6 months old and still not sleeping all night

[BillysMum]

Billy is perfect apart from him not sleeping all night 

Its really getting annoying, i thought by 6 months old he'd be able to go in his crate from 11pm till at least 6am and until recently he had been waking at 5am every morning and after going out for a wee/poo he'd go back in his crate for another 45mins max but the last week he's been waking up at 4am and if i put him back in his crate, he'll cry straight away 

I've tried everything, i've left him to cry but he doesn't give up, he'd cry continuously until i get up whatever time that would be, but its not as though i can even sleep through his crying, its so loud 

Any suggestions??? i'm willing to try anything.  at the moment we're just hoping that when the hotter days get here and the lighter evenings, Billy will be outside more playing and be more tired when he goes to bed so sleep longer but last night i gave him chews and played all evening in the hope he'd be tired but he still woke up at 4am 

HELP!!!!

[EmC]

Hi Billys Mum,

Unfortunatly I have no suggestions apart from perservering with putting him back into his crate and leaving him, hopefully he will eventually get the message.

We had a very similar problem with Jarvis.  He would wake at 5:30 every day of the week (even weekends) as that is when OH gets up to go to work.  He would also wake at maybe 2 or 3 and cry in the hope that we might give in.
I know how frustrating and tiring it is, also very hard listening to them cry.  I have to say Jarvis was about a year old before we had a whole week of uninterupted nights sleep 

Luckily OH is able to get earplugs free from work, they came in very handy 

Good luck with Billy

Emma and Jarvis

[bacardinikki]

I dont actually have a dog yet, 2 weeks and 4 days to go, cant wait.  My sister in law does though and she is having problems with him sleeping too.

Were is the crate during the night?   She used to keep Murphy in the kitchen over night but he would always wake at 2am and then after he went out for a wee he would come in stay quiet for 10 minutes then whine really loud.  Eventually my sister gave in and let him out and ended up sleeping on the couch in the lounge with Murphy on the floor.  I think it was just a little chilly in the kitchen.  Maybe he would be okay if the crate was near you so he could see you  and that might make him sleep longer.  Murphy is now fine as long as he knows his mum is near.

This probably is no help to you at all but i thought i would post anyway.

Good luck, im sure plenty of people will give you lots of good advice, i will be watching the post as i have all of this still to come.

[julesd]

With Teddy if we got up in the night we didn't make eye contact with him or talk to him. He would go straight back in his crate and when it started to get light in the spring/summer we partially covered his crate with a fleece blanket. When we decided it was time to get up we always gave him loads of fuss but never if he caused us to get up.

[CraftySam]

Can I ask if Billy's crate is in the same room as Alfie sleeps?

I'm just asking because I had a similar problem with Barney. 5am every morning his crying would begin. After toileting I'd put him back but he'd cry continually until we go up. I'd moved Barney's crate out of the lounge into the hall on a night so that he got used to time on his own. In the end, five months down the line, I decided to leave his crate in the lounge so he slept in the same room as my other two dogs and the problem stopped immediately. He slept right through from day one. Most of Barney's noise is when he thinks he's missing out on something, and it was in this case.

If they are already in the same room then you could try something our trainer told us. You know he's waking at 4am, so set your alarm for 3.30am so that you are waking him to take him out for a wee. When you take him out, you don't want to fuss him at all. Just give you command, I use "go do wee" when they do, praise and back into bed with the minimal of fuss. After a bit move the time you get on by 15 mins every few days. The theory is that it gets the pup into the habit of waiting for you as opposed to him waking you up.

As already suggested covering the crate can help, it did with Max when he was a pup.

[BillysMum]

Thanks for all the replys!!

Billy is in the same room as Alfie and can see him but it doesn't seem to help 

I've tried covering his crate/ getting up before he wakes me but he still crys when he goes back in his crate.

I think its just something i'm going to have to accept unless i allow him in my bedroom which i really don't want to do for a number of reasons, hopefully its something he'll grow out of though 

I might buy some ear plugs - thats quite a good idea 

[scooby's mum]

I suppose this is the down side to using a crate - I didn't have one for Scooby (and he never had us up at night once) but because everyone raves about them we got one for Misty and she just wouldn't go in it, not even with the door open, so after perservering for a few nights we ditched the crate and haven't had any problems whatsoever since 

She is always up when my hubby leaves in the morning (at about 7am) but I suppose because she can have a mooch around in the kitchen, play with her toys, and also because Scooby is with her, she doesn't bark/howl for us to come.

However, as soon as she hears my footsteps upstairs they both start - it's like something from The Hound and the Baskervilles 

[Lee67]

Poppy was in a crate from day 1, we (I) had sleepless nights for about 3-4 weeks then she slept through until 7ish. She was brilliant for a couple of months then all of a sudden she was waking up anything from 5.30 - 6.45 (6.45 is when the heating clicks on), going out for a wee but wouldn't go back in her crate.
While this was going on Poppy decided she would jump into the crate then onto the breakfast bar!
So the crate had to go because I was scared she would fall off. 
A month ago when Poppy was 6 months we got her a bed. It's more like a child's armchair than a dog bed! Straight away she slept through until 6.45 and on the odd occasion she wakes up at 6ish, she goes out for a wee then straight back to bed. She loves it, even when I'm upstairs she chooses her bed over the sofa!

Good luck! 

[BillysMum]

Thanks, I have considered leaving him out of the crate, in the same room as Alfie but i think he'd stand at the door crying and scratching it the whole time, might be worth a try though 

[scooby's mum]

Did you try him out of the crate last night?

[Anita breathes Cockers]

If he's let out last thing, he should easily be able to hold himself all night now.  If you have some time during the day, try this. Pop him in his crate, leave him for 10 mins, ignore whinging, wait for a break then let him out, lots of praise and treat.  Half our later, same thing.  Extend time until (like other trainer advised) he is waiting for YOU and a cuddle and treat.
If it persists, why not let him out early for his wee, then give him a Kong and go back to bed!

[nicola brennan]

we have been really lucky with bobby, since the first night we brought him home he has loved his crate, keener to be out of it but enjoys his own space in there.  sorry to gloat but at the weekend i come down at 9 and he's just stretching out.....  but from reading things on this site i think all of the dogs are so different some are luckier than others in other things.  and its just trial and error and what works for you....  good luck i know sleep deprivation is an awful thing 

[BillysMum]

I've tried leaving him in his crate but i tried turning the radiator in the dogs room on, i normally leave it off because Alfie (my lab) prefers it cold to hot but i thought i'd turn it on to warm the room up before bed and thursday night Billy woke me up at 4:30am, i went down and let him out for a wee and i put him back in his crate and left him and he slept through till 6am 

Last night i heard him whimpering at around 5am ish and i must've fallen back to sleep and he must've too cos he didn't wake us up again until 7am!!!!! wahoooooo thats the first full night sleep i've had since he came home 

I hope it continues but i now know he can do it 

[claireandmartin]

hiya we ahve had bailey 2 days and she hates her crate, we put her in it about 10 mins before we go up to bed and turn all the lights off but we do have a small lamp in the kitchen on for her as thats where she is on a night , any way the first night she was really cood only noisey for about ten mins and then settled , but last night was a t6otally differant story she was crying all night, but we did not pander to her.  

one thing im going to try tonight is as bailey is still only 7 and half weeks she sleeps so much , im going to really try tiering her out tonight before we go to bed and hopefully fingers crossed she will sleep through !!!

[BillysMum]

awww good luck tonight claireandmartin..... let us know how you get on