# 9 month old not sleeping through the night anymore



## Chritty (Aug 17, 2014)

I do not envy you


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## nolefan (Nov 6, 2009)

I'm sure your dogs would do best with dally aerobic exercise, off leash hiking or retrieving sessions and a couple of short training sessions learning new tricks and practicing obedience lessons. But I suspect the reward of being taken out and fed is what is making the new disruption to your sleeping occur. 

The dogs need to be kept on a consistent feeding schedule. If they're fed upon waking in the morning and then 5 or 6 hours before bedtime, they should not need to potty in the middle of the night unless their is an upset stomach issue. As you have realized, feeding in the middle of the night has simply rewarded her for being awake. You may want to crate the trouble maker in the room with you and ignore her. I think it may take a couple nights, but if you tough it out and ignore her (buy earplugs from the drugstore and run a floor fan for white noise) this will stop when she is no longer getting a response. 

My sleep is very important to me, so my dogs sleep in my room ,next to my side of the bed, but they are crated so that they do not demand attention while I am sleeping. It also keeps accidents from happening where I don't know a dog is sick until I discover it the next day. Good luck, dogs are like kids, be consistent with your routine and they tend to do much better.


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## Marcus (Aug 24, 2014)

I would have thought having two would negate the need to expel energy.

What time do you go to bed?


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## Coco's Mom (Jun 2, 2014)

I don't remember when it started with my 2 dogs but it has been a pattern for the past few months. My 14 months old Golden and the other 2 years old dog would go to bed before 12, then the dogs would wake me up around 3 then around 6 to go outside. I really miss the time I can sleep through the nights


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## MKay1068 (Nov 28, 2014)

The dogs usually will go to sleep around 9 pm, sometimes earlier (8) and sometimes later (10). I have a hard time keeping them up past 9. I've been trying to take them on longer walks at night, but sometimes the increase in exercise doesn't make a difference with the 9 month old (she will still wake up). I am going to try and get them on some sort of schedule. They will usually take two long naps (a morning nap for 1-2 hours, and an afternoon nap for 1-2 hours) and then a cat nap in between the 2. I've been trying to get them to take a late afternoon nap (after they eat dinner at 4:30), this way they will have more energy and stay up a little later. 

With the weather getting hot outside, I'm not sure what their schedule will be like. They really only exert a lot of their energy when they play outside. Unfortunately, with it getting hotter out, we won't be able to be outside as much. 

I am also trying to gradually push back their feeding times so that her internal clock isn't telling her that it is time to eat so early. 

In regards to the girls not needing to go to the bathroom during the night, this has been a challenge. There are times when one, or both of them, end up needing to poop in the middle of the night. I try to get them to poop before going to bed, but this doesn't always work. I don't view them going outside to the bathroom during the middle of the night as any sort of "reward" for waking up. When I take them out, it is individually and it is only to go to the bathroom; as soon as they go, we come right back inside. 

I too thought that having the two dogs would help with tiring one another out and not needing as much daily exercise. Unfortunately, this is not the case and they both need individual exercise sessions.


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