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  #1  
Old January 22nd, 2005, 08:16 AM
Vmar Vmar is offline
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8 month old waking tooo early

Lucky is an eight month old cockapoo male. We have no trouble getting him to sleep at night but no matter what time we settle him down at night 10:30 to 11 pm he almost always wakes too early. His waking time is very erratic it ranges from 5 am to the very rare 7 am (yeah) He doesnt usually have to go pee until 8 am. He barks from the time he wakes until 7 am every morning. We don't go down to him because we heard that this reinforces the barking. As soon as he hears our feet out of bed he becomes silent because he knows we wont let him out of his crate if he is barking. How can we stop this barking? An ultrasonic barking device works a bit but as soon as the batteries start to fade he repeats his pattern. I really need my sleep or I get really grouchy and get sick easily. I am cursing this dog every morning but as soon as I see him my heart melts.
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Old January 22nd, 2005, 09:06 AM
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Vmar,I do not have a dog,but 3 alarm-clock cats To me 10:30pm-5am or 7am seems a pretty good time for a puppy to stay quiet :love: But then again,I have'nt had a puppy for a looong time.
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  #3  
Old January 22nd, 2005, 10:10 AM
poodletalk poodletalk is offline
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I have the same problem with my 8 month old pup. She starts stratching and barking at my bedroom door around 5:00 a.m. Up to recently, I would get up and let her out. Now, I just ignore her comptely and she goes back to sleep-unfortunally I don't fall back to sleep. She doesn't do anything on the floor, if I don't get up. She was doing this because it was a habit and she was getting what she wanted. This morning, she didn't bark or scratch at the door-she's learning...slow but sure.
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Old January 22nd, 2005, 11:20 AM
Lucky Rescue Lucky Rescue is offline
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I had a foster dog who would wake me every morning at 5. I too felt sick all the time from lack of sleep. Here's what I did on someone's advice:

Set an alarm clock for the time the dog usually wakes you - say, 5a.m. PUt the clock in a room near the dog. After the alarm stops, go get the dog.

Each day, set the alarm for a little later.

Finally you will set the clock for the time YOU want to get up. By this time, the dog should be conditioned to not bark or to expect anything until the alarm goes, even if he hears you get up.
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Old January 22nd, 2005, 10:56 PM
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tenderfoot tenderfoot is offline
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My first instinct is to ask why are these dogs not sleeping with their people in the bedrooms? The pack sleeps together - this allows the puppy to feel secure and cared for. Often the pups will wake and just need the reassurance that there is someone there for them. It also helps if there were ever a problem (diarrhea), and the puppy really need help.
Dogs instinctively get up with the sun (sometimes a little earllier), but can easily learn to wait for their people to get up. If the puppy wakes too early then you are there to tell him to lie down again (in a firm tone) and expect to correct him a couple of times before he stops challenging you. Wait a while after he has settled down again and then be willing to take him out to potty and get up. Each morning extend the time that you make him wait. Until he understands that wake up time is when you say so - not when he says so.
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Old January 23rd, 2005, 07:19 AM
Vmar Vmar is offline
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Hi Tenderfoot,
I respect and understand your opinion about dogs sleeping in the bedroom. Growing up we always had dogs. These dogs were never allowed in our bedrooms . We also have our children in their own rooms. Many people also believe in the family bed theory with children but we chose to have them sleep in their own rooms as we do with our dog. Also my son's alergest suggested that our dog not be allowed in the family sleeping area.
Lucky is quite happy to go into his crate at night but he just wakes too early and we need to extend our sleep by about 1-2 hours.
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Old January 23rd, 2005, 07:27 AM
Vmar Vmar is offline
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Hi LuckyRescue...I like your name!!!
How long does this method take and how much later do you set the alarm each day? Do you think a clock radio would work? Our room is directly above the kitchen where Lucky sleeps so I know he would hear our radio. I would love to correct this soon as he will be spending a night with my parents in Feb while we go skiing and then again in March for a week while we head south for spring break. These are our only times away from home all year and it would be nice if he doesn't drive my parents crazy. They also have a dog do you think this would make the matter worse or better?
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Old January 23rd, 2005, 10:25 AM
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tenderfoot tenderfoot is offline
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Hi VMar -
I have never been one to think that children should be in the parents room either. Never got the family bed idea - seemed a little too close for comfort for me.
I am so happy you have crate trained the puppy - it can make life so much easier for everyone. It is going to make the transition to your parents house so much easier - smart thinking. Does Lucky have a chew toy in there to preoccupy him until you are ready to rise?
The other dog at your parents house could help because if they play all day he could be exhausted and sleep longer.
Give Lucky Rescues idea a shot - she has good experience and advice.
Otherwise we would have you either ignore the behavior and he will learn it dosen't work or correct it.
With some puppies (not usually this old) we would get up and let him out and then put him right back into the crate with no stopping for play or cuddles - just very matter of fact - get his business done and back to bed.
Or as I suggested before put the crate in your room so you are able to correct the crying and teach him to wait for you - but I am guessing that one's not your favorite.
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  #9  
Old January 23rd, 2005, 05:44 PM
momofrhonda momofrhonda is offline
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Hi VMAR! I symapthize with the early rises! Our 8-month old Golden Retriever, Rhonda, would get up very early as well! It wasn't too bad during the work week as we had to get up early anyway - but try to tell the dog that she didn't have to get up at 6:20 on the weekend ! Anyway, over the Christmas holidays, we decided to let her out of her crate at night to see where she would sleep. We put up the baby gate at our bedroom door and left our door open so that she could see we were in there. The first few nights, we could hear her walking around, finding somewhere to settle. Well, she settled right at our door and slept soundly ! Some nights she will sleep on the floor in the computer room across from us, some nights on her dog pillow in the living room, I even think that some nights she sleeps on the sofa! ARGH! But in the end, she sleeps now until I get up, whether it be 6:20am on Monday or 8am on Saturday - it's a saving grace ! Anyway, have you thought of letting your puppy out of the crate at night? Just a thought... Lots of luck!
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Old January 27th, 2005, 02:12 PM
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hddlstn02 hddlstn02 is offline
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I have to agree w/ tenderfoot & momofrhonda... My puppy, Bailey, used to wake me up 3-4 times a nite when he stayed in his crate... He would go pee when I took him out, but he'd also want to play, etc... So, finally I got brave & decided to see what would happen if I left him out in my room, blocked off from the rest of the house. He slept until 6:30-7:00 am! (He had been getting me up @ 2:30, then 4:15, etc... So this was GREAT for him!) After maybe a week of him staying in my room, he learned that he had to go potty right before bed & then he wouldn't get up to go again until I got up. So, I think (1) puppies feel much more comfy when they can be near you, even if you're in bed & they're on the floor, they still know you're there. Just b/c they're in your room, doesn't mean they have to sleep in bed w/ you. And (2) I think this would probably solve your waking up early problem... If nothing else works, I would try this... Just my opinion.
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  #11  
Old January 5th, 2010, 12:32 PM
kevnlou kevnlou is offline
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Similar problem...in dire need of help so i can sleep

Hi All, I am new to this forum, but already i love it, i have use it as our "puppies for dummies" guide (we also have the actual puppies for dummies book) for the past month and just registered today

Here is our problem,

Oliver our 13 week old puppy is waking up at about 430 every morining. This has been going on since day one when we got him at 10 weeks.

Here is what we have tried so far
-Had him crated in our bedroom he would cry/whine when we closed the door (between 10 and 11), then would be up and whining/barking at about 2 to pee, and again at about 4 to pee and then again at 6 at which point he won't go back to sleep regardless of how long we ignore him . because he was so young we did not try to correct the getting up to pee, but we tried telling him in a stern voice to go back to bed at 6 and sometimes just ignored him for 2 hours, but he just wouldn't stop whining/barking.

after about 3 weeks of this we decided to let him sleep in bed with us - presto, he slept throught the night wouldn't get up to pee and would sleep in till about 8am. this lasted about a week when we came to our sense and realized that we do not want the dog sleeping in bed with us and shouldn't be setting the precedent(spencer our 2 year old shar pei, sleeps in the basement without complaint and this is where we eventually want oliver to sleep)

We are now back to crating him at night but now the crate is in the living room where Oliver spends most of his day (the thought being that the familiar room will help him be more comfortable, But we are back to the same old thing, Oliver will go into his crate fine at about 11 but he starts barking at 4 am, we know he can hold his pee till 8 as he did it fine when in bed with us, but now he is barking at 4 am and if we ignore him, he pee's in his crate. He barks constantly when we ignore him, he barked for 2 hours straight, finally whenever we give in and come down to get him, we can't get him to be quiet until we actually open the door, so we are sending the bad message of bark enough and we'll let you out.

I am at a loss of what to do, We can't have him loose in our room because of our cat Dixie (she sleeps with us and is terrified of the dogs) we do not want him in bed with us, both because of Dixie and because he will grow to 60-70 lbs and there just isnt room for the 3 of us. and i cant function on only 5 hours of sleep. I can't get him to stop barking so that i can reinforce the idea of quiet gets you our of the crate. He loves his crate during the day, he plays in there, he naps in there he never pee's in there during the day, but as soon as we close the door, its like the crate changes into a cell in his mind

i don't think its a matter of enough excercise as he gets 3 25 minute walks a day, even when the weather is -20 here in ottawa (he has a sweater and booties since his 12lb frame seems to get cold quickly)... The only think i can think of is that he's suffering from some Separation Anxiety but i do not want to encourage that behavior, we want him to feel happy and safe alone...

any ideas will be greatly appreciated.

thanks

PS.. Sorry for the long post but i wanted to provide you experts our there as much information as i can
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Old January 5th, 2010, 12:37 PM
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bendyfoot bendyfoot is offline
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This may or may not be helpful...but in our experience, puppies just like to get up earlier than older dogs. Period. I don't think there's much to be done about it, other than continuing to follow a routine as best as possible, and waiting it out. We watched our middle dog settle into "sleeping in" when she turned about 2, and are waiting for our youngest to do the same (she's about 1.5 years old now)...but for now, she's the first to be up, she wakes the other dogs, and very often opens the gate that keeps the dogs downstairs and ends up bouncing up and down on our bed...I swear it's like having a toddler...WAKEUPWAKEUPWAKEUP!!! When our shepherd was between 3-8 months old, she was usually up by 5am at the latest, and having ten fits in her crate. It was a sleepless time, that's for sure!!!
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Old January 5th, 2010, 02:16 PM
kevnlou kevnlou is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bendyfoot View Post
This may or may not be helpful...but in our experience, puppies just like to get up earlier than older dogs. Period. I don't think there's much to be done about it, other than continuing to follow a routine as best as possible, and waiting it out. We watched our middle dog settle into "sleeping in" when she turned about 2, and are waiting for our youngest to do the same (she's about 1.5 years old now)...but for now, she's the first to be up, she wakes the other dogs, and very often opens the gate that keeps the dogs downstairs and ends up bouncing up and down on our bed...I swear it's like having a toddler...WAKEUPWAKEUPWAKEUP!!! When our shepherd was between 3-8 months old, she was usually up by 5am at the latest, and having ten fits in her crate. It was a sleepless time, that's for sure!!!
Thanks for the quick reply Bendyfoot.

I'll admit i'm pretty relieved to hear this this normal. Spencer (the 2 year old) never went through any of this, he loved his crate from the beginning and he always loved his sleep so we perhaps are just not used to this problem... we'll keep up the routine and hope for the best.

If there are any suggestions on speeding up the process i'm all ears

thanks,
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Old January 5th, 2010, 02:37 PM
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Marcha Marcha is offline
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What time does your pup get his last meal of the day? Our pup Bodhi (7 months old) will sleep longer in the morning if she's had a meal mid-evening. We give her her evening meal at about 9pm, and she'll sleep during the night from about 11pm until we wake her at 8.15am. (We give her a mid-evening meal because of other reasons, not to get her to sleep longer, but it was a pleasant side-symptom anyway.)

Before we gave her a meal at this time, she'd wake between 5-6am, all bouncy and ready to go for her morning migration. It wasn't a bladder call. Now, if she wakes before we do, it is only for a bladder call. She does sleep in our room though, on a dog bed on the floor since two weeks - before that it was in a crate in our bedroom.
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Old January 5th, 2010, 02:59 PM
kevnlou kevnlou is offline
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Originally Posted by Marcha View Post
What time does your pup get his last meal of the day? Our pup Bodhi (7 months old) will sleep longer in the morning if she's had a meal mid-evening. We give her her evening meal at about 9pm, and she'll sleep during the night from about 11pm until we wake her at 8.15am. (We give her a mid-evening meal because of other reasons, not to get her to sleep longer, but it was a pleasant side-symptom anyway.)

Before we gave her a meal at this time, she'd wake between 5-6am, all bouncy and ready to go for her morning migration. It wasn't a bladder call. Now, if she wakes before we do, it is only for a bladder call. She does sleep in our room though, on a dog bed on the floor since two weeks - before that it was in a crate in our bedroom.
Hi Marcha,

Olivers current feeding schedule is 6am, noon and 6pm. Are you suggesting he get a 4th mean at 9pm? or we move the 6pm meal to 9pm?

thanks,
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Old January 5th, 2010, 03:49 PM
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Marcha Marcha is offline
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I wouldn't recommend a fourth meal, unless you spread out what she's getting already over 4 meals instead of 3.

At 13 weeks Bodhi had 3 meals. A 7am meal, a 2pm meal and a 9pm meal, and then treats. When she was able to hold her bladder more, around 16 weeks, we made the first meal at 8am. When we moved to two meals per day (at about 6 months), we went for noon and 9pm, with a bone in the morning after a long run/play/training session.

If we saw she was still hungry (she's mostly a large breed dog with some giant breed mix added in), she'd get additional food in the form of training treats.

So basically, spread the existing meals that your pup is getting out a little further.

But all that said, it might not work for your dog. He might just be an early riser. You might also want to consider who's boss. Does he determine the schedule (walk, food, play), or do you?
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Old January 6th, 2010, 07:33 AM
kevnlou kevnlou is offline
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Talking Thank you all!!!!!!!!!

Hi Everyone

I just wanted to drop a note of thanks to you all, Oliver Slept through the night last night in his crate with no accidents!!

Thanks to Marcha - we fed him a little later based on your advice!
Thanks to Bendyfoot - I realized that you keep your dogs together at night so we tried the same, we put his crate in the Basement with Spencer!

There was a little whining at first when i put him to bed, but after 15 minutes it was quiet , and he didn't wake up until we woke him up for his 6am walk and feeding

Thanks to everyone on here, i got my first full nights sleep in a while!!
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Old January 6th, 2010, 11:58 AM
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Marcha Marcha is offline
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Yay!! That's awesome! Glad it worked for you and Oliver.
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