# Interesting problem at night!



## Diana (Oct 23, 2007)

Ok-
So I have had Teddy a couple of weeks now. I thought I hit the jackpot because he sleeps through the night since day one. We do have another problem that I have not read about so I was wondering if anyone has any tips?

Teddy is usually crated at night and barks his head off if I need to get up in the middle the night or early in the morning to make a bathroom run. His crate is in the bedroom next to our bed. My husband is still in the bed so he is not alone. When I come back he stops. I feel like a prisoner! :biggrin1: I have actually resorted to trying to crawl on the floor army style to hide from him but he still wakes up. Now that is a sight! I end up having to bring him with me or he will wake up the whole house.

We have left him alone in his xpen during the day for short periods and he is asleep when we get back. He is in there now, can't see me, and has fallen asleep quietly.
So does anyone have experience with this? I feel like once we go to bed I can not move until morning!:biggrin1: Will he grow out of this?

Thanks for any help! My family will be sooo grateful (and better rested!)


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## irnfit (Nov 21, 2006)

Sorry, can't help you with that one. But oh, what a face he has. It is a kissy face for sure.


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## mckennasedona (Feb 20, 2007)

Is his crate on your side of the bed? If so, can you put it on DH's side so that when Teddy fusses when you get up DH can put his fingers in the crate to reassure Teddy?


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## Diana (Oct 23, 2007)

Susan-His crate is next to me because I usually go up first with him. Also, I try to quiet him without waking DH up. He is not used to sleep deprivation like I am!  He has to get up by 5 am and needs his sleep.

Michele- I think that is part of the problem, he knows he is cute and I am a sucker! :biggrin1:


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## Poornima (Jun 29, 2007)

Teddy is has such a cute face. My Lizzie (5 1/2 months) whines really bad when I am out of sight. I have started telling her where I am going" Mommie in the bathroom", Mommie sleep, sleep" etc. Lizzie and Benji sleep next to our bed in their crates too. I tell Lizzie what to do while I am gone (sleep, sleep, settle, quiet time etc) and she is getting better. When I get up from the bed, I tell her to 'Sleep, sleep, mommie bathroom". I tell Benji the same, though he is not as fussy as Lizzie. Benji is 13-months. 

Good luck!


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## Guest (Jan 7, 2008)

Diana,

this may sound odd, but my breeder told me that if I put the crate on the nightstand and faced it towards the bed where Sophie could see us, then she would sleep just fine.

Well, I did this as her crate was small enough to fit on the nightstand without the fear of it falling off. She did great!! And if I got up at night, she could still see my DH.

I also did this with Gabriel and was so surprised at how they both slept through the night.


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## Amy R. (Jul 1, 2007)

Diana, I know this isn't helpful, but that's why we don't have our dog in the bedroom at all, but in a crate downstairs in the family room/kitchen. We can't deal w/sleep deprivation. 

When Biscuit goes to the dogsitters, she lets him sleep IN her bed and he awakens her everyday between 4 and 5 ! We couldn't deal with that, we are too old and need our sleep. Esp. DH, who has some health issues.

Interestingly, Biscuit is always very happy to be in his crate alone at night when he comes home!
Good luck, sounds like you're getting some good suggestions.


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## Beamer (Jan 29, 2007)

I guess thats normal is some aspects. Whenever I leave the bed, Beamer will look up and wonder what is going on, but does not bark. (He never barks)

If I get up to leave the room and he is sleeping durring nod bedtime hours, he will lift his head and and give the me addest look, like please dont leave me!!! lol
It's pretty cute!

Ryan


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## Alexa (Jun 17, 2007)

Marley sleeps in the crate next to me and he does stay quiet while I go to the bathroom. I do have his crate on top of two big tupperware boxes so he can still see my husband sleeping, so maybe that is the trick? I honestly don't know if he even wakes up, I try not to look into the crate, because he'd try to come out if we made eye-contact <g>.

Not sure if I'll have Tupperware boxes next to my bed till the end of all days or if he'll eventually get his way and sleep on the bed.....the verdict is still out...

Alexa


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## suzyfrtz (Nov 12, 2007)

When Caz was a little guy, he would wake up when we did during the night, and we would take him outside, assuming he had to go too. Now that he's older, when I have a night potty run, he looks up at me, like, "time to get up now?" I tell him, no, go back to sleep. And it works. However, if I the potty run is about 5 a.m. or after, I have decided he probably needs to go too, and take him out. He always needs to go! BTW he's not in a crate, although he started out that way. Now he's our bed partner!


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## ama0722 (Nov 28, 2006)

I think we would like to help you but we are going to need a video, make sure it shows how you are crawling!!! <BG>

I think once he gets more settled, he will be okay. Dora used to get crazy- I remember the first time I put on my winter robe and had my hair in a towel and came to bed, she lost it. Now she could care less!

Amanda


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## Guest (Jan 7, 2008)

Ok..I was waiting to see if anyone else fessed up to letting their dogs sleep on their beds... That's were Sophie and Gabriel finally advanced to once they were potty trianedound:

Hey Suzy.. :wave: where ya been?


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## JanB (Oct 26, 2007)

Amanda, LOL!!

We started out with Tessa in a crate on a chaise lounge by our bed and she has progressed to a crate on the floor of our bedroom. We hope to move it out soon. The only way I'd have a dog in our bed is if it NEVER went outside! Even then my DH would never go for a dog in our bed.

Anyway, back to topic. In the beginning Tessa would whine if I got up in the middle of the night; in fact she'd whine every time I was away more than a 3 foot distance from her. If I have to be away from her I always tell her I'll be back in the hopes she will associate those words with me actually coming back. She's better now; although she still wants me in sight she doesn't whine as much....some but not as much. In the beginning she threw a fit when she went in the crate...I think I even started a thread on it for help. Now she now goes to her crate when I have to be away during the day w/o whining! Best of all she doesn't whine any more when I get up for a potty run in the middle of the night. She will pop her head up to watch and wait for me but I suppose she's learned now that I do come back. Like you no matter how quiet I am she will wake up. I haven't tried crawling yet, lol!

In the beginning when she'd whine at night I'd give a stern shush; now she no longer whines at all. Maybe your Dh could sleep in a guest room for a couple night while you work on this? I know what you mean; my DH works very long hours and gets up at 5 AM so I feel really bad about keeping him up.

But I suspect, like Amanda said, he will become more secure and stop it on her own unless you reward him for whining by taking him out.

Good luck!


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## mckennasedona (Feb 20, 2007)

Diane,
I'm fessing up. Our two sleep on the bed with us. They are also crate trained so we can put them in crates if need be.


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## DanielBMe (Nov 25, 2007)

I used to cover the front of the crate with a towel or blanket. That way if I had to get up Brando wouldn't see me. It seemd to work. Of course the moment I once let him sleep on my bed, it was over. bogart and brando now sleep on my bed....


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## ama0722 (Nov 28, 2006)

I will totally fess up that is where all my dog training goes out the window  Mine sleep in bed! Heck, I leave my bedroom open so they can go in and out all day.

But they are nice enough to share their giant dog bed (some of you may call it your couch!) I have no control in this arena! I pick my battles!

Amanda


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## Tritia (Nov 17, 2007)

May I suggest you don't have anything to eat or drink past 8:00, therefore eliminationg your need to get up to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night


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## Diana (Oct 23, 2007)

You guys are all too funny! 
Amanda- I will ask my DH to videotape my nighttime excursions! I will videotape his response to that!:biggrin1:

Tritia-I spit out my coffee when I read that!ound: The sick thing is, I have second thoughts now when I am SO thirsty past dinner! Pathetic, I know, but I get worried!

Thank you all for your suggestions, maybe I will raise him up again on the nightstand, and try to sooth him. Although I have to admit, since we have been very lucky with the nightime potty issues, I have let him sleep on the bed because I was desperate. He was very good then, I just didn't know if that was a bad habit to start! It is too funny how much it is like having a newborn!

I hoped this to would pass as he grows and becomes more secure, and it seems thankfully, it will. I just didn't know if I was doing something wrong and how to correct him.

Thank you! I will just continue to keep my sense of humor about this all.


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## Olliesmom (Sep 29, 2006)

Ollie and Austin are both on my bed ALL nite! We go in about 9 - dh is a nite owl so he takes them out about 1 and then they sleep till I get up OR the SUN shines thru! I don't know how you guys kept them out of your bed! It is my favorite time!!!


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## maryam187 (Jul 18, 2007)

Diane,
if Teddy doesn't have a problem with sleeping in his crate per se but rather with you getting up, I'd suggest too that you either cover the crate with a thin sheet like with a bird cage OR gradually move him out of your sight within your bedroom. Pablo now sleeps close to our bedroom door (still inside) and can't see me unless I get out of bed. I think it is good to keep them at eye level at the beginning when they dislike being in their crate or are scared. But once you pass that stage you can gradually move them to the floor next to the bed, then further and further away to a more 'private' area.
My DH and I both aren't fans of having the dog sleep with us in bed, so my suggestion for you is: move him out of sight within your bedroom or cover the crate.


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## Jane (Jun 2, 2007)

Diana,

Oh, that is a tough one. I experienced something similar and never did solve it. I used to go to a 6:30 spinning class at the gym, but after we got Lincoln, I couldn't sneak out of the house without him waking up and wanting OUT of the crate. So, I gave up the exercise class. Sorry, I am of no help to you!

My breeder did tell me just to let him out to go potty, etc. and put him back in the crate if it was too early. I just didn't have the heart to put him back in though 

He quickly outgrew the crate and has slept under our bed ever since. Somehow Scout wormed his way onto our bed and sleeps between my and my husband's feet every night now. Nice in winter!


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## Tritia (Nov 17, 2007)

Thumperlove said:


> I don't have the exact same problem, but I am 110% certain, that if Gucci slept in a crate..she would bark if left the room, well..most likely not bark, but a pathetic whimper/whining sound that she makes.
> 
> She sleeps in bed and I get up EVERY freaking night to go to the bathroom, but that a whole another story (stopping drinking would not work in my case, *medical problem*) anyhow...she always follows me, so I keep a pee pad in the bathroom for her. OR sometimes, I will just come downstairs, let her out, go pee and then go out with her and bring her back in to bed.
> 
> Kara


Wonder if it's the same problem I have...children, lol. I swear, after giving birth to four kids, I can't sneeze, cough, or laugh without thinkin' I'm in need of some Depends :frusty: Guess who didn't do her kegels when pg, like told, lol.


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## Poornima (Jun 29, 2007)

Jane said:


> Diana,
> 
> Oh, that is a tough one. I used to go to a 6:30 spinning class at the gym, but after we got Lincoln, I couldn't sneak out of the house without him waking up and wanting OUT of the crate. So, I gave up the exercise class.
> He quickly outgrew the crate and has slept under our bed ever since.


Jane, I had same thing happened to me. I used to go swimming at 6:15 four days a week. When Benji came in last Feb, I had to give it up as his potty scheudle and my swim time clashed. As soon as he was potty trained, we got Lizzie and I can't go swimming now as she needs to go between 6:30 and 7. I can't wait for her to get fully house trained so that I can start my early morning swim again.

BTW, what is a spinning class?


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## good buddy (Feb 20, 2007)

Diana,

Tell him to shush and be prepared to deal with a little whining right at first. He'll quickly learn that you'll be right back and the whining will stop. Rufus did the same way a few times, but learned quickly. He sleeps right next to our bed in a crate and is very happy with the arrangement! In the short run you might have a couple rough nights, but overall you want your dog to learn that this is a normal occurance and he will be just fine-right? So no more sneaking out on all fours LOL! Now THAT would make any dog bark! ound:


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## Rita (Jan 1, 2007)

Houston used to do the same thing. I had him in a travel kennel (plastic). He liked that more because he was more confined. I actually used to pick up the kennel and take it with me to the bathroom so he wouldn't wake up DH.

I do have to say he got better and then we moved up to a regular wire crate next to the bed with no problems when anyone moved about. But I must fess up, he now sleeps in our bed and it was DH idea. The same guy who didn't want a dog in the first place and pretends not like him :wink:. LOL

I guess I would start with the towel over the crate first and then move on to other ideas. Good luck


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## stoneruls (Dec 26, 2007)

Hello from a forum observer! 

We had this problem in the beginning with Mambo (7 weeks at the time) . I go to the bathroom often at night especially in the winter. The first 2-3 days he would hear me (there is no way for him to see me). We started this custom of saying a phrase right before turning off the lights to go to bed ("night night Mambo") and when he whined we just ignored him and quietly peeked at him to make sure he didn't really need to go potty. We soon learned that he didn't really need to go. 

He doesn't make noise anymore unless the light goes on or the alarm goes on (we have a wake-up alarm set for 7AM to walk and feed him and he associates the alarm with going out). If something happens that wakes him up in the middle of the night, we just say "night night Mambo" and that's enough for him. A short, 5 weeks later, we know that if he whines in the middle of the night something else happened and he really does need us.

Patricia


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## Guest (Jan 7, 2008)

Patricia...that's a good idea!


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## Tritia (Nov 17, 2007)

Thumperlove said:


> Possibly? I have something called Interstitial Cystitis and Hunners' Ulcers. Here's a link for ya:
> 
> http://www.ic-network.com/whatisinterstitialcystitis/
> 
> ...


Thanks for the link. Wow..I need to look into this some more. I'm up allll night to go to the bathroom, too. Like you, I can't remember the last time I slept all night. Many early mornings, I lay awake..dreading getting up. Why? Cause the dogs. Once I get up, they do. I'm sure they'd be just fine if I let them settle back to sleep. But, I usually end up letting them out, cause I worry about Cooper having to go, once he's up and moving. He was in his crate still, till about a month ago. Now, he's at the foot of the bed, in between dh and myself, on a doggie bed on the floor, or his fav. spot..dh's head :biggrin1:

Interesting what it said about sodas. I've known for a long time my diet coke consumption could be a problem on many levels. Guess it could be part of my pee probs, too


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## Missy (Nov 6, 2006)

Oh My Diana, I felt that way about Jasper just recently. I would lose sleep because I was afraid to get up- but I really had to go. But slightly different as he was an adult and has his crate open. But yes If I got up at 5a to go to the bathroom jasper decided it was time to get up for good. and would start pawing at my Dh's side of the bed and whining and grumbling. For us started by just sternly saying "shush" and "Jasper NO" and then we resorted to putting him back in his crate and closing the door. He no longer makes a sound until we really get up. But with such a little one- I would try the "NO" and ignoring him-- teddy will eventually get it. Good luck, keep us posted.


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## Diana (Oct 23, 2007)

Wow guys, thanks for all the excellent ideas! I am glad I am not alone and not the only one to be afraid to get up at night! He just barks and barks so much that my husband (who sounds similar to yours Rita!) actually took him out of his crate and brought him in bed with him! I didn't know if that would totally "ruin" Teddy, if that was spoiling him. I guess we have to come to an agreement with where he will be sleeping. The cover idea is my next try.

I know he is very young, and we are very happy that if I don't get up, he sleeps so nicely in his crate throughout the night. I am just afraid to get up, and forget it if one of the kids need me! Hopefully, with time, he will understand I will always be back.

Anyway, Kara, my friend has IC and it is such a pain for her! She always thought her bladder was too small and defective before it had a name. We have to know where every bathroom is anywhere we go! So I feel for you. 

Poornima, spinning is a type of stationary bicycle classes. It can be intense!

Thanks again everyone, wish me luck tonight on my adventures!:biggrin1: He certainly is my Velcro dog!


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## Jane (Jun 2, 2007)

Poornima said:


> BTW, what is a spinning class?


Oh, what we do for our Havs! Spinning is like cycling, but on indoor stationary bikes. I gave it up for real cycling instead :biggrin1: but it is really COLD in the winter!


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## suzyfrtz (Nov 12, 2007)

imamurph52 said:


> Ok..I was waiting to see if anyone else fessed up to letting their dogs sleep on their beds... That's were Sophie and Gabriel finally advanced to once they were potty trianedound:
> 
> Hey Suzy.. :wave: where ya been?


Hey Diane - We've been in transit to Florida, and then it took about a week to get our internet hooked up. I posted in Coffee Shop about Caz's adventures on the way down.:focus:

Suzy & Cazzie


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## littlebuddy (May 30, 2007)

our dog did something similar, he'd get up when i got up to use the bathroom, if he barked, i would stick my hand in the crate and tell him to go to bed or just ignor him. it worked. after he was a year, he started sleeping with us. he would follow me to the bathroom in themiddle of thenight, it was tough because i was always afraid of stepping on him, now he knows i always come back so he stays in bed. i think it just takes times for them to realize you are coming back. my husband can get up and it's not an issue but when i get up, maybe you can tell him something in a whisper i am going to come back and he will begin to associate that line with you coming back from the bathroom.


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## luv3havs (Jul 27, 2007)

Cali used to whine when I'd get up to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night. I did the "shushing" thing and she finally stopped.

I'm getting a chuckle listening to you all talk about sleeping with the dogs.

I swore I would never have a dog in bed with us.

Never did, in all these years of living with dogs.
In fact, our wonderful, (now deceased) dog for 14 years Kelly, slept in the family room in a crate. (My husband has allergies).
Enter the Havs....
Chico has been sleeping with us in our bed, since he was one year old.
Magee spends most of the night in a dog bed in our room.He sneeks onto the end of the bed @ 5:00am.
So far, Cali, the baby, sleeps in a crate next to the bed. She does "hang out " on the bed while we read or watch tv and then she goes willingly to the crate for the rest of the night.
The only thing I don't like is having paws near my pillow so I have them "trained" not to go near my pillow.lol

All this talk of beds is making me sleepy, so Goodnight!


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## Lynn (Jan 2, 2007)

good buddy said:


> Diana,
> 
> Tell him to shush and be prepared to deal with a little whining right at first. He'll quickly learn that you'll be right back and the whining will stop. Rufus did the same way a few times, but learned quickly. He sleeps right next to our bed in a crate and is very happy with the arrangement! In the short run you might have a couple rough nights, but overall you want your dog to learn that this is a normal occurance and he will be just fine-right? So no more sneaking out on all fours LOL! Now THAT would make any dog bark! ound:


Diane,
This made my night...ound:oundlease try to give us a video!! We laugh but alot of us have had the same problem.....I agree with the advice here ....you just need to do a little training....maybe take him to another room and sleep with him and get up at night and teach him to be quiet. I understand totally not wanting to distrub your husband when he has a long work day.

Don't be afraid to show these dogs the behavior you expect...they are very smart dogs.


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## JanB (Oct 26, 2007)

Thumperlove said:


> Jan, Gucci never gets the bed dirty!  I keep her plenty clean. She gets spot baths all the time. Although, it was quite hard after Obedience class, I'd practically give her a whole bath before she was allowed in bed. lol
> 
> Kara


I keep Tessa clean too. OK, but if I put Tessa in bed with me where would I put DH??? LOL!!

Seriously, it's been a stretch for him to allow her on the furniture but I put my foot down on that. I like to snuggle with her too much and enjoy her sleeping hugged against my side when I'm on the sofa. He's adjusted. If he ever allows her in bed with us you know h*ll finally did freeze over :biggrin1:

Interestingly, I bought Tessa a new bigger crate yesterday. We made a mistake with her first crate not really realizing that while Havs often don't weigh that much they are LONG! Anyway, you know how Havs don't like change. So after sniffing every sq inch she whined last night for the first time in a long while. I guess she's learned what "shush" means because it only took a couple times and she settled back down.


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