Dog needing out at 4.30am

[Thenewdoctor]

Ddog is almost 1.

I thought she would be sleeping all night by now. She’s downstairs in her cage at night (door of cage open). She’s never managed really to go all night and wakens at 4.30/5 am every Day to be let out. She wees as soon as she goes out so she definitely needs it.

Any tips to get her to go longer?

She’s well walked and her last wee at night is between 11/11.30. She’s a medium sized dog.

I sympathise as my dog, who is now 2, is very similar. I do think he is getting better but as he has a long term stomach condition I can't ignore him asking to go out as I would hate for him to have an accident on the few occasions he has been poorly in the middle of the night.

I have had limited success in triggering an alarm clock just before I get up so he starts to associate getting up with that. You can then start to put it back a few minutes each day. The reason why it's only a limited success is that as soon as he is ill or we have a big change in routine then he starts to wake up before the alarm again.

What does she do after going to the toilet? My dog knows it's still nighttime and goes back to sleep whilst I am awake which is something.

infection??
id take her (and a sample) to the vets for a test!

mine did this he had a uti

She’s always done it so I doubt a uti

Might just be the way she is, like some humans have weaker bladders than others. One of my male dogs gets up a bit earlier than we would like, about 5am most days, the other one is fine until 8 or 9am. Same diet, same access to water, same general routine.

My dog always had me up in the night once he got older, but rarely as a young dog. I think it’s good advice to check for uti just in case.

But it may just be how your dog is and it’s something you will get used too. We always used to say if it wasn’t the kids waking us up it was the the dog! He was sadly PTS at 13, miss him like mad.