Thread: why is my dog whining through the night?

My 3 year old British Bulldog has been whining, crying & barking in the middle of the night (usually between 3-5am) for the last couple of months. This is EVERY night now so im getting a little stressed with lack of sleep! Iv had Kaine from 12 weeks old & from then he has slept in his bed in the kitchen behind a baby gate no problems other than peeing in the kitchen quite alot which he was treated for by a vet as he had a weak bladder which has sorted itself out as he's grown up. As he's gotten older & i now have a second bulldog Maisy who is 2 (had her for 5 months now) they now have the kitchen & the living room to sleep in & a baby gate at the bottom of the stairs to stop them coming up.
Iv tried ignoring him (which im sure my neighbours love) & he ends up peeing or pooing on the floor. Iv tried going down, letting them outside to the toilet & then going back upstairs & he's usually quiet for an hour then starts up again. My husband is going insane & my house is starting to smell like a kennel!
Any ideas why he might be doing this suddenly & any ideas how to stop him?
Professional or personal comments greatly appreciated!!
Thanks for your replies, much appreciated.
I usually go to bed around 11pm & get up at 7.30am.

They get a nice long walk before supper time & then after supper (about 6.30pm) i watch tv & play with them until they are tired which is usually about 9.30pm & they just conk out while i watch tv for a couple of hours.
Bulldogs are super lazy so a couple of hours of hiper madness playing & they are snoring their heads off for hours.
Iv tried letting them sleep upstairs but we cant sleep as their snoring is sooooo loud, we can actually hear them snoring from upstairs! Not to mention the burping & farting bulldogs are well known for ha ha!

He doesn't like being alone. I have three dogs that hate being alone. As soon as I wake up they are stuck to my side. Your dog is lonely. Let your dog sleep in your room.

hi there, my dog did do this for a while also... i found it was through general boredness and loneliness at night. He probably thinks he's missing out on something and wants attention... i just stayed up a while longer with him... usually just watched some tv with him in his bed next to me, he got bored and realised sleep was more fun !! Maybe worth a shot, mine doesnt whine anymore... also try to tire him out throughout the day, dont let him sleep all the time lol.

Hope i helped worth a shot

OK, to be honest it sounds like he's got the idea that if he makes a fuss, he gets attention - by going down to him you have associated hime whinging with you coming to see him. Remember, he is not alone, as your other dog is with him. It sounds like he is otherwise a very happy dog, so i don't think it is anything to worry about, although if he has had bladder problems in the past, is it possible that he needs to go out for a pee in the night? Also, I know it's not everyone's first choice, but how about a dogflap? If he wants to go out, why not let him take himself out. I would try talking to a dog trainer about your dog - look for adverts for puppy classes, as this is generally a good place to find trainers! If you think it might be a bladder problem again, you should probably take him to see a vet, or consider limiting the amount of water he has access to during the night.

It sounds to me like he doesn't like being alone for a very long time.
I have two dogs, and at a certain time every morning after my parents have both left for work, one of my dogs will bark high pitched, whiny sound to wake someone up. After I've woken up, I go downstairs and sleep down there to catch up on missed sleep and he doesn't make a sound.

Your dog feels lonely and neglected. Maybe let it sleep in your bedroom for a bit, show it more love during the day.