Why All Of A Sudden Has She Started?

[bacismumma]

OK so my 8 year old lab that we have had for 3 years now has always slept inside.

She toilets before bed and sleeps till I let her out in the morning.

If she has ever needed to go to the loo, she will give a few small barks to let me know, and i let her out, this is very rare as she always seems to hold through the night.

Lately she has been giving her few barks every night between 4 and 5 am

I go and let her out thinking she needs to go the loo, but no she just walks along the decking to the other door, like she does when shes waiting for breakfast.

I have tried to ignore her after a few nights in a row now and no she keeps doing it.

Its not a continous bark, but a random bark every few minutes.

I dont feed her any earlier so she cant possibly think she will get breakfast any earlier surely??

Hubby thinks that now shes in a habit and she will need to spend the night outside to be reminded of her nice soft comfy bed inside- but I cant do it

Any suggestions would be great!!!

Thanks

[Nekhbet]

making her sleep outside will teach her absolutely nothing at all.

Maybe there is something new, someone now going to work at that hour that she hears or a cat etc and you let her out and then she just goes back to the old pattern of 'well I'm out, nothing here, maybe mum wants to feed me'

Just tell her to be quiet if she doesnt need to pee or to go back to bed etc

[bacismumma]

making her sleep outside will teach her absolutely nothing at all.

Maybe there is something new, someone now going to work at that hour that she hears or a cat etc and you let her out and then she just goes back to the old pattern of 'well I'm out, nothing here, maybe mum wants to feed me'

Just tell her to be quiet if she doesnt need to pee or to go back to bed etc

Yeah i wont make her sleep outside, I cant do it, I did mention to hubby could though if he wanted to trade places with her he could sleep outside to see what the fuss is about

its odd because usually we wake her up and shes like she would rather stay in bed,l busts her bum to be inside at any chance

Does it sound like a habit though now? every night for last week

[Diva]

Maybe you have a possum passing by at that time, the possums around here are like clockwork in their schedule

Or a neighbour now gets home or leaves at that time for work.

I'd just not reinfoce it, definitely don't feed her and just tell her to go back to bed. Maybe try to tire her out a bit more in the evening to encourage her to sleep through.

[Spot.]

A couple of weeks ago Mia had started doing this a few times a night, 1am, 3am, 5am and a few times between 7am and 9am. Only she wanted to go food searching She would sniff the bowl and then want to come straight back in.

After three nights of it I just left her out there after the first yip. The next day when she yipped to go out, I let her out and left her there. I only let her back in when she was quiet. She now knows if she yips and carries on, she goes outside and stays there. She only comes back in when she is quiet.

She has been an angel ever since.

[bacismumma]

I let her out the first few nights cause i thought she needed to go to the toilet, so i would let her out, go get drink for myself, then go back and she would come in.

Then after about the 3rd night i waited at the door and she didnt need to go at all. So then i tried leaving her out until I woke up, she doesnt mind that she wont bark outside, she just sits and waits for breakfast.

So leaving her out there isnt an issue for her for an hour or so until its breakfast time.

Not sure how to break her habit, I told her to be quiet, she doesnt listen

No other part of her routine has changed either

[mutt lover]

Maybe she's getting doggy dementia and before you the vet told me that dogs like people can get senile in their old age.

[poodlefan]

Are you absolutely positive she's not toileting? Sounds like you leave her outside on her own for a minute or two.

She's aging and her bladder wouldn't be a strong as it once was.