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jack143 · Oct 8, 2009, 06:06 AM

I have a 17 month old Malti-poo since he was 11 weeks old. He has been crate trained since the beginning and adapted extremely well to the crate. He always sleeps in his crate at night. However, lately he wakes us up repeatedly throughout the night by yelping and whimpering. The 1st night, we figured he had to go to the bathroom. I took him out and he did go after running around and playing for a bit. So the 2nd night, I decided to ignore him as I figured it was just a ploy to get me to come to him. Now, even though I ignore him, he will whimper and yelp every few hours. At this point I don't go down to him, I just sternly tell him no barking from upstairs and he does stop for an hour or so.

Here's my thought: I recently changed my work schedule and am home more then usual. However, this is only a temporary situation. He is VERY attached to me and always has been. I am wondering if he is just "spoiled" with the extra attention and doesn't want to be alone at night now that he is with me more during the day. He gets PLENTY of play time throughout the day and at night, so inactivity is NOT a problem. And his eating habits have not changed.

I don't know whether to try to let him sleep in his doggy bed or crate in our bedroom or to just ignore the behavior. It is exhausting my husband and I as well as the dog! In the morning when I get up, he is so tired that he walks over to his little bed and spends the entire morning sleeping!

Any advise would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

CliffARobinson · Mar 10, 2012, 09:54 PM

Dogs are creatures of habit and routine. Break their routine, and they get confused and restless. Your change in schedule most likely is one piece of the puzzle, and once your schedule returns to normal, more than likely so will his behavior.

One thing you may try is getting outside later in the night, before bed, and spend 15 - 30 minutes playing fetch with him. Get him tired out, and do not let him nod off leading up to bedtime, this could keep him tired enough to go back to sleeping through the night.

Lastly, if he hasn't been to the Vet recently, I would suggest a regular checkup, checking his urine for a possible UTI.