Last Updated on January 22, 2021
For a lot of us sleeping is our favorite part of the day. You’re finally getting cozy on your bed after a long day of work and you finally fall asleep. But…oh wait, what is this weird feeling? Why is someone breathing so close to me? Am I getting licked right now? And then you open your eyes and it’s your dog staring at you.
The most common thing to do is just roll over and try to fall asleep again, after all, your dog has food, water, went for his walk, so he doesn’t actually need anything from you. So why is he bothering and waking you up in the middle of the night? This might even become a problem for you and you might be asking yourself: “are there sleeping pills for dogs?”. Wait a minute before you medicate your dog, cause he might need it or not but you’re not qualified to make that decision.
There are a lot of different reasons that can explain why your dog is awake at night, and don’t worry, even though seeing ghosts is a possibility it’s very unlikely.
Keep on reading to find out why your pooch is developing such poor sleeping habits and what can be done to fix it!
1. Your Pooch Just Loves You!
The first reason why your pooch might be waking you up in the middle of the night is that he loves you. Confused? Well, let me explain.
Dogs are playful by nature and have loads of energy. If by any chance you get home late you’ll notice he’ll come running to you with more excitement than if you were to get home at a normal time.
What this means is that you should try to figure out if those days where you’re paying less attention to him are the same days where he wakes you up.
If so, this might be the reason, your dog misses you and wants to play with you, therefore he sleeps during the day so he can be with you at night. What you can do about this is simply to spend more time with your dog and always go for a walk with him so he can use all his energy.
When you decide to have a dog or any other pet you should treat them correctly. If by any chance you can’t do this yourself, hire a pet-sitter for your dog during the day. That way he’ll be trained to be active during the day and fall asleep at night.
2. Moving Houses Or Changing Your Dog’s Bed Or Place Of Sleeping
Dogs are very curious, they have to know the place where they are staying so they can get comfortable. If you change his environment he will obviously notice and that might cause stress that prevents him from sleeping well during the night. Did you know that having guests at your place might have the same effect?
Any events that aren’t “normal” in your dog’s life can cause him abnormal behavior. You can try to fix this by playing soothing music or give him his favorite blanket. Even if you’re getting new stuff for him, always keep an old toy.
And here’s a tip: if you’re thinking of buying a new bed, you should invest in a chew proof dog bed. These are by far the best dog beds since they have more resistance and will last longer. Besides, in a new house, your dog will be chewing a lot!
3. Your Pooch Is Feeling Vulnerable!
Normally this happens with young pups since they feel more vulnerable than older dogs. But if you have recently adopted a new dog he might be suffering from separation anxiety. In other words, he might miss his mom, and in that case, you might be asking yourself how to make your dog comfortable.
There’s a simple trick that you can do to mimic his mom’s presence: put him besides a ticking clock while wrapped in a blanket with a bottle of warm water, that way you’re trying to make him feel as he would with his mom, safe and warm, listening to the heartbeat.
In any case, even if your dog is older, you should never keep them in a separate room or close the door on them. They feel scared, everything is new to them including you. But you’re also their owner and they’re aware of that.
This means that they need to see you and know that you’re reachable. Have their bed close to yours so they can see you. In the future you can, step by step, put them in another room, but in the beginning, make sure you’re not leaving them completely alone at night.
4. Your Pampered Pooch Might Be Sick
He could be just suffering from dog insomnia and in that case, the vet will give your dog some sleeping pills. Some sleeping pills for dogs are available at any store for anyone to buy but I advise you to always check with the vet first, just in case the diagnosis is worse than you initially thought and you need stronger medication.
Afterall having a dog and looking after it is exactly like having and looking after a kid. Maybe not literally but the resemblances might come to your head after you experienced both.
What I mean is that dogs need you for everything, food, water, going to the bathroom, attention, playing and so on. Therefore, when you make the decision to have a dog you should be aware of what comes with it. A lot of responsibility and work, but also a lot of fun and loving memories.
If you feel like your dog as being a «bad boy» there are a lot of ways on how to correct bad behavior in dogs normally it’s just about making your dog comfortable. A comfortable dog is a happy dog, always remember that. So before you jump to conclusions, make sure you analyze carefully your dog sleeping habits!
