Why does my old dog pace all night?
Elderly dogs waking up to pace continuously around the house for hours leave owners facing exhausting, sleepless nights and mounting anxiety. This relentless nighttime disorientation causes severe caregiver distress and wears down owners until the situation feels completely unsustainable.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
- 1giving medications like gabapentin or trazodone
- 2consulting vets for second opinions and other medication options
- 3using physical confinement or crate training to keep the dog safe at night
- 4staying awake to supervise the dog and prevent them from getting stuck in corners
In their words
Unedited, most upvoted first, each linked to the thread it came from.
“He’s had a lot of health problems these past few years, and it has been exhausting.”source ↗
“Il mio cane (meticcio 14 anni) da un po’ di tempo di notte si sveglia e comincia a camminare per casa ininterrottamente.”source ↗
“Dico onestamente che per me la situazione sta diventando insostenibile. Vado a letto in ansia sperando di non essere svegliato, e quando succede so già che significa restare in piedi per ore.”source ↗
“Sono notti intere così, e mi sto consumando.”source ↗
Where this came up
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