He has slept through the night for most of his life, so repeated pacing, panting, bed-changing and calls at two in the morning mark a real change, not a new hobby. Several threads commonly run through that change in an ageing dog, and they often arrive together: soreness that becomes harder to ignore once he lies still, a bladder with less holding power than it once had, disorientation when the house goes dark, and long, empty days that never earn proper tiredness. Your role is twofold: make nights as comfortable as you can tonight, and gather the pattern that lets his vet investigate the causes properly rather than either of you guessing.
Build the Evening Around Comfort
Start with the last outing. Give him a proper, unhurried toilet opportunity shortly before bed, not a quick door-opening an hour earlier, because a dog who settles with an empty bladder removes one whole category of night waking. Follow it with the same short sequence every evening: lights lowered, a calm stroke or brief check-over, his bed, the same settle words. Predictability itself is soothing to an ageing brain, and a wandering dog at midnight often settles simply because the night has a shape he recognises.
Look hard at where he sleeps. Supportive, low bedding he can step onto without climbing or jumping matters more now than it did at five, and the bed should sit out of draughts yet close enough to people that he does not feel exiled; many old dogs rest better within earshot of the household. A low night light is a genuine aid for a dog whose sight and confidence in the dark are fading: total darkness can turn a familiar room strange, while a dim glow keeps the water bowl, the door and his bed findable. Keep water within easy reach, since older dogs often drink at night.
Fill the Day So the Night Can Be Empty
Restlessness is sometimes a day problem arriving late. A senior dog whose walks have shrunk to a garden visit and whose day holds no novelty may reach evening physically rested and mentally unspent. Protect his nights by enriching his days gently: a sniff-rich amble rather than a brisk march, a food puzzle at low difficulty, company and small social moments spread across the day rather than one burst. The aim is a dog who reaches bedtime pleasantly tired in body and mind, without joints paying for it tomorrow.
Log the Pattern, Then Involve the Vet Properly
Note, briefly, each morning: how the night went, when he woke, whether he needed the toilet, ate, drank or simply wandered, and anything different about the day before. Patterns emerge within two weeks that no single bad night reveals: restlessness after quieter days, waking always at the same hour, or nights that follow evenings when he struggled to rise. That log converts a vague report of bad nights into evidence his vet can work with.
Take persistent change to that vet rather than managing it indefinitely at home. Only an examination can explore whether pain is disturbing his sleep, whether his confusion in the dark fits the changes of an ageing brain, or whether something else entirely is waking him, and the vet may suggest adjustments or options based on what is found. Ask, too, what you should monitor at home and what change should trigger an earlier return. Comfort measures and veterinary investigation are partners here: the routine you build makes his nights kinder tonight, and the pattern you record makes his care more accurate over the months ahead.
Bring the pattern, not just a memory, by keeping vaccination history and past findings with KinsLe in his Pet Passport for every follow-up conversation about sleep.