Is this forever now?

[BirthdayRainbow]

My dog is seven and the most beautiful and amazing dog. She is easy to train and the best thing in my life bar my children. She used to sleep downstairs but for the last seven months she has been sleeping on the bed with me. I used to have the door shut but after having to wake up to open it I leave it open and she has free rein to sleep up or downstairs. The issue is her wanting to go out at night. Mostly she needs a wee but sometimes it's just to have a wander. For two nights I shut the door and she slept through so last night I did the same but she got me up at 1am for a wee. She has always slept through since three months.

I am exhausted. She always goes out before we go to bed and I'd never ignore her but does have anyone have any insight? Is this an age thing that they need to go out more? I suppose if it is expected it might make it easier. I know she is extremely protective of me since it became just her and me and sometimes I think she must have heard something as I've let her out and she hasn't gone to the loo.

Is her wanting to go out for a wee a new behaviour?

If it's new behaviour - take her to see a vet. This can be a sign of something being very wrong.

Our dogs usually were quiet downstairs through the night but would have occasional episodes of waking us up.
Once one of them had a UTI, but after it had cleared up he'd still be waking us up. With both that and the other times it seemed to just be something that became a habit and he'd carry on because any attention from mummy is a good thing, right? We eventually found the only way to deal with it was for DH to go down instead of me and give minimal attention.

We couldn't have the dog in with us, he'd always get off the bed just to shake his ears and then not be able to get back on again, snore, snuffle etc.

So... first the vets to check if anything may be amiss, then tbh I think I would be inclined to try having her sleep downstairs again, minimal attention if she disturbs you.

It's new in that it's been more than a month but for years she slept through. She's been to the vet for other stuff and is due soon for vaccinations so I'll ask then. When she didn't follow me up I shut the door and she cried to come up and tbh I like the company. I wondered if this is just something that happens as they get older?

Sometimes she wees, sometimes she sniffs the air, once she just walked to the end of the patio and came back in and sometimes she runs as if she's looking for something she has heard.

Thank you.

Do you have foxes in the garden? Mine gets agitated when he smells them, wants to go out and tell them off.
If the vet finds nothing wrong can you take her for a walk just before bed? Make sure she's emptied out. Mine sometimes just does a quick wee in the garden but will do lots on even a short walk, and the ritual of it seems to let him clock off.

Seven isn't particularly old so I'd be reluctant to put it down to that.

Seven isn't that old though. My Deerhound is seven and still acts very much like a teenager.

My greyhound got a bit like this in the last year of his life, when he was 14yo. Just didn't have the bladder control anymore bless him. And liked to just have a sniff around sometimes, I don't think he realised it was the middle of the night and he'd woken me up.

I'd say it's normal when they're actually elderly, but at seven it's unusual (unless she's a particularly short lived breed!) and definitely something to raise with the vet.

Tbh it sounds like she's doing it because she can. Wakes up, a bit bored, likes a bit of attention. No downside from her pov, she's trained you to respond!

So once you've had her checked up with the vets, you need to decide what you can and can't live with and then have a period of retraining her.

"Middle-aged to older spayed female dogs are prone to what is referred to as “spay incontinence.” This is a form of incontinence commonly caused by lower estrogen levels, which can lead to a loss of muscle tone in the urethra. In some cases, incontinence may be caused by a weak bladder. This condition is referred to as weak bladder sphincter incontinence. Your vet may call it Urethral Sphincter Mechanism Incompetence (USMI). It is the most common cause of urinary incontinence in spayed female dogs. "

My dog developed this when she was about 7. It's controlled by a hormone implant in her neck which is replaced every 2 years and a syrup called Propalin in her feed.

We have had foxes in the garden but haven't seen them recently. It feels wrong to ignore her in case she does need to wee. She has access to the garden all evening, unless it is cold and then I have to get up every time she barks to open the door. She's been excellent at not weeing inside and I think she'd hate it if I ignored her and she had to. She does a quiet little woof that gradually gets louder if I don't get downstairs as quick as normal so I think she'd keep barking. It is just me and her now since the last few months and I think she is even more protective of me if it is her hearing things.

@Eyesopenwideawake is it time to ask the vet about what your dog has? Mine is a golden retriever.

It can't hurt - it's a lot more common than you think. I guess you take her out for a last wee before you go to bed?

Definitely see the vet as it could be a medical issue.

Also, do you pet and give her a little fuss when she wakes you in the night for a wee? If so, perhaps that's what she's after.

If you just make it an in and out for a wee and then back to her basket, no cuddles, she might stop waking you.

She always goes out for a last wee before bed. In the night she takes herself downstairs, does a little woof to wake me gently then gradually gets louder doing no more then three barks as I'm there by then anyway. Sometimes I say no from upstairs and she barks again so I have to go down, then she wees. She then comes back in, I lock the door and go back to bed. Certainly no playing or cuddles. I'm usually barely awake trying not to get upset as I'm so tired. (I've not been well for quite a few weeks).

All these suggestions and questions are really good as I can see what I shouldn't do, if I was. Thank you.

I was up again last night. Exactly same time as the night before and she did do a wee. I'm so tired! Going for a walk now. She's looking so adorable I can't stay sad.

Is there a security light going on somewhere waking her up? Dc going to the loo disturbing her?

There is a security light but she can't see it from where she is on my bed and there's only her and me here now.