When dogs wander restlessly through the apartment at night, fear, excess energy or longing are usually responsible. However, under certain circumstances it can also indicate pain or even illnesses such as arthritis and dementia.
In young dogs under 12 months, fear and lack of activity are usually the cause, while in older dogs dementia is the main cause.
For some breeds, wandering around at night is actually an instinct that has developed through their past lives.
Then let's go through the 9 most common causes together.
Are you worried or unsure? Then click here to start a live chat with a veterinarian.
#1 Dementia
Dementia refers to an illness-related decline in mental performance. Alzheimer's is the most common form of this. But there are also many other types.
Recent studies have found that around 70% of dogs over 15 years old suffer from dementia. For dogs over 11 years old it is already around 30%. [1]
Typical behaviors here are:
- Confusion
- Repetitive behavior
- Disorientation
- Wandering at night
- Sudden aggressiveness [2]
The disease itself is currently considered incurable. However, the symptoms of this can be easily treated. In addition, the progression of the disease can be slowed down.
Typical measures include establishing solid routines, purchasing intelligence toys and installing night lights.
According to statistics, more than half of all dogs suffer from dementia in old age. As cognitive performance declines, dogs become increasingly confused, causing them to move around restlessly more often at night. The vet should be consulted for treatment.
#2 Anxiety & Stress
Both fear and stress lead to the release of cortisol and adrenaline. These stress hormones are known to suppress fatigue.
When they are under severe stress or anxiety, affected dogs cannot sleep at night and instead run around the apartment restlessly. Common causes here are:
- Separation anxiety – especially in young & sensitive dogs
- Noise – from loud trains, fireworks or honking cars
- Barking – especially from very dominant breeds
- Diseases – for example “Cushing’s syndrome”
- Severe weather – storms, hail or thunderstorms [3]
In this case, other symptoms are usually recognizable. This includes:
- Unusually heavy panting
- Restless and nervous behavior
- Physical tremors
- Incontinence despite being house trained [4]
For treatment, the cause should first be identified in order to then minimize or even eliminate the trigger.
Regardless, a lot of attention, plenty of exercise and mental activity help. Depending on the cause, anxiety-relieving medication may also be necessary.
When anxiety and stress occur, stress hormones are released in the dog's body, preventing them from falling asleep. Affected dogs therefore behave very restlessly at night and wander around the house. The solution here is stress-relieving measures or even medication.
#3 Excess energy
Depending on the breed, diet and upbringing, every dog needs a certain amount of physical and mental activity per day.
If this is missing, hyperactive behavior is inevitable. Typical signs of this are:
- Wild running around
- Restless and nervous behavior
- Sudden night activity
- Yelling, whining and barking
- Digging in the house [5]
Shepherd dogs and hunting dogs are generally among the most active breeds. Due to their past, they wander around at night much more often.
This is especially true if they are kept in small apartments or densely populated cities without wide meadows. They are simply not made for that.
Suitable measures here are:
- Regular playdates with the neighbor’s dogs
- Throwing toys such as Frisbees and balls (see ours)
- 2-3 long walks daily
- Chew and intelligence toys
If necessary, it can also make sense to purchase additional pets as play partners.
When hunting dogs and sheepdogs move around restlessly at night, excess energy is often responsible. By increasing daily mental and physical engagement, this problem can be solved at the root.
This website is for sale.
#4 Arthritis
Arthritis is nothing more than chronic inflammation of the joints. According to statistics, up to 20% of all dogs suffer from this as they get older. [6]
Once it reaches a certain level, the pain is often so severe that dogs cannot find a comfortable sleeping position. The result is nocturnal wandering.
Other typical signs of this are:
- Sudden aversion to stairs
- Increasingly stiff gait
- Whining before jumping
- Whining when getting up and lying down
- Joints becoming thicker [7]
Unfortunately, there is currently no cure for arthritis. However, the symptoms can be treated well with the help of anti-inflammatory medications.
In some cases, a change in diet or physiotherapy may also be necessary. However, you should consult a veterinarian for diagnosis and treatment.
In old dogs, inflamed joints often prevent restful sleep. Affected dogs usually experience so much pain when lying down that they prefer to walk around at night instead. Unfortunately, arthritis cannot be cured, but it can be treated well.
#5 Sharpened perception
Dogs' perception is many times better than that of humans. Because they hear, see and smell better. Here are the facts:
- Dogs have up to 60 times more olfactory receptors and therefore smell up to 100,000 times better than humans. [8]
- Dogs see around 5 times brighter in the dark and can see around them at an angle of up to 270°. [9]
- Dogs have an ear that is up to 5 times larger and can therefore hear around 4 times further into the distance than humans. [10]
In other words: dogs' perception is so incredibly better than that of humans that we simply lack the imagination.
If your dog runs around the apartment restlessly at night, he may notice something that you cannot see, hear or smell.
Typical triggers here are:
- Strange dogs
- Parasites
- Rodents and wild animals
- household appliances
In these cases, nocturnal activity is often accompanied by barking, whining, whining or howling. As annoying as it may be, your dog is just trying to protect you here.
Dogs' eyes, ears and nose are significantly better in many areas than humans' sense organs. Restless wandering at night can therefore be a sign that he has picked up something in the distance that is not noticeable to humans.
#6 Poor eyesight
Not only in humans, but also in dogs, vision decreases with age. Poor vision is most noticeable at night.
In addition, diseases such as diabetes, glaucoma and Alzheimer's can also reduce vision. Typical symptoms here are:
- Change in eye color
- Unusual clumsiness
- Dislike of jumps and stairs
- Cloudy or brightening eyes [11]
Wandering around at night is simply the result of your dog becoming increasingly confused and fearful in the dark.
To check eye health, I recommend visiting the vet. In many cases, appropriate treatment can greatly improve vision.
In dogs, visual impairments initially become apparent at night. Here, the poorer visibility leads to confusion and fear, which means that affected dogs often run around restlessly. A veterinarian should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment.
#7 Pain
Dogs always try to hide any pain. This behavior is due to the fact that they originally descended from wolves.
Wolves that look plaintive are not only the target of other predators, but are also often pushed away from the pack for their own protection.
For wolves, it is and was important for their survival to suppress pain. However, from a certain level this is no longer possible. Typical symptoms here are:
- Restless behavior
- Retracted tail
- Hobbling and limping
- Nocturnal activity
- Stooped posture [12]
When in acute pain, dogs often have trouble falling asleep, so they wander around the house at night instead.
Abdominal and back pain are the most common here. Among other things, headaches or joint and muscle problems can also be the cause.
To avoid unnecessary suffering, you should consult the vet immediately. Because he not only has the necessary specialist knowledge, but also the appropriate equipment.
Dogs in pain often cannot find rest at night and instead run around the apartment. As a rule, other external and behavioral symptoms can also be recognized. The vet should be consulted here.
#8 Breed-specific behavior
Some dog breeds were previously bred specifically to protect the home and yard from predators and thieves – both during the day and at night.
In the case of the Neapolitan Mastiff, for example, this instinct is so strong that these dogs still patrol the garden to this day. Many other Great Dane species also tend to do this.
The problem here is that these dogs, compared to humans, cannot assess how safe or unsafe their environment actually is.
In addition, there are some dog breeds that are naturally nocturnal. Wandering around at night is completely normal here. This includes:
- Great Pyrenees Mountain Dog
- Do Khyi
- Anatolian Shepherd Dog
- Komondor [13]
However, that doesn't mean that these dogs only sleep during the day. Rather, they are comparatively active throughout the day and take regular naps.
For many guard dogs and nocturnal breeds, running around at night is an instinct that used to be used to protect themselves. However, since this is an instinct and not a learned behavior, this phenomenon can be seen even in domestic dogs.
#9 Desires
Longings can become so strong in both people and dogs that they manifest themselves in physical restlessness. Typical causes here are:
- hunger
- sex drive
- Lack of attention
- Urge to defecate
If you are hungry, the reason could be that you may have forgotten your food. The same applies to the urge to defecate when walking the dog has been neglected.
A lack of attention can also lead to your dog wanting to catch up on it at night and therefore running around restlessly.
When it comes to sex drive, male dogs are particularly affected. Because this is relatively strong for them all year round. Bitches will…