Daisy has suddenly started pacing all night . . .
3 weeks ago she started sleeping in the bed with us - she has started getting up at around 1 or 2 am each night, panting and is up and down, pacing around pretty much all night - will get in her bed when you tell her but is back up within 5 minutes. Last night was the 3rd night in a row and the problem is getting worse. Once we get up she gets back into our bed and goes to sleep . .. She is energetic and eating well - we did change her dry food to a healthier blend for older dogs (read expensive) - and we have even tried taking her on extra long walks late in the day. It is not a bathroom issue, as even if you get up and take her out as I did at 2 am this morning, she does nothing. She has also started exhibiting some anxious behavious - i.e. laying with her head under the bed, coffee table, etc. Could this be an alpha dog issue - we started teaching her that we go through the door first, not to beg during mealtime, etc and is this maybe some sort of passive-aggressive response to not being the boss anymore? She gets plenty of love and while sometimes firm, we are never harsh with her . . . Please - does anyone have words of wisdom for us? |
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| I doubt it's an alpha dog issue. Pacing generally means they are uncomfortable or in pain. I would schedule a visit with your vet. Before the appt. make a list of how she is acting & at what times of the day & night. Also write down when you exercise her, when, how much & what you are feeding her down to the last biscuit of the night, how much water she is drinking & how often you take her out to do her business, how often she does what & a description of each. I know this sounds weird but it will give your vet a good base on which to make some decisions. It may be nothing more than a bit of an arthritis flare-up. Or it could be something internal that is getting to her at this time of night. The important thing is don't guess at amounts. If you have to, measure out her water & food to get an accurate reading for your vet. Hope she is feeling better soon. |
| Are there any noises outside that she can hear? Maybe something that you cannot hear. |
While I'm sure it's what CHSheepdogs said, Yuki does this whenever she is thirsty. It's nonstop [the panting AND the pacing] at night until you get your rear up to give her some.  Does your dog have or want water while in the bedroom with you guys? |
Harlean wrote: 3 weeks ago she started sleeping in the bed with us - she has started getting up at around 1 or 2 am each night, panting and is up and down, pacing around pretty much all night - will get in her bed when you tell her but is back up within 5 minutes. Last night was the 3rd night in a row and the problem is getting worse. Once we get up she gets back into our bed and goes to sleep . ..
Could it be that she is overheating being on the bed with you? I know Loki gets WAY too warm when he is on the bed - He generally prefers to sleep on the bare floor. After a few minutes on the bed he starts to pant, and then says 'To heck with it' and heads for the floor. Since she settles down once you're off the bed, it may feel cooler once you're out. 
Is her bed close to yours? Can she see you when she's in it? Since she's a rescue, she may need the reassurance that you're still there. CH Sheepdogs is right on - She's uncomfortable. Once you've ruled out medical issues, try to keep her in her own bed at night. She may like your bed because not only is she close to you, your bed SMELLS like you. If it's not already, move her bed close to yours so she can see and hear you. Also, whenever I get a new dog bed I make it a point to lay in it WITH the dog, so it has my scent. All of my dogs are rescues, so I spend a lot of time in dog beds  Sounds silly, but it does seem to help them feel secure. Keep water nearby so she can get to it without waking you up if she needs it. |
| Chewie pants and is restless if he is too hot at night.
At home he just goes out and lays on the cement porch floor against the outside door. (Water freezes in the dog dish out there on cold nights!  )
I get that behavior when we travel. I always lower the heat in motel rooms and bring flannel or fleece jammies or sweats to sleep in. He always picks the tile or linoleum to lay on - in front of the door or the bathroom. But, the last time I stayed at a friends house, and it was her carpeted extra bedroom and no way to make the room be really cool (I did close the vent, but it didn't really help much). Laura (friend) got home from work at midnight and fed her dogs, was in her office in the next room. I sleep like a rock, but she said Chewie was up and down the whole time she was in there and in her bedroom. He would grunt and flop down in new spots, trying to get cool every few minutes. The next night I cracked open the window and turned on 2 fans - it went a lot better. I just added another blanket!  |
| . . . . She slept like a lamb last night - which makes the whole episode even stranger.
We were on the verge of buying a crate to see if that would help at night but she went straight to her own bed when we turned in last night and didn't stir the whole time! Her bed is next to ours on the floor so I know she knows we are there all night. We keep our bedroom windows open at night so it is always very cool in the bedroom - however we do live in a fairly busy area of a large city so she could possibly be hearing noises at night that we cannot. It could also be that she gets too hot when in bed with us - I have noticed that happen before - so maybe she staying cooler in her own bed last night and was so tuckered out after two nights of pacing that she didn't hear anything . . . If it starts happening again then we will probably take her to the vet - although she was seen 2 weeks ago and got a clean bill of health . . . Thank you so much to everyone who posted!!! |
| Zeke isn't a bed sleeper.
He may start there, but within 30 minutes, he'll hop off onto the floor. Sometime in the night, he leaves the bedroom to sleep on the hardwood floors just outside the bedroom. And I can't keep the windows open at night with Brick around. He either hears or smells something outside and will stand with his nose against the screen taking big breaths and exhaling forcefully thru his nose. And he'll pace around the house from open window to open window. |
| If all checks out with the vet and she is not uncomfortable at all, I would be sure to leave fresh water for her and be sure she has a spot to lay in that is cool for her. My dogs did that when they were thristy and when they were hot. |
| Morgan does that when he isn't feeling well. And of course unless you were at the vet's with that complaint there would be no way they could diagnose an issue.
If it has passed it could be overheating or a minot belly ache that went away on its oewn - could be why she wanted ot sleep with you too if she didn't feel well. |
| Portage went through that from time to time when he was older. It usually meant something was wrong. We had issues with his thyroid and other issues with his hormone levels.
I think a trip to the vet is in order. At one point we thought he was in his "golden years" and sundowning. Then he had a horrible attack of pancreatitis and we think he may have been having milder pain for quite some time. He would also show panic behaviours (pacing/panting) when he was in pain. Once we took care of the pancreatitis, and had him on anti anxiety meds he slept like a baby. Poor guy. I wish we'd figured it out much sooner. I'm sure he suffered unnecessarily. I wish they could just write you a note and let you know where it hurts. |
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