older dog & crate problems

Question
My 8 yr old cocker mix is in his crate at night from 10:30 - 6:30 and has been since we got him as a puppy. In the last 2 weeks he wakes us up scratching at his mat,and trying to get out. He's quite persistent since he is on the 1st floor and we are on the 2nd with the door shut! If we let him out of the crate (at 1:00am)the crate is covered in his drool,he runs around crazy and he wants to go outside. When we let him out all he does is run around sniffing, that's all, just checking it out! I recognize that we shouldn't have ever let him out but we did. Suggestions? Thank you!

Answer
The first thing I would do is have him checked by a vet, including a full blood screen.  There could be something going on physically that needs to be addressed.  If he checks out OK, there may be an outside source such as a critter that has moved into the area.  Raccoons, possums or other nocturnal animals may be scratching around the house.  Try setting a live trap or other method of checking.  Leave some bait out and see if it disappears.

Best of luck, and I hope everything works out well,
Erica Slomka
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