Why does my Boston Terrier wake up whining in the middle of the night?

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This is likely just him trying to get your attention. There may be something in the house or just outside that is bothering him so I would check on that. There may be a cat trying to get his attention at night. Best of luck!

4 am is way too early kiba! I can imagine your frustration. Is kiba needing to go outside to go potty? If he is make sure you are letting him out as late as possible the night prior and make sure he goes potty at that time. If he is asking for his breakfast that early than you could try feeding him a small meal before bed so he s not hungry so early. If it's just that he wants you to get up and play etc then exercising him more the evening before will help him sleep longer. Long evening walks, a hard play session right before bed etc. you could also try kennel training overnight to see if he sleeps better. hope this helps a little!

There could be a few different things causing this. If he's a puppy, he may need to go to the bathroom -- take him out and but don't give him attention or play time. If he's an adult, it could be pain, habit, a medical issue causing him to need to get up to go to the bathroom, or accidentally reinforcing this behavior previously with play (or even by yelling at him - if he wants to interact he doesn't really care if you're happy or unhappy during the interaction). If he's elderly, he could be starting to have dementia (canine cognitive dysfunction) or any of the adult issues. So, if he's a puppy, I recommend the above, but if he's not a pup, I'd recommend starting with a vet visit and then ignoring him at night if nothing is wrong. Good luck!

At this age, if Mila wakes you up by whining in the middle of the night, I would take her outside for a potty break - she's too young to be expected to "hold it" successfully all night. Once she potties, bring her back inside and calmly put her back to bed. If needed, you can give her something like a Kong toy stuffed with peanut butter to keep her busy and help her settle again. As she gets older, she will eventually stop needing to go out during the night and will begin to sleep all night without waking up - just like a human baby :)

Although I can't be exactly sure there may be something causing Kenai's anxiety in he middle of the night. Sometimes a noise that occurs (perhaps snoring or something while sleeping in your case) is causing Kenai's anxiety. If there are loud noises outside like thunder, gun shots, cars back firing this could also trigger this response. It may even be a sound imperceptible to you. My first suggestion is to try an Adaptil collar to see if this lessens some anxiety. This is a pheromone collar that tends to work nicely with mild anxiety. There are supplements like Solliquin that may also be helpful. Even adding a white noise machine may be worthwhile to block out some sound. It may be helpful to crate train Kenai at least for sleeping. Sometimes have a "settle location" like a crate can help reduce a dog's anxiety. Finally, if there is no improvement it would be a good idea to have Kenai examined by your veterinarian to ensure there isn't any underlying health problem contributing to the behavior. Sometimes pain or infection can manifest in anxious behaviors. If necessary your veterinarian can prescribe a medication for anxiety. I hope this is helpful! Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach and good luck to you and Kenai!

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Snoopy. Most puppies will wake up during the night to go potty. They cannot typically hold their urination and defecation through the night until after 3 months of age. So take him outside, let him go potty and place him directly back in his crate or sleeping area. Be quiet and do not engage in play with him. This will help him learn to go back to bed quickly. I hope this information helps!

Tyson is very young still so it may be that he is waking you up because he needs to go outside and go potty. You may need to make a routine of taking him out once or twice at night until he is older and can hold it the entire night. If he's just restless, a good play session followed by a potty break right before bed can help tire him out enough to sleep through the night.