# 6mo starting waking up at night



## OxfordVizsla (Dec 13, 2020)

Hi Everyone

I'm hoping for a bit of advice. Our 6mo old male viz has recently starting waking up and crying 5/6 times during the night. This has been going on for the last 7 nights.

He sleeps in a crate in the lounge and has done since 8wks old. Other than the odd night he needs to toilet he sleeps through from around 10pm to 5/6am.

The only real change I can pin point is that we have recently started to let him sit on the sofa with us in the evening rather than a bed on the floor. He loves a cuddle and its making me think that he's got used to that and then wakes up in the night because he misses us?

He gets a lot of exercise so I am very confident that isn't the cause.

When he wakes we are following the same routine as the initial crate training. Outside for the toilet and straight back in the crate. Sometimes before you've even left the room he can start crying. We have to sit in the room and talk to him for a few minutes before he'll settle.

He has a command word for settling where he'll lie down and generally relax so we use that but it makes no difference in the crate at night.

I appreciate they are velcro dogs and love their humans but lots sleep away from their owners so I do not want that to change.

Any advise you have would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks


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## SJD (Mar 15, 2021)

Hi J. 
many advice for me? I have a copy and past story - tho my girl is only 5months. 
Ive posted a thread - but see you’ve had no luck, so not confident I’ll get any help. Did you? Can you help me as your 6/7 months ahead of use!! 🙏🏼


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## OxfordVizsla (Dec 13, 2020)

Hi SJD,

Unfortunately, I didn't get the resolution I wanted. For us, it was the crate he was unhappy with. About a month after the original post and no change in his behaviour we let him sleep out of his crate and he instantly stopped crying. We can now go to bed as early as 9pm and he'll be quiet until about 6/7am. But this only works if he is able to roam downstairs, if we lock him in a room he cries. Even though his bed is in the lounge and he stays in there most of the night he doesn't like the door being closed. I know this is going to cause us a problem when we stay away from home but we'll just have to deal with it.

I have just read your other post and it sounds like my experience might not help if she can already freely roam, it is just she doesn't like being away from you?

We did find that when we are in the same room making him sit in a bed rather than on the sofa next to us has helped a lot. He is still allowed on the sofa but we try to make sure it's only for an hour and then we make him sit in his bed.

I hope some of this helps you, I truly feel what you're going through.


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## SJD (Mar 15, 2021)

THANKYOU for the reply.
So helpful! 🙏🏼❤🐕


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