I’m not even sure sleep regression is the right phrase but it’s the best I can think of at the moment. I have a 10 month old cocker spaniel who over the last couple weeks has decided he no longer wants to sleep at night until it gets to 1/2am.
We had managed to get him into a good routine for a few months where we’d be going upstairs around 9:30/10pm to then sleep by 10:30ish. This would allow time for him to decide he wanted to go for another wee etc. He does sleep on the bed with us and he’s been very good at either staying on the bed or sleeping on a blanket on the floor the whole night without needing to wake us up.
But it’s like a switch has flicked and he no longer recognises bed time as time to go to sleep. He could be fast asleep on our sofa at 9pm but the second we go upstairs to bed, he becomes a demon that’s summoned the energy of every dog that’s ever existed and refuses to settle. Even if I bring him back downstairs, he won’t then settle down again for a while otherwise I’d just let him sleep downstairs instead.
The weirdest part is he’s become obsessed with being outside at night. He doesn’t craze to go out too much during the day but at night he’ll be constantly at the door wanting to go outside to do … nothing. He might do a wee or poo the first couple times but then he’ll just stand by the door or edge of the decking staring at nothing.
We’re trying to switch up when he has his walks to see if that makes a difference but I’m hoping others have potentially gone through the same or similar and have some other tricks that worked so we can get him back into a routine.
submitted by /u/sorryimlauren
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