinner at 5:00pm and goes out often between then and bedtime. We might need to cut off the water earlier but we are in AZ and since it's hotter outside, I'd feel bad doing that. He was neutered about 1 month ago and there are no female dogs in our particular building. Not sure if it's a medical problem since he seems fine but I'll ask the vet next time we go. I guess I wanted to know if we should NOT give in to him since that can establish a pattern that will be hard to break. Maybe moving the crate into the bedroom is a compromise?!?! When we do take him out, it is quick and he either back in his crate or on the bed with us and we sleep...neither my husband nor I want to play at that hour!!!

>>thanks for getting back to me so quickly! I will check his food - we are currently feeding him Nutro Lamb and Rice for puppies. I am sure anxiety plays a part in it but shouldn't we NOT give in to that? He eats dinner at 5:00pm and goes out often between then and bedtime. We might need to cut off the water earlier but we are in AZ and since it's hotter outside, I'd feel bad doing that. He was neutered about 1 month ago and there are no female dogs in our particular building. Not sure if it's a medical problem since he seems fine but I'll ask the vet next time we go. I guess I wanted to know if we should NOT give in to him since that can establish a pattern that will be hard to break. Maybe moving the crate into the bedroom is a compromise?!?! When we do take him out, it is quick and he either back in his crate or on the bed with us and we sleep...neither my husband nor I want to play at that hour!!!

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If he is pottying when you take him out and is going readily back to sleep, then it sounds like physical need that you should attend to. One thing you could do is put that outing on a schedule rather than waiting for him to ask. Yes, put the crate in the bedroom. Then he'll be more likely to sleep through the night, and the body has a special chemical that circulates during sleep to quiet the actions of bowels and bladder. I wouldn't cut off the water, either.
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Kathy Diamond Davis, author, "Therapy Dogs: Training Your Dog to Reach Others," 2nd edition, and the free Canine Behavior Series articles at http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=SRC&S=1&SourceID=47