Back to Basics?

A high-pitched bark wakes us from our slumber. It is Cheyenne letting us know once again that she needs us. Normally I wouldn't mind but at 1:30am, you have to be a little put out.

For the last week, the "wee one" in our house has been waking us up at 1:30am to go potty and poopy. Strange behavior it is. You see, both Labs go out around 10pm and don't have to go out again until at least 5:30am. So what's up with Cheyenne that she now has to go in the middle of the night?

It isn’t that she is wide awake and wants to play or anything. As soon as she is done going to the bathroom, she trots right back into the house and straight to the back of the house and in her crate to return to sleep. No commands are given for her to settle down. She just wakes us, does what she has to do, and returns to her bed.

Originally I thought it was some treat we may have given that has upset her stomach. Of course, you can keep an eagle eye on Cheyenne and she will still eat something she shouldn’t outside. (She is a Labrador Retriever after all!) So, I figured we would not give her any treats (other than her normal dog treat) and let this emergency middle of the night bathroom call run itself out. But, it is not running itself out after a whole week. So, now I have to wonder - did she truly get into something that is upsetting her tummy or has her body decided to put itself on a new (and annoying) bathroom schedule?

This leads me with a decision to make. Do I go back to basics and crate her during the night, like we did when she was a pup, so that we have control over slowly bringing her bathroom habits back to 5:30am or let nature run its course? Definitely a tough call... definitely something that needs a bit of thinking...

Wish us luck!