Bedtime set back

Hi

More a moan than anything else but any advice welcome....
Sherlock (15wks pointer) has been really good at settling in is crate at night for ages, we had a few sleepless nights at the beginning but then he was great. He does still start barking when he hears us get up in the morning but doesnt wake us up anymore. It was all going really well and we have a good routine going on with it but last night he really went backwards.....I did everything I normally do but within 20mins of me going to bed he started barking and crying. Because it was unusual and didnt seem to be stopping I went downstairs and took him out into the garden and he had a wee. I then repeated the go to bed routine (treating for going in crate and giving stuffed kong) and went back to bed. Within minutes he started again so I ignored him as he had everything he needed. He did eventually stop but then sometime before 6 (which is at least 30mins before the earliest we ever get up) he started again.....
I have no idea what caused this set back
I really thought we had cracked it
sorry about the moan

Hi Nlulu dogs are susceptible to outside influences and variations in behaviour just as we are.

Are there days when you drink more and need to pee more. Dogs are no different and have days when they are not well/take more exercise/eat something different/so need to drink and pee more. If they are shut in a crate they will naturally cry to go out. Perhaps a noise disturbed Sherlock and woke him so he needed to go out or one of the above suggestions applied.

Are you taking Sherlock out (not just putting him out) last thing at night and preferably to an area frequented by other dogs to stimulate him to relieve himself so that you can be fairly sure he is 'empty' before going to sleep. Do you praise and reward him when he relieves himself so it is a rewarding experience he will be eager to repeat?

Is Sherlock peeing more during the day , I would not rule out a urinary tract infection which will need a trip to the vet.

ETA at 15 weeks Sherlock will be starting to teeth, this can also cause changes in behaviour and eating/drinking habits.

Thanks Minihaha I am always really pleased when you reply as you make a lot of sense and explain things really well
I do take Sherlock out and actually have him on a long lead last thing at night as he will otherwise decide its playtime. He goes for a wee straight away and then we do a lap of the garden so he can have a good sniff and the walking seems to help him go so he is empty for the night. He isnt peeing more than normal so I dont think its medical but will def watch him closely now.
I think my main concern is that my older rescue dog had seperation anxiety when I got her (11 years ago!) and it took a couple of years to get her really happy to be left and im a little worried that the clingyness that Sherlock is showing will escalate to higher level anxiety......the bit that concerned me was that he cryed and barked after I had taken him out again and repeated the bedtime routine. There cant have been any reason for it other than he wasnt as settled. I am still a worried than he is trying to get attention too so when I take him out when he is crying I dont talk to him at all untill we are outside and then its just praise for going 'toilet' is this a good idea?
Im keeping my fingers crossed that he will settle better tonight and it was just something else that woke him.
thanks again

How was he this night? It might be just one off...

He settled fine last night which was great
Im hoping that it was just a one off

Feel a bit silly for posting about his noise so much but he is such a calm puppy about everything except being left and as I said after having a rescue dog with seperation anxiety I think Im being a bit paranoid!
Thanks for the interest

That's good. Bless him