Hello. We have two 5 year old, female weimaraners. Awesome dogs. However, in the last month or so one of them gets up to go outside every night at around 3:00am. She goes outside before we go to bed and pees. When she goes out at 3am she pees and poops. She'll bark outside our bedroom door and then downstairs at the back door, back and forth. We've tried to ignore her, but we have a 2 year old who wakes up to the barking.

Any suggestions on how we might break our weim of this habit? She's housebroken, but has peed in the house on a few rare occasions, so there is the chance that she'll do that if we just ignore her completely.

Thank you.

I should add that we feed them their final meal between 4-5pm, and their water bowl is empty by 7:00. Should we consider adjusting their feeding schedule?

Moving it up might help. Making sure they move around on their last trip out might help. Since they used to do OK. maybe the vet could find something.

Do you take your dogs for walks before bedtime? That might be a way to get them to empty themselves of both urine and poop so they don't have to go in the middle of the night.

It could be a urinary track infection. I would discuss with your vet. I had an older dog who couldn't make it through the night anymore and I had attributed this to old age. When I mentioned it to the vet, she took a urine sample and found a nasty UTI. Some meds and a week later - we were all sleeping through the night again.

My neighbour tried a barking collor... I don't suggest this its so cruel to see... but I agree with the others usually taking a dog for a walk will help

Always have your dog checked by a vet too.

We are not vets here. We are only making suggestions that need to go along with vet care.

I hope he gets well soon. Let us know how he is doing after the vet sees him.

Update on our weim: After reading your suggestions I decided that we should try and break of her habit of getting up so late. So I got up at 3:00am and scolded her, told her to lay down and go back to bed. And she has ever since. No more getting up to use the bathroom. It's been a week so far. I hope this doesn't jinx me.

Thanks.

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Originally Posted by kbuchholtz

Hello. We have two 5 year old, female weimaraners. Awesome dogs. However, in the last month or so one of them gets up to go outside every night at around 3:00am. She goes outside before we go to bed and pees. When she goes out at 3am she pees and poops. She'll bark outside our bedroom door and then downstairs at the back door, back and forth. We've tried to ignore her, but we have a 2 year old who wakes up to the barking.

Any suggestions on how we might break our weim of this habit? She's housebroken, but has peed in the house on a few rare occasions, so there is the chance that she'll do that if we just ignore her completely.

thank you.

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If she's doing her business when she goes out, obviously she needs to. How would you feel if you had to go and had no access? Try feeding her earlier.

I have a Weim that's about to turn one - they're GREAT dogs but they do tend to establish their own schedules. I leave his food and water out all day long. Its always there when he wants it - and we don't have the problem of the waking up in the middle of the night.

We allow ours to sleep in our bed and leave his kennel door open so he can come and go as he pleases. The only thing I can think of that's saving us from the 3am wake up call? We tell ours "Go night-night" and he lyes right back down. Maybe she just thought it was play time :o)

I agree with Linda. If your dog is wanting to go out, and she pees and poops at 3am, she obvously NEEDS to go! It is cruel to tell her no and make her wait. She is only trying to please you by not going on the floor and alerting you that she needs to go out. Maybe try getting a doggie door if you don't want to be bothered in the middle of the night.

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Originally Posted by kbuchholtz

Update on our weim: After reading your suggestions I decided that we should try and break of her habit of getting up so late. So I got up at 3:00am and scolded her, told her to lay down and go back to bed. And she has ever since. No more getting up to use the bathroom. It's been a week so far. I hope this doesn't jinx me.

Thanks.

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You scolded your dog because she had to go to the bathroom??

Imagine you had to go to the bathroom but no one would let you into the bathroom to go. You would yell and maybe even mess your pants. Think of the dog, she has to go and You're her only way. She's barking to get your attention becausde she knows that if she goes in the house, she is going to be scolded, so she's trying to have you take her outside (LIKE YOU HAD TRAINED HER TO DO).

I think you need to re-think your ways of doing things. If the barking in the middle of the night is really bothering you, then like everyone else suggested, slowly train her to change her schedule or try training pads. Put it next to the door and let her know it's OK to pee on the training pad, this way she will have a place to go inside because you DON'T FEEL LIKE taking her out in the night.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by kbuchholtz

Update on our weim: After reading your suggestions I decided that we should try and break of her habit of getting up so late. So I got up at 3:00am and scolded her, told her to lay down and go back to bed. And she has ever since. No more getting up to use the bathroom. It's been a week so far. I hope this doesn't jinx me.

Thanks.

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I would like to add that it WILL "jinx" you! You are giving your dog mixed signals and confusing her. She will end up not trusting you as her caregiver and loving companion. She reley's on you to participate in the things that you have trained her to do, and to carry through with it... otherwise she will become very confused as to what is expected of her.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by kbuchholtz

Hello. We have two 5 year old, female weimaraners. Awesome dogs. However, in the last month or so one of them gets up to go outside every night at around 3:00am. She goes outside before we go to bed and pees. When she goes out at 3am she pees and poops. She'll bark outside our bedroom door and then downstairs at the back door, back and forth. We've tried to ignore her, but we have a 2 year old who wakes up to the barking.

Any suggestions on how we might break our weim of this habit? She's housebroken, but has peed in the house on a few rare occasions, so there is the chance that she'll do that if we just ignore her completely.

thank you.

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You might try putting in a doggie door, they come in handy, then she can go out without waking anyone up. Good Luck