Bed time troubles…

[Ninabeana26]

So some of you may know, many may not, but I moved from Florida to Maryland about 1.5 months ago. Since moving to Maryland I have been letting Dallas sleep in bed with me vs. the crate.

It started off really well. He would climb into bed with me & sleep until I woke up the next morning…I have to be up for work at 6:30 AM anyway.

However, things have taken a drastic change & I cannot figure out what may have caused it or more importantly, how to stop it.

Lately, and I mean the last 3 weeks, he has been waking up in the middle of the night & just will not go back to sleep. He's been waking up around 3 AM & he will pace around my room, whining, scratching at the door, etc. I will take him outside but he does nothing...literally I stood outside for 30 minutes one night & he did nothing at all. I have let him into the backyard & watched him run around a bit hoping it would tire him out...didn't work.

The thing is, I know he is tired when he goes to bed. He is staying up during the day & every evening my step father takes him on a 3-5 mile walk in the woods with my other dogs. Also, he plays with our family dog until literally 10 PM every night. I have been putting him to bed around 11 PM at the latest...

I could use any suggestions because right now my sleep is totally lacking...& it sucks.

[lvoss]

I think 3 of my 4 dogs have all gone through this phase. Thankfully with Rally and Rio it was relatively short. Sophie is 18 months old and still wakes up in the middle of the night and doesn't want to go back to sleep. The one good thing about her is that she can easily be redirected to a chewie and will chew herself back to sleep. In our case, we can directly correlate their waking up with the nocturnal habits of the cats both our indoor cats and the neighborhood outdoor cats. I can't say we did anything special to get them back to sleeping through the night. In Sophie's case we have a chewie handy so we can give it to her if she can't find where she left hers.

[renaultf1]

Did he used to sleep well in his crate? What if he wakes up and you put him in his crate for the rest of the night. Have you tried that, maybe he will go back to sleep in there?

Brando would always wake up and cry at 4:30am, the time of morning I normally get up Monday - Thursday, but then he would also wake up at that time Friday - Sunday when I wanted to sleep in. I hadn't been letting him sleep with me because I wasn't sure he would stay on the bed the whole night and I was concerned he might pee. Anyway, 2 weeks ago, I started letting he and Ruby sleep with me until I wake up to shut off the tv or go to the bathroom (around 1am usually). At that time, I put them back in the crates.

Once I let Brando spend part of the night on the bed, he stopped crying early morning.

[Robin_n_Jack]

Hey Nina-

We have been letting Jack sleep with us since we started the great move to the other side of the city, too. He hadn't had a problem. While DH was here, I would go to bed, and Jack would hang out with him on the couch until DH came to bed, and then sleep all the way through the night.

DH just left for work (gone for a week) and now I am having a really hard time getting Jack to go to sleep. He is doing the same kinds of things you described, up, wandering around, whining, etc. It takes him a good two hours to finally settle down and go to sleep. Drives me crazy, cause all I want to do is go to sleep.

So, I don't have any advice, but I can commiserate on the lack of sleep.

[Ninabeana26]

@renaultf1:

Did he used to sleep well in his crate? What if he wakes up and you put him in his crate for the rest of the night. Have you tried that, maybe he will go back to sleep in there?

Brando would always wake up and cry at 4:30am, the time of morning I normally get up Monday - Thursday, but then he would also wake up at that time Friday - Sunday when I wanted to sleep in. I hadn't been letting him sleep with me because I wasn't sure he would stay on the bed the whole night and I was concerned he might pee. Anyway, 2 weeks ago, I started letting he and Ruby sleep with me until I wake up to shut off the tv or go to the bathroom (around 1am usually). At that time, I put them back in the crates.

Once I let Brando spend part of the night on the bed, he stopped crying early morning.

I tried the crate about a week ago but it was as if he forgot that it used to be his bedroom because he went nuts! He actually cried in his crate for like 2 hours. My mom, who I am temporarily living with, came in & couldn't take it so she let him out…bad idea I know. However, when she let him back out he started again with the pacing & whining.

Although you know, if he starts doing it & I put him in my mom's room he goes to sleep on their bed (?) That is where the other two dogs in the house sleep so...could it have something to do with the fact that he doesn't want to be split from what he now sees as his pack?

[tanza]

@Ninabeana26:

I tried the crate about a week ago but it was as if he forgot that it used to be his bedroom because he went nuts! He actually cried in his crate for like 2 hours. My mom, who I am temporarily living with, came in & couldn't take it so she let him out…bad idea I know. However, when she let him back out he started again with the pacing & whining.

Although you know, if he starts doing it & I put him in my mom's room he goes to sleep on their bed (?) That is where the other two dogs in the house sleep so...could it have something to do with the fact that he doesn't want to be split from what he now sees as his pack?

Well, you know that seems to me like that is what the issue is… he wants to be where the other dogs are....

[Ninabeana26]

Yea I'm thinking the same thing…that kind of stinks though because our family dogs sleep in my parents room...& I like Dallas keeping me warm at night

[sharronhurlbut]

I would make sure he is major walked before nighttime, and kept awake with toys and play before you go to bed.
It could just be that he isn't tired enough to sleep.
I find my b's do this when I have been lazy and not walked them as long as THEY need…
Give it a try.
I love sleeping with my 2, so hope you can get it worked out.

[Ninabeana26]

Well last night I decided to try keeping him up & totally wearing him out. I took him for a 30 minutes walk between 10 & 10:30 PM then continued to play with him until 11 PM. He was running around the house, etc. It actually made things worse…

He got in bed & fell asleep but then woke up at 1:15 AM & would not stop pacing & whining. He did this for over an hour before I finally put him in my mom's room...which she says he just climbed into bed & fell asleep This really stinks.

[seko]

At the time he wakes up, could it be because someone wakes up in the house and he wants to check on what's happening????

[Ninabeana26]

I thought of that as a possibility so I started opening the door & let him run around the house for a minute thinking he'd see the house is quite & to return to bed. However, whenever he is let out of my room he will immediately run to my mom's bedroom door & start scratching away. I guess he just really prefers to sleep in bed with my mom & stepdad vs. his mommy

[lvoss]

If that is where the other dogs of the house are, it is more likely that he wants to be with the rest of "the pack".

[renaultf1]

@Ninabeana26:

I guess he just really prefers to sleep in bed with my mom & stepdad vs. his mommy

Actually, I doubt that…I think it is more like he prefers to sleep with the other dogs...

Could the other dogs sleep with you? Maybe Dallas would stay put then.

[Ninabeana26]

Well my family is going out of town for two weeks soon so I guess I will know if that is indeed what it is. It would make sense since he has been getting along with the family dogs very well. Maybe this means I need to get another basenji to keep in my bedroom :p

[renaultf1]

@Ninabeana26:

Maybe this means I need to get another basenji to keep in my bedroom :p

…but then maybe they'll both want to go sleep with your parents dogs! Not sure that adding one would resolve the problem, if that is what the problem really is...but hey, I'm all for adding another basenji! How would your parents feel about adding another.

[Ninabeana26]

@renaultf1:

…but then maybe they'll both want to go sleep with your parents dogs! Not sure that adding one would resolve the problem, if that is what the problem really is...but hey, I'm all for adding another basenji! How would your parents feel about adding another.

Already begged but it isn't happening. Haha. They are already annoyed by having one basenji in the house! They just don't understand :p

I'm moving out at the end of the summer anyway so maybe I will add a little girl early next year…that's the hope anyway!

[sharronhurlbut]

Who feeds this basenji and walks this dog?
Who spends the most time with your dog?
I am thing that might be some of the issue.

[snorky998]

I just found this forum and have been reading all day. 1st time poster, so please be patient.

I have to agree with sharron. When my 2 brats "mom" left for college, they soon were sleeping in our bed. When she occasionally returns on holiday/semester breaks, she is heart broken that they no longer will spend the entire night in her room. They exhibit the exact behavior you mention ninabeana. Early morning pacing and whining, door scratches, no need to go outside, etc. As soon as they come into our room, it's under the covers, curl into a ball up against the warmest human, and back to sleep with nary a peep and only a shift to the 'all-out-sprawl-I'm-taking-over-the-entire-bed-now' routine:D

I think it has a lot to do with who does the daily feeding and play time.

[sharronhurlbut]

Thanks for the support and WELCOME!

[Schouiffy]

Totally sounds like he wants to be in the pack to me…. perhaps you could ask your parents to switch all the doggies to your room??