6-Month-Old Australian Shepherd Not Sleeping Through the Night

by Kristina
(Long Island, NY)

My boy is 6 months old. At night, he sleeps in his kennel in the living room, our bedrooms are upstairs. He has been doing a great job sleeping in the kennel in the living room for over two months now. Recently though, he has been waking up between the hours of 1am-5am, barking, panting because he has gotten himself so worked up.

I kennel him sporadically throughout the day, even when home, so I can correct any barking behavior, as well as to show him it is a safe place to be in. A quick shhh, quiet, usually does the trick, but not at night. It seems he wants to go to the bathroom or just run around at night.

He naps in the morning, is up most of the day. Feeding is at 7:30 am and 6:00 pm (doesn't gobble in one sitting), and I try to stop water by 8:00 pm. Is it really having to go potty, or could it be anxiety? If the anxiety, what can I do to help him work through this?

Sidenote: My significant other is a first-time dog owner and is not keen on him being upstairs with the bedrooms.

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