Shocked and saddened

[Sheepscheeks]

Freddie, our 7 month old cocker, wakes us up between 5.30 and 6am every day. He sleeps in his crate in the kitchen. It is covered top and 3 sides, just the front uncovered and this is how it has been since he arrived in December. We know he is not waking up cos he's desperate for a wee cos when he slept on our bed in the caravan at Easter, he could last until around 7am easily.

Anyway, OH and I are knackered but the reason for my being shocked and saddened is that OH has come home today from a work related visit to an animal hospital and told me that a vet there recommended we use an electric shock collar to stop Freddie barking in the morning!!!! He uses one on his own dog, apparently!!!! OH said if he was on his own with Freddie he would use one but he knew I wouldn't allow it. Has basically said, though, that Freddie has got to stop waking us up so early. Don't know what to do. 

[toro]

Thats awful - cant believe a vet gave that advice!!

Have you thought about maybe putting the crate in your bedroom, or in the hall with your door open, so he can see you if he wakes? And then maybe gradually move it back to the kitchen over time?

[Sheepscheeks]

Bedroom too small for crate. Landing too small as well really. 

[Hurtwood Dogs]

Vets are often not good at behaviour advice - there have been a number of threads on this forum that have become heated because someone as been advised by their vet to use aversive methods of training and they see their vet as an 'expert' as they're 'qualified'. Vet's are generally only qualified in medicine, a few are interested in behaviour but not enough and it's a real frustration that they give advice like this for the reasons I've highlighted above.

As for your OH, he's desperate for some sleep and I can see where he's coming from. I've had 3 dogs of my own that once trained, never hassle us in the morning and I've looked after other people's that I've been told I 'HAVE' to attend to at 6am without fail that have also happily slotted into our routine - which is the dogs get up when we're ready - some days that's 6am other days it's 9am.

Some dogs are more raring to go than others but managing it is down to not setting an expectation so if you persevere with not going to them when they start making a noise too early in my experience, they do learn to relax and wait until human sociable hours. Neighbours are a problem if you're attached but a week (and a bottle of wine to say sorry!) should sort it out.

What happens when he starts making a noise at the moment?

[Sheepscheeks]

At the moment he is ignored until we are ready to get up. We all take it in turns to get up and when it is one of my daughters' turn, he sometimes has to wait over an hour and stops barking (don't know if he goes back to sleep or just gives up barking). OH and I put ear plugs in to try and get a little more sleep, he doesn't wake our DDs, fortunately.

[Hurtwood Dogs]

At the moment he is ignored until we are ready to get up. We all take it in turns to get up and when it is one of my daughters' turn, he sometimes has to wait over an hour and stops barking (don't know if he goes back to sleep or just gives up barking). OH and I put ear plugs in to try and get a little more sleep, he doesn't wake our DDs, fortunately.

Your daughters are doing the right thing tbh If you or your OH go to him whilst he's making a noise, that will be enough of a cue to him to realise that barking is getting him attention when he wants it in the morning... hard as it sounds wait for him to be quiet before you go and see him as then he will hopefully stop associating making a noise in the morning with getting attention - whilst being rewarded for being quiet as that's when you appear .

[Sheepscheeks]

The trouble is, on a weekday, to have time to take him for a walk and get ready for school and work, someone has to get up around 6.30-6.45am. Sometimes he doesn't wake up until after 6 and can easily bark on and off for half an hour or more. We can't delay getting up until he has stopped barking altogether but I do see what you are saying. I don't think there is a solution then, is there?

[Annette]

Ours wasn't an early morning issue, it was a bedtime issue. For ages we tried to do mostly the right things with Buddy but he kept on howling all night and we were going a bit loopy with lack of sleep.

Eventually we did the thing we really didn't want to do and moved Buddy's crate into our bedroom. He settled and slept perfectly from that night on!

After a short time we started to slowly ease his crate out of our room. The worst bit of that was when it was still in the doorway and we had to climb over it to go to the loo, but we managed it eventually and he stayed sleeping ou on the landing (albeit at the other end in a dog bed rather than his crate) until we moved from there last December.

It might be worth a try.

[mattys mum]

Hi

I put a thread on 'matty scratching doors' because he wakes us up at 4am-5am at the mo.  we have only had  him three weeks from a rescue and our problem, like yours, is the lack of sleep 

We are just going to try a crate now.  I find it hard to ignore because I am wide awake.  I am now doing my weeding or on COL at 5am

Hope you find a solution

Mandy

[Maria n Dennis]

My two have started waking up at between 5 and half past for the last 2 weeks  not sure why as they have always like to sleep in, but the howl and bark , if im honest i usually leave them although goodness knows what the neighbours think 

[bluegirl]

The trouble is, on a weekday, to have time to take him for a walk and get ready for school and work, someone has to get up around 6.30-6.45am. Sometimes he doesn't wake up until after 6 and can easily bark on and off for half an hour or more. We can't delay getting up until he has stopped barking altogether but I do see what you are saying. I don't think there is a solution then, is there?

Is the trigger going for a walk? Don't know what the solution will be other than maybe a temporary trial without a morning walk just to see if he lay in later?

[clairep4]

Does he sleep in a crate? If so I wonder if covering it so that it stays dark would help at all, or does he wake up at that time in the winter as well? Mine sleep in the kitchen and like you, we wake them up at 6.30 on weekdays, but weekends they will stay quiet until we go to them (sometimes as late as 9).

Another thing that might help is if you leave the radio on overnight with classical music, it might just help to keep him settled?

Is the barking distressed (i.e. is he getting himself more and more worked up) or is it just attention seeking?

[bella15]

Electric shock collar - Differently not the way to go - That vet should have one put round their neck   - I thought they were illegal? or is that only in certain places?
I can sympathise with you on this as I have five that wake me up at around 5.45 am,seven days a week .
Mind you they usually all do need to go outside to the loo

[Birdie Wife]

My pup used to do exactly the same! The reason was that she loves her morning walk, and I thought that she would be desparate for a pee and a poo first thing in the morning so I used to get up when she woke up (and barked to let me know she needed out) and go for a short walk with her, as she usually needs a bit of a walk to do a poo. She got into this routine so that when she woke up, even if she didn't need to go straight away (because she was a bit older and could hold it in) she would still bark to be let out for her walk.

Once I had figured that out, I could go about breaking the cycle by first going down and letting her out at the normal time (about 6.30am) but not going for a walk until at least half an hour after. I would have a cuppa and some breakfast first. This broke the association with going for a walk. After a week or so, when she was still barking to be let out, I would get out of bed, not let her out, but call sternly (out of sight) "That's Enough". She already knew this command from when she was getting a bit out of hand at play time and we would say That's Enough and stop play, amongst other times. You might have a different command - "No" or "Quiet", something like that. It didn't work straight away but within a couple of weeks we were getting a lie in and she knows that barking doesn't get her let out any more. Well, thats the short version anyway - it was more a case of trial and error to find what would work in reality.

We did try ignoring her too but that was taking too long to have any noticeable effect!!

[Mittens]

I've had exactly the same issue with Eddie. He used to sleep in our bedroom in a crate, then a bed on the floor, but Ruby came along and turned into a big competition as to who could get on the bed and be nearest us (until they were physically on top of you to sleep) and then who could get our attention the earliest in the mornings.... we were getting about 5 hours sleep a night and almost at the divorce point!  (not really  )...

anyway at Christmas we decided they would both have to sleep downstairs. It was a nightmare with barking and howling half the night, but it did settle down after about 10 days (we bought ear plugs and prayed the neighbours would not hear) to the point they both now put themselves to bed at 10pm and are quiet as mice...

UNTIL 6am to 6.30am in the morning, when Eddie barks constantly to get us up  . He does not need the loo he just wants to be with us or get on our bed, and tbh i am following all the advice (ignoring him, only then going when he is quiet, going and telling him to be quiet, then leaving him again.. etc etc) and we are struggling  I think perserverence is the key and I hope you crack it - if you do, please let me have your secret!