Why Is My Dog Waking up Multiple Times a Night? 12 Causes and Solutions

Help, My Dog Wakes Me up Multiples Time at Night!

"I have two Australian shepherds—Sammy is 3 and Callie is 6. Both are rescues; we've had Sammy for almost 2 years and Callie for 1. Recently, Sammy has been asking us to let him outside multiple times every night, sometimes to play and sometimes to potty.

Callie never asks, but she'll follow Sammy when we get up to let him out. I'm wondering if there's something we can do to train him to sleep through the night.

We don't close their kennels, so they're able to explore the house, and they don't mess or anything, but Sammy will bark when he wants out. During the winter months, we don't exercise them as much, so could it be that simple? And what can we do instead?"—Mike

Are You Struggling With a Dog Waking up Multiple Times at Night?

A dog waking up multiple times at night can present a considerable challenge, especially when one's daily obligations necessitate a sound and undisturbed night's rest for optimal performance.

While frequent nocturnal awakenings in dogs may occur for various reasons, finding the potential root cause is important so as to formulate the most targeted and efficacious intervention.

Addressing this behavior is important considering the fact that dogs are routine beings, and waking up at night can soon become habit-forming, especially if there is some type of reinforcement at play.

Because sometimes, waking up at night may be caused by a medical issue, it's important to have a veterinarian rule out any medical problems.

Of course, there can also be behavioral causes for waking up multiple times at night, and these cases require a close evaluation to determine the underlying cause that is fueling the behavior so as to correctly address it.

Let's take a look at some common reasons why dogs may be waking up repeatedly at night and what you can do to ameliorate the situation. These are some general causes, so not all may apply to your dog.

Why Is My Dog Waking up So Many Times at Night?

There can be several reasons why dogs wake up repeatedly at night. Because some of these causes can be due to health issues, it's important to play it safe and have your dog see the vet to exclude medical problems.

1. The Room Is Too Hot

Is your dog waking up and panting before being asked to be let out? If so, your dog may be feeling too hot. Some dog breeds with heavy double coats may get easily hot when we feel the room temperature is getting cozy.

German Shepherds, Siberian Huskies and Great Pyrenees are some dog breeds notorious for getting easily hot. Australian Shepherds are blessed with a double-layered coat, so they may be prone to feeling warm too.

If let out of the room, these dogs may decide to lie down in the hallway or in a bathroom in hopes of more air and a cold surface to lie on. Some dogs may ask to be let outside just because they crave the cooler temperatures.

Interestingly, your dog's sleeping position can provide some insights into how your dog is feeling temperature-wise. One common dog sleeping position for a dog who feels really hot is what I like to call the "dead cockroach" position, with the legs sticking up in the air. Once warm dogs have access to cold tiles, they may sleep with their bellies in contact with the floor.

Dogs who feel cold instead will tend to sleep curled up in a tight "snowball." Dogs who are comfy and committed to some serious sleep will instead rest on their side.

2. A Matter of Nausea

Is your dog licking his lips excessively upon walking up? Is he swallowing a lot? Does he seem restless and change positions often? If so, it could be that your dog is feeling nauseous. Many dogs tend to get nauseous at night or in the early morning.

For some dogs, it is triggered by being on an empty stomach between dinner and breakfast the following morning. This long fasting triggers some of the fluid from their intestines to flow backward into their stomach, which can lead to irritation, nausea, and vomiting, explains board-certified veterinary nutritionist Dr. Deborah E. Linder.

Many dogs, when feeling nauseous, will be agitated and may ask to be let outside because they want to go eat grass. These dogs will be eating grass frantically rather than the calm "grazing" we see when they're just craving some greens.

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3. A Need to Go Potty

Young puppies and dogs who haven't been well potty trained (incomplete housetraining) or who drink a lot in the evening will often wake up at night because they need to potty.

If the puppy or dog is crated at night, waking up and turning around the crate and whining may be signs that he needs to go potty. If your dog is not crated, be watchful for him getting up in the middle of the night, sniffing around and asking to be let outside. In these cases, it's important that you take your dog out promptly so as to prevent an accident.

Since your dog is 3-year-old, there may be chances that he has been smelling some wildlife at night or perhaps there is a new dog in the neighborhood or a female dog in heat, which may be prompting him to want to go outside to check out things out, sniff around, and possibly, urine mark.

4. Dealing With the "Runs"

Some dogs wake up in the middle of the night to poop, but if your dog is well potty trained and wakes up at night with a sense of urgency, whining, barking, pacing and pleading to be let outside, there may be chances that such a sense of urgency is triggered by a sudden bout of diarrhea.

Dogs are known for getting diarrhea for several reasons, from recent food changes to dietary indiscretions (garbage gut, begging for table scraps), and then parasites and metabolic issues, to just name a few. Depending on how severe the diarrhea is, dogs may wake up repeatedly until their digestive tract empties.

It's therefore important to investigate whether this may be an issue. Monitoring a dog's stools on a routine basis can provide us with important insights into a dog's health. There is also a Bristol chart for dogs!

Of course, a dog with diarrhea will have symptoms also during the day; however, it may happen that a dog wakes up one night with a genuine need to poop but then finds the experience somewhat rewarding and will want to wake up the next night and soon a habit establishes.

5. A Problem With the Urinary Tract

If your dog is well potty trained and suddenly wakes up with an urgency to urinate, there may be chances that your dog may be suffering from a urinary tract infection.

Urinary tract infections are most common in female dogs due to their shorter urinary tracts, but they also occasionally affect male dogs.

Other urinary tract conditions that are known to cause an increase in urination in dogs include urinary crystals and urinary stones. Any health condition known for causing increased drinking can cause increased urination. Steroids such as prednisone are notorious for causing increased drinking and increased urination.

In intact (not neutered) male dogs, prostate problems may also cause an increase in urination, although it may be more common in older dogs.

6. Feeling Anxious About Something

Dogs may sometimes detect things that we do not readily acknowledge. With their superior senses, they may smell or hear things with their powerful nose and ears.

If your dog awakens whining, barking and acting nervous, he may have detected something, such as a neighbor coming home after working the night shift, the trash truck or other canines barking in the distance.

According to a study, dogs were found to be more likely to bark in response to other dogs barking than to other auditory stimuli. Dogs who lived in groups were more likely to bark compared to single dogs, with one particular dog barking more consistently than its companion(s).

7. A Sign of Pain/Discomfort

If your dog is waking up and panting, this can be a sign of pain. At night, pain tends to worsen because it's quiet and there are no distractions.

Neck, spine or joint pain can cause dogs to feel restless as it is harder for them to get comfortable. The pain can cause them to get up and reposition themselves frequently.

In older dogs, some heart conditions may cause dogs to feel uncomfortable lying down in certain positions due to fluid buildup in the lungs. On top of restlessness, this can lead to coughing.

Older dogs may also develop a condition known as Canine Cognitive Dysfunction. Also known as Canine Alzheimer's disease, this is a form of dementia known for causing behavior changes in dogs, including memory problems, changes in activity and alterations in the dog's sleep and wake cycles.

A significant portion of dogs suffering from this condition have trouble falling asleep at night and may sleep heavily during the day, observes Dr. Carrie Jurney, a board-certified veterinarian specializing in neurology.

8. Detection of Critters

Does your dog wake up in the night and start sniffing around, whining and pacing? If so, he may have caught a whiff of some wild animal, or he may be hearing the sounds of mice or other types of critters living in the walls, attic or under the deck.

10. Seeking Attention

If every time your dog wakes up at night, you or some family member gets up quickly to go check on him, your dog may have found a new way to get attention. Any type of attention may qualify as reinforcing to attention-seeking dogs, even attention of the negative type (like scolding the dog).

Dogs who seek attention are often dogs who are lonely, bored and receive little mental stimulation for most of the day. Their big perk of the day is when their beloved owners come home from work.

If their owners give these dogs little to no attention, these attention-seeking dogs may try to find ways to engage their owners and get them to interact with them.

Before assuming a dog is waking up often at night for attention, it's important to rule out medical problems and other possible causes.

11. A Matter of Unmet Needs

Dogs have several needs in order to be happy. Other than food and water, some of the most important needs consist of getting enough exercise, play, socialization, training and mental stimulation during the day.

Australian Shepherds are very active dogs with a history of being bred for herding cattle or sheep. These hard-working herding dogs may easily get bored and may engage in problematic behaviors when their needs aren't met.

If they sleep too much during the day or get bored, they may not be looking forward to sleeping for 7 to 8 hours a night.

12. Separation-Related Distress

If your dog sleeps away from you at night and whines or barks, it could be that he's suffering from some type of separation-related distress.

Research has found that just like children, dogs tend to exhibit a secure base effect. A secure base effect means that dogs come to rely on their owners as a secure base for interacting with the environment. Humans give dogs a sense of security and comfort.

Some dogs suffer when they're separated from their owners, even if the owner happens to be in another room at night. This can lead to nocturnal vocalizations as a manifestation of separation-related distress.

What Keeps Behaviors Alive? The Power of Reinforcement

Many of the above causes of dogs waking up multiple times a night are maintained by some type of reinforcement. When dealing with dog behaviors (and human behaviors too!) that strengthen and repeat over time, we know that there is some type of reinforcement at play.

Two main types of reinforcement are at the base of behaviors that tend to establish over time: positive reinforcement and negative reinforcement. Let's take a look at both.

Positive Reinforcement (Added Reinforcement)

In positive reinforcement, the addition of something encourages a behavior to be repeated and strengthened.

The most classic example is giving the dog a treat after sitting. The sitting is reinforced by the treat being given contingent upon the dog's bottom touching the floor. With time, the sitting behavior strengthens and repeats.

Out of a dog training context, many dog behaviors (good or bad) are reinforced by the addition of something throughout the day that causes them to repeat over time. These reinforcers are not always owner-mediated (provided by owners), as reinforcers may be naturally present in the dog's environment.

In a dog who specifically wakes up during the night asking to go outside, the waking-up behavior may be reinforced by the following consequences:

• Getting owner's attention
• The opportunity to play
• The opportunity to sniff
• The opportunity to urine mark
• The opportunity to chase critters

Negative Reinforcement (Subtracted Reinforcement)

In negative reinforcement, the removal of something encourages a behavior to strengthen and repeat.

A classic example is pushing a dog to get him to sit. I do not recommend pushing dogs to get them to sit, but this is an effective example of how the removal of something a dog perceives as unpleasant (our pressure on their body) encourages a dog to sit and keep sitting in hopes of avoiding the pressure.

In a dog who specifically wakes up during the night asking to go outside, the waking-up behavior may be reinforced by the removal of something:

• Getting relief from a too-hot room
• Getting relief from the urge to pee or poop
• Getting relief from boredom
• Sending intruders away from the yard

So, to recap, positive reinforcement adds something, while negative reinforcement removes something. It's important to point out that in learning theory, the terms "positive" and "negative" simply refer to the addition or removal of something; they are not meant to provide value judgments (e.g., positive meaning "good" and negative meaning "bad").

Whether a consequence is "good or bad" is subjective and reflected by whether the behavior increases (reinforcement) or decreases (punishment).

Help, My Dog Is Waking Me up at Night—How Can I Stop It?

How Can I Stop My Dog From Waking up Repeatedly at Night?

To stop a dog from waking up too many times at night, you will need to obviously detect the underlying reason that keeps your dog awake. Sometimes, the underlying reason is not easy to identify and often more than relying on one single strategy, you may need to employ several. Let's take a look at some possible solutions.

1. Start With a Vet Visit

Starting with a vet visit is always wise, especially if the behavior has a sudden onset. From joint pain to neck pain, to digestive issues, cognitive changes and urinary problems, the medical causes for dogs being unable to shut their eyes at night can be several.

If a medical issue is at play, your vet can help treat or at least ameliorate the situation by addressing the root cause.

2. Run a White Noise Machine

Do you suspect your dog is waking up at night in response to distant noises? Is your dog the type who wants to go patrol the yard when he hears noises?

The white noise produced may ultimately help drown out the sounds your dog might be hearing.

In lieu of a white noise machine, you may find it helpful to keep the TV on (there are some TV channels just for dogs) or run a fan. A fan's consistent hum may provide a white-noise effect, helping drown out noises that might disturb your dog.

Just make sure that if you use a fan, the fan isn't blowing in your dog's face and that your dog can't chew any cords!

3. Try a Late Meal/Snack

If you suspect your dog is waking up hungry or nauseous, it may help to feed a late-night snack just before bedtime to avoid keeping the stomach empty for too long. You shouldn't be adding additional food but simply spreading out your dog's daily ration into more feedings, explains Dr. Linder.

Discuss this with your vet so as to determine whether this is the best course of action and whether your dog may benefit from a diet change or the addition of some medication.

4. Tackle Your Dog's Anxiety

If your dog is anxious because of distant noises or he struggles to cope with being separated from you, it's important that you take steps to ameliorate the situation.

• Noise phobias in dogs require management, behavior modification, and possibly the use of calming supplements or medications prescribed by your vet.
• Separation-related distress in dogs also requires a careful behavior-intervention plan, possibly accompanied with medications provided under the guidance of a dog behavior professional who can help your dog develop better coping skills.

If you suspect your dog is reacting to the noises of critters, you may want to consider having pest control inspect your home and yard.

5. Provide Exercise/Mental Stimulation

Dogs thrive when they are given sufficient exercise, play and mental stimulation. A happy and well-exercised dog should sleep more soundly through the night, considering that a regular exercise routine helps establish a healthy sleep/wake cycle.

A study has found that dogs who receive more social interactions with dogs and humans and were walked more during the day took less time to fall asleep and spent more time in quiet sleep compared to dogs that were less active during the day (Kis A et al. 2014).

On top of play, walks and training, it is also very important that your dog is kept mentally stimulated through the use of fun brain games and puzzles. Here are some ideas: 17 ways to keep dogs mentally stimulated.

Giving your dogs more social interaction in the evening through play, training and games can help ensure that your dogs aren't sleeping a whole lot before bedtime.

6. Make Sure Your Dog Is Empty!

One important step to up the chances for a night of restorative sleep is making sure that your dog is "empty" prior to bedtime. This means physically accompanying your dog outside on that last potty trip to ensure your dog empties his bladder (and possibly bowels as well).

One great trick to speed up the process is teaching your dog to go potty on command. While training this can take some time and works best when trained from early puppyhood, the training pays back big time in several circumstances, such as when you're traveling, need your dog to go potty when it's cold, or simply want to make sure your dog goes potty before bedtime so that he doesn't wake you up at night.

7. Use a Crate

If your dog is crate-trained, you may find the use of a crate helpful in lowering the chances of your dog waking up repeatedly.

A dog who is free to move about the home may feel tempted to wake up to go sniff around, search for food or run towards the door to bark at outdoor noises.

With the use of a crate, your dog is confined to one spot and will feel less tempted to wander around. On top of this, the fact that your dog is less active at night also means a reduced need to drink or pee as long as he is "empty" prior to being crated for the night.

There are many advantages of crate training dogs. Although it's ideal if the crate is introduced at a young age, it is still possible to crate train an older/adult dog.

An alternative to a crate is using a large exercise pen with a crate with the door open and comfy bed inside.

8. Let Them Sleep Near You

According to a study, when dogs had access to people during the night, 86.7 percent and 86.8 percent of dogs chose to be around people at 16 weeks and 12 months of age, respectively. Most 16-week-old pups slept in a crate, whereas most 12-month-old dogs slept on a dog bed.

With your dogs near you, it becomes much easier to persuade them to go back to sleep and will help reduce any separation-related issues.

9. Make the Outside Trip Boring

This is a little trick that can quickly dampen a dog's enthusiasm about getting up at night to have fun.

Since dogs encounter several reinforcing stimuli when waking up and spending time outdoors, it may help to make the trip outdoors extra boring.

The best way to accomplish this is by taking the dog outside on a leash, letting him potty and then bringing him back straight inside.

When taking the dog outside, it's also important to keep the level of stimulation low. No talking to him, no interaction. No turning on the lights.

10. Ask for a Melatonin Trial

Consider discussing with your vet whether your dog may have an issue with sleep patterns. If your dog struggles to fall asleep, you may find the use of melatonin helpful.

Melatonin is a hormone secreted by the dog's pineal gland in the brain. It's responsible for maintaining a natural circadian rhythm, which plays an important role in the sleep/wake cycle.

Ask your vet if your dog may benefit from melatonin and the right dosage for your dog. A study has found that when dogs were given melatonin, it turned helpful in the treatment of canine stress and anxiety, sleep disorders in elderly dogs, and hair growth problems.

11. Reset the Routine

Keep track of when your dog wakes up and barks at night. If it always happens around the same time every time, let's say at 3 a.m, set your alarm clock for 2:30 to 2:45 a.m. and take your dog out so that you can preempt the barking. This can help break the cycle of Sammy thinking that his barking is the key that lets him out.

Take your dog out on leash, make him potty, and then go straight back to bed. Repeat for several days in a row.

Then, gradually move the alarm to 3:00-3:30 AM. Repeat the same process for several days and gradually move the alarm later and later so as to condition them to wake up at a more acceptable time (like 5 to 6 a.m.).

12. Invest in a Doggy Door

For stubborn cases, a doggy door may be the ultimate solution. With the doggy door installed, your dogs can go in and out as they please, which can help reduce the barking to be let out since the dogs will be letting themselves out on their own.

There are, however, some disadvantages with these: Dogs may need to learn how to use the doggy door, and some dogs may rehearse unwanted behaviors such as excessive barking, which can elevate stress in their lives and lead to reactivity over time. Not all dogs are good candidates for its use.

Some Interesting Facts About Sleep and Dogs

Dogs are classified as having a diurnal circadian rhythm with polyphasic sleep. This means that they are active during the day, and most of their sleep is concentrated at night, although they undergo some sleep bouts during the day (Bódizs et al., 2020; Zanghi, 2010).

According to a study, when dogs were housed indoors, they were reported to spend 80 percent of the night sleeping, whereas this ratio reduced to 70 percent when dogs slept outside in a fenced yard and 60 percent when dogs slept outside in a non-fenced area.

This suggests that a dog's quality of sleep improves considerably when dogs get to sleep in areas where they feel safe and secure.

The common advice to get a good night's sleep before an important exam may apply to dogs, too. According to a study, sleep in dogs was found to help in memory consolidation, allowing new information (trained commands) to be more readily stored in their long-term memory.

As it happens in humans, a lack of sleep in dogs is linked with an increase in anxiety, aggression, lower frustration tolerance, and a poorer ability to cope with stress.

References

• Tufts University: Petfoodology, Stomaching the Problem: Could Your Pet Have Bilious Vomiting Syndrome?
• Leah Ferguson, Sara A. Wennogle, Craig B. Webb; Bilious Vomiting Syndrome in Dogs: Retrospective Study of 20 Cases (2002–2012). J Am Anim Hosp Assoc 1 May 2016
• Horn L, Huber L, Range F. The importance of the secure base effect for domestic dogs - evidence from a manipulative problem-solving task. PLoS One. 2013
• Kis A, Szakadát S, Kovács E, Gácsi M, Simor P, Gombos F, et al. Development of a non-invasive polysomnography technique for dogs (Canis familiaris). Physiol Behav. 2014
• Adams GJ, Johnson KG: Sleep-wake cycles and other nighttime behaviours of the domestic dog Canis familiaris. Appl Anim Behav Sci 1993
• Bodizs, Robert & Kis, Anna & Gácsi, Márta & Topál, József. (2019). Sleep in the dog: comparative, behavioral and translational relevance. Current Opinion in Behavioral Sciences.
• Harding, E.C., Franks, N.P., Wisden, W., 2019. The Temperature Dependence of Sleep. Front. 600 Neurosci. 13, 1–16
• Nóra, Bunford., Nóra, Bunford., Vivien, Reicher., Anna, Kis., Ákos, Pogány., Ferenc, Gombos., Róbert, Bódizs., Róbert, Bódizs., Márta, Gácsi. (2018). Differences in pre-sleep activity and sleep location are associated with variability in daytime/nighttime sleep electrophysiology in the domestic dog. Scientific Reports
• Rachel, Kinsman., Sara, C., Owczarczak-Garstecka., Rachel, A., Casey., Toby, G, Knowles., Séverine, Tasker., Joshua, Woodward., Rosa, Da, Costa., Jane, Murray. (2020). Sleep Duration and Behaviours: A Descriptive Analysis of a Cohort of Dogs up to 12 Months of Age.. Open Access Journal
• Adams, G., & Johnson, K. (1994). Behavioural responses to barking and other auditory stimuli during night-time sleeping and waking in the domestic dog (Canis familiaris). Applied Animal Behaviour Science

If your puppy or dog shows signs of potential aggression (lunging, barking, growling, snapping, biting), please consult with a dog behavior professional for direct in-person guidance. Articles, videos, and general information provided online are not meant to replace in-person training/instruction. By using this service, you are waiving any liability claims or other types of claims related to any of your dogs' behaviors against you or others.

© 2024 Adrienne Farricelli CPDT-KA, Dip.CBST