Aliens. I used to wake up every night at 3:14. More aliens. Just kidding. How about ghosts?

Was 3 a.m. a time your late husband used to wake up? Maybe she was accustomed to getting a bit of attention or petting from him at that time.

I ask this because people in poor health (as I read he was on your profile) often have trouble sleeping through the night.

If you keep getting up when she barks, she'll keep doing it. I know it will be hard, but if you ignore her, she'll eventually stop.

Sorry about your husband, deb. What a last few months you must have had.

I'm curious...what does your dog do when you get up and see what she wants? Does she behave in a playful way, or beg for food or anything like that? Maybe she just wants company. I used to have a cat who would yowl downstairs after lights out, and I had to call him and call him until he came upstairs. In his case, he was an attention hound. Maybe your dog has something similar going on...funny little thing!

Thanks for all your ideas, Al didn't sleep at nite he slept during the day and if he slept at nite it would only be for an hour or so. Al was only with us for 3 weeks after we got her. and she slept through the nite except for this last month. the neighbourhood is quiet only 7 houses and when we (my dd or myself) get up to see what she's doing all she does is follow us back to our bedrooms. i think she's trying to say i'm bored come play, i'm gracie and i'm little! she does love all the attention she gets even from the most misable people you might know, her personality is what you'd call "super", sometimes i'm afraid that someone might just scoop her up and run away with her. she's so different from our "boy" he was just mean, her she's just happy,happy. thanks again for your help. ps just a little bit of nosyness here but have you noticed that alot of pets are overweight?

deb
keeping warm in northern canada

It is quite possible your dog is hearing outside critters, or critters in the walls which are nocturnal..stop and quietly listen, r set out some traps.

Have you tried taking her cushion from the kitchen to your bedroom at night? She sounds slightly princesish like my dog, and if theres no bed or blanket, she's got no interest in being there. Maybe she'll stay in the bedroom if you take her cushion?

Maybe get her accustomed to taking the cushion to bed to mean it's time to go to sleep. For the next few nights, when she barks, take her cushion when you get up. Then just start taking it to bed with you first thing. Kind of like how my dogs know when the lamp goes off in the living room, it's bed time and they both automatically go to bed without a word spoken to them. But if we stay up super late, they won't go to bed until that light is turned off.

Mabye it'll work the same with the cushion?

Although mazer is right too, you may have a 3 am visitor outside, too, and your dog can hear it.

I just got a female shih tzu puppy, and we started to name her Gracie! This puppy occasionally "snorts", which is something the vet said they do because of their short nasal passages and he said she will eventually outgrow it. Anyway, because of the snorting, we decided to name her Chrissy after Suzanna Sommer's character on "Three's Company"! She is such a little pistol ball! Lots different having a puppy when you're used to grown up dogs (we have 2 grown dogs, too).