Why does my dog jump off the bed at night?

If your dog does jumps off the bed at night, you might be wondering why and what you can do about it. This post will show you six common reasons why they do it and what you can do to get it to stop.

So, why does my dog jump off the bed at night? Possible reasons why your dog jumps off the bed at night are finding the bed uncomfortable, hearing noises, hunger, needing to pee, an issue with its diet, or an issue with the bedroom.

It is actually possible that there is a combination of causes at play. However, there are some things you can consider when figuring out the main causes and there are many things you can do about them.

Reasons why your dog jumps off the bed at night

Below are six possible causes and what would make each of them more likely to be the main cause. 

It finds the bed uncomfortable

The cause might be that it finds the bed uncomfortable. This would be more likely if it does sleep in your bedroom at night but it chooses to sleep on the floor instead of the bed. In this case, it might help to give it a dog bed of its own to sleep in at night instead. 

Noises

The cause might be that it hears noises. This would be more likely if your dog tends to do it when you can hear noises yourself or if it jumps off the bed suddenly and quickly runs out the room. 

Hunger

Another possible cause is that it gets very hungry at night. This would be more likely if it has to wait a long time before getting fed in the morning and if it does not do it as much when it eats in the evening.

Needing to pee

The reason why your does it could also be that it needs to pee. This would be more likely to be the cause if it wants to go outside straight away to pee, if it is a puppy or if it is elderly.

In this case, it would be important to continue letting it out to pee quickly. It would also help to let it out to pee just before bedtime. If it is a puppy, it would help to have some patience since it is likely that it is not yet able to fully control its bladder but it should gradually need to pee less and less at night. If it is an adult, it would be best to take it to a vet for a checkup since it could be due to medical issues.

An issue with its diet

The cause might be that there is an issue with its diet. It might be being fed too late, too much or it might be eating things that it shouldn’t be causing it to wake up during the night. This would be more likely if it has been walking around at night since a change in its diet and if it walks around more when it eats certain foods.

An issue with the bedroom

Another cause is that there is an issue with the bedroom that is causing it to struggle to sleep at night. It might be that the bedroom is too hot, bright, loud or because there is not space for it to lie down.

Things to consider

Below are some things to consider when figuring out the main reason why your dog has been doing it. 

What else happens when your dog normally jumps off the bed

It would help to consider what else occurs when your dog jumps off the bed since there might be an external cause. For example, if it does it when you hear noises, it would likely be due to the noises. 

What else happened when it first started doing it

If your dog did not always jump off the bed, it would also help to consider what else happened when it first started doing it. If it started doing it suddenly, it could be due to things such as a change in the bedroom environment or a change in its nighttime routine. 

What to do about your dog jumping off the bed at night

Below are some options you have when dealing with the behavior.

Ensure that it is getting the right diet

It might be the case that there is an issue with its diet that has been causing it to struggle to fall asleep. It would help to make sure that it has been getting the right diet and that it has not been eating things that it should not be.

Make the bedroom easier for it to sleep in

It would also help to ensure that the room it sleeps in allows it to fall asleep easily. The room should be not too bright, cool, quiet and there should be space for it to lay down easily. 

Give it somewhere else to sleep

It might also help to give it another spot to sleep at in the bedroom. One option would be to put a bed for it on the floor somewhere.

Get help

If it seems like it might be waking up, at night, due to illness, injury or a medical cause or it has been doing it excessively, the best option would be to take it to a vet. By doing so, you should be able to rule out medical causes and to get expert advice tailored towards your particular dog.

Let it out to pee

It might be the case that your dog has been walking around, during the night, because it needs to pee.

The best option for you here is to try to give it water a bit earlier in the evenings and to let it pee just before going to bed. This way hopefully it won’t need to pee as much at night. It would also be an option to let it pee quickly in the mornings and then to quickly go back to bed. If it is not a puppy, it would be advised to take it to a vet for a checkup.