helen

by helen
(england essex)

hi i have a 2yr old jrt called dudley im still gettting up 2 or 3 times a night to let him out to toilet im getting no sleep everyone is telling me to stop and let him bark he will soon settle and realise im not coming they say hes got use to me seeing me? im worried he may get upset and also annoy my neighbours barking depending on how long it takes for him to realise im not coming please any advice would be helpful thank you

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Feb 12, 2012
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starstarstarstarstar 		jack russell getting me up at night
by: helen

hi thank you for your comments no i dont crate dudley never have he sleeps in the kitchen took some advice off the vet who after checking dudley out and found he is all ok.. dudley sleeps at the front of the house and the vet thinks hes just hearing noises and his protective instinct is kicking in.. he suggested i leave a radio on..for last 3 nights i have and success not been up once :-) xx
Feb 11, 2012
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starstarstarstarstar 		Jack wanting to go out at night
by: Shelly

Helen,
Your Jack wanting to be let out could be for a few reasons....
1. He is not getting enough walks during the day to eliminate or he is drinking too much water after a certain point.

2. He has some health issues

3. He hears noises that wake him up at night.

4. He has learned that if he barks you will attend to his needs.

I'm leaning towards number 4 however if having to let him out is a new behavior it never hurts to check with a vet to make sure everything is ok. Your friends are right though, you need to show that you are the Alpha and not attend to him otherwise he will do this forever and you will always be tired!! I'm assuming you are crating him...if you are not, you definitely should. Dogs don't usually make where they sleep. I would cover the sides of the crate at night to create a dark space. Maybe a food stuffed Kong to keep him occupied for a bit. But whatever you do, do not go to him when he barks to go out!! You may need to placate your neighbors with earplugs (and wine!) though. It may take a little bit for retrain him that you won't come to him, but it will be worth it in the end!

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