Dog whining in the middle of the night- new behavior

[ferney962]

My 1.5 year old dog sleeps in his crate every night and has had no issues with it and even enjoys it. For about a week now, he’s been whining at odd times in the middle of the night and won’t stop until he’s let out of the crate. Once he’s let out, he just comes and sleeps on the bed. It’s not like he visibly needs something such as going outside or getting a drink.

I emailed the vet and they say it sounds like a behavioral issue. He also just had an exam 2 week ago that went fine. I also wash his bedding regularly with natural unscented detergent. I’ll give it another wash today to see if that fixes it, but I’m confused and concerned. Has anyone experienced this before?

A few things to note: 1. He likes his crate and voluntarily goes into it before it’s time for bed, so the issue is not that he dislikes the crate. 2. The reason I don’t just have him sleep in bed with us from the start is that no one, including him, sleeps comfortably in that scenario. 3. He gets walked or taken to the dog park twice daily. There hasn’t been a change in his daily exercise that would lead to this sudden change.

 

[rebeccaw19]

@ferney962 The more you let him out if he whines, the more he does it. Just ignore it and he’ll stop. You do exactly what he wants you to do. That’s why he keeps whining.

 

[ferney962]

@rebeccaw19 Maybe, but it seems like he’s trying to communicate something is bothering him. I’m having trouble figuring out what that is.

 

[rebeccaw19]

@ferney962 He’s trying to tell you he wants to leave. That’s it. You even said yourself that he doesn’t need anything and just sleeps on your bed

 

[israelp]

@ferney962 I second ignoring this behavior but if it continues for more than a couple more days I would consider maybe getting a checkup at the vet to make sure he isn’t experiencing any pain. It might be a long shot but when my pup has a uti and bladder stones she would whine at night

 

[ferney962]

@israelp Did she have any other noticeable symptoms? And how did they test for this? Can it be discovered with a urine sample?

 

[starsilver117]

@ferney962 It's simple. Doesn't need a call to the vet... He just wants to sleep on your bed! Period. That is like paradise for them, of course they'll whine for that.

 

[ferney962]

@starsilver117 Doesn’t it seem weird that that preference would change overnight after a year of sleeping in his crate happily?

 

[starsilver117]

@ferney962 Not at all. Dogs have personalities too. He's just expressing himself. Other comments say to ignore it and that's probably right if you want him to continue sleeping in his crate. He is probably just protesting. Me, I caved from the crate, couldn't bear her sadness and let her sleep on my bed and I don't regret it at all for a full 13 years. She slept in uncomfortable spots at first, but over time I would slide her up to a more suitable spot and gradually she learned not to sleep behind my legs, etc.

 

[ferney962]

@starsilver117 Okay, thanks for your input! I don’t care to ignore it either. I’m not dead set on him sleeping in his crate- it’s just a matter of discomfort when he sleeps in my bed because he sleeps right on me or behind my legs and I can’t move around and wake up a lot. I’ve tried putting his bed on the floor next to mine but he always jumps up.

At this point I think I’ll try leaving his crate door open for a few nights so he can come out if he likes. It will probably end up with him jumping on my bed but if the whining stops, hopefully that will confirm the cause was just him wanting to sleep somewhere else. Thanks!