Dog is actting strangely in the morning

Question
Every morning my dog is getting up early (5-6am) and crying to go out.  After she does her business she comes in and refuses to eat... then hounds me to take her out to the front of the house while she sniffs along the driveway and into the backyard.  She has her tail between her legs and sometimes looks for grass to eat.  For the past 3 mos. I thought she was in pain due to her anal glands and have been having them expressed by the vet.  Last time I took her the vet said she was fine.  Now I'm thinking that maybe there's a coyote who lives nearby and is scaring her.  It's making me crazy!

Answer
It's pretty much impossible for me to guess what may be going on with your dog. Since she's received a clean bill of health, I'd change how I responded to the situation. Does she sleep loose? If so, I'd crate her, or bar her access to the bedroom so she can't wake you. When you take her out, you are reinforcing the behavior of waking you. If she is an adult, and healthy, she might have needed to go out once or twice if she has diarrhea or drank too much water, but it shouldn't be a nightly thing. If you think she might need to go out, take her out on leash, to do her business and go back to bed. No reason you need to go along with this ritual she's created. Sandy Case BFA MEd CPDT www.positivelycanine.com