QuestionMy 6-year old Dachshund, Dexter, has always slept through the nite until about 2 months ago. He started waking up between 1:00 and 3:00 a.m. jumping on our bed trying to sleep with my husband and me. I put him back in his bed which is right beside my bed. He will get right back up and jump on our bed. He's pacing and knocking the blinds, which is how he lets us know he wants out. We let him out and he will try getting back in bed with me. He'll whine, knock the blinds, go into the living room. This goes on and on. When he gets in our bed, he's clingy and will get as close as he can to my head and face and lick me. During the day he's fine. It's only when the lights go out at bedtime. We've given him Benadryl, purchased DAP, have no other animals or kids. We even put him in the garage with his bed a few times so we could get some sleep. He scratched and whined. Help! What could be bothering him?
AnswerIt is odd. There could be a medical reason for a behavior change so talk to your vet. I wonder if he is having problems with his eye sight or something happened that has him extremely anxious. Most doxies prefer the big bed but if he used to sleep on the floor with no problems and you have had him awhile, I would have him checked out. The licking is a sign of insecurity - I have two that have that problem. The garage will stress him out more. So check with your vet to make sure he is okay medically.
