Zac's an early bird...PLEASE HELP!!!

[Timbo19]

Zac occasionally wakes during the night but only to have a wee and then goes back to sleep.

The main problem is that a member of the household likes to get up ridicously early at approximately 5.30  . This disturbs Zac and he wakes to expect that it's play time  . We have tryed leaving him but he whines and this becomes longer and louder, therefore he has been getting up at 6 and going downstairs. Until mum goes to work at 7.00 and he then goes back in his crate. This is not a problem for us really as mother doesn't mind looking after him but ....the problem is when it comes to the weekend and he expects to get up at 5.30-6, but none of us are mad enough to get up at this time.

What shall we do?

[bracken]

Sorry I am no help as my 4 cockers are up at 5.45-6.15 every day   just know how you feel  

[rwasinski]

Llew (5 1/2 months) will sleep until 7am but Blod (9 months) will sleep until 6am - 6.15 am at a push. We have tried settling them upstairs on our bed for an extra half hour in bed but they aren't usually interested!

We have adapted now to just heading to bed at 9pm! In fact, it's already past our bedtime 

[Timbo19]

Well Zac is only 10 weeks old, but he isn't going down to bed properly until 10-10.30.

I do feel that maybe we are expecting maybe a bit too much at only 10 wks old but I don't really want him getting into a routine therefore wanted some advice early on.

[coralee]

Hi there - I'm not hugely experienced, but my Harvey (10 weeks) did the same, 5:30am (yawn!) I just made a point to always tell him to get back in to bed - pointing to his bed whilst doing so. It took 5 or 6 goes on the first night/morning, and, now, after about 5 days, he goes back to bed as soon as I tell him to. In fact, last night, he slept from 11pm to 5:30am, woke me, I told him "bed" and he went back to sleep until 9am (a MASSIVE lay-in for me!  )

I think it's all about consistency - and not talking too much when you do it, making sure you turn over and go back to sleep, so he knows it's not time yet...or, I might just have an extremely lazy puppy!   - I hope it works out for you  

p.s. He sleeps in his pen, with a puppy pad at the mo, so can freely wee, although he's getting "dryer" through the night

[Annie's Mum]

no help here Annie is two and still wakes at 6am 

[Sheepscheeks]

Sympathies from me too - Freddie (4 months) is usually awake around 6am but sometimes as early as 4 but then he only gets let out for a wee then he goes back to sleep til around 6. I think the problem is that he sleeps on the sofa from about 9 in the evening. We have tried keeping him awake by playing with him but he is just not interested and gets cranky so it's not worth it. I think at 10 weeks your pup may still need to wee in the early morning if he is going down at 10-10.30. I would think things may improve but, as other members have pointed out, some dogs just like waking early. It will be easier when it is not so darn cold at 6 eh!!

[Joules]

Well Zac is only 10 weeks old, but he isn't going down to bed properly until 10-10.30.

I do feel that maybe we are expecting maybe a bit too much at only 10 wks old but I don't really want him getting into a routine therefore wanted some advice early on.

There is your answer - Zac is still a baby and so it is probably a bit much to expect him to sleep in.    You may just have to get used to an early start for a while - best not to make it too much fun though so he doesn't expect playtime every day at dawn   

When Coco was a pup, I just got used to getting up at stupid o'clock for the first year or so.    It has gradually got later and now she will usually stay quiet until I come downstairs at about 7.30.    If I have a shower in the morning or take longer than she thinks I should, she will still kick up if she can hear me moving around.    She will probably never be the sort of dog that will let me stay in bed until 10 but she is certainly a lot better 

[Karma]

Agree with Joules.... at 10 weeks, I suspect you are expecting a bit too much!

It took us months to move Honey from waking before 6am to allowing us a lie in till 7.30 at weekends.... and one of the key parts of this was that she didn't have play immediately we got up.  I would get up (intially at 5.45am, then gradually moving it later, so that she wasn't waking us, but my alarm was) and just lie on the sofa with her.   

[black taz]

Taz was the same, and Kira my 15 week old lab is as well.  I am hoping that it will get better with Kira as it did with Taz.

With Taz it was pre-COL days and i must admit i did squirt him with water to stop him as it was getting earlier and earlier.  it did work but now i realise that could have backfired on me and was lucky that it worked. 

[sophiew]

Tally is 6 months now (how? When?!) and is waking up at 5.30am or 6am on a good day 

We have tried keeping her up later, but it doesn't make any difference - if we got to bed at 9pm she wakes at 6, if we stay up and keep her awake until midnight, she wakes at 6am.

She barks because she needs a wee, so I go down and let her out (no fuss, no talking), she has a wee and comes back in. Half an hour later, she barks again and needs a poo  Then she decides it is absolutely time for breakfast and she might STARVE if she is not fed RIGHT NOW! We are trialling always having a time for breakfast no matter when she wakes eg. she will never get fed breakfast until 7.30, even if she is up at 6. I don't know what else to do. Unfortunately I am quite sleep needy and have been unwell, so my tolerance of being woken is awful.

Good luck!

Sophie
x

[Gilly_M]

I've just had a wee read at this thread as Willow has been home since Saturday and has been getting me up at 5.15/5.30 every morning.  My partner works shifts and this week has been on dayshift, so she has been getting up about then anyway to shower.  This has meant that I have just been getting up with my OH so as Willow doesn't get upset.  Today was my OHs last dayshift this week so tomorrow morning I might try taking her out for her pee (Willow, not my OH  ) at 5.30 then putting her back in bed to see if I can get another hour or two. 
It's impossible to get annoyed about it though when she is so adorable 
Almost every thread in the puppy section seems to be relevant to things I am going through right now! I'm not getting stressed out about anything (early days yet eh)  but it is good to know that everything that is happening is normal. 

I'm so glad I found COL! 

[MaggieR]

I've just had a wee read at this thread as Willow has been home since Saturday and has been getting me up at 5.15/5.30 every morning.  My partner works shifts and this week has been on dayshift, so she has been getting up about then anyway to shower.  This has meant that I have just been getting up with my OH so as Willow doesn't get upset.  Today was my OHs last dayshift this week so tomorrow morning I might try taking her out for her pee (Willow, not my OH  ) at 5.30 then putting her back in bed to see if I can get another hour or two. 
It's impossible to get annoyed about it though when she is so adorable 
Almost every thread in the puppy section seems to be relevant to things I am going through right now! I'm not getting stressed out about anything (early days yet eh)  but it is good to know that everything that is happening is normal. 

I'm so glad I found COL! 

Fingers crossed Williow pops back to sleep for you... it does seem to be the sleep deprivation that starts to get to people in the end 

[maccie75]

Hi There
Marco is 5 months old and was sleeping in the kitchen till about 6am as he became house trained he then barked at about 4am to go outside - so we got woken early but had a clean floor!!

Now he has the run of the house at night and tends to sleep upstairs with us (normally on our feet)!! and will either sleep through till 7am or will wake us for a quick wee and then comes back to bed - fortunately he is a lazy git and is happy to lie about having his belly rubbed on our bed for most of the morning on a sat and sun so we still kind of get a lay in..... even if it is three in a bed lol

Debbie

[MaggieR]

Hi There
Marco is 5 months old and was sleeping in the kitchen till about 6am as he became house trained he then barked at about 4am to go outside - so we got woken early but had a clean floor!!

Now he has the run of the house at night and tends to sleep upstairs with us (normally on our feet)!! and will either sleep through till 7am or will wake us for a quick wee and then comes back to bed - fortunately he is a lazy git and is happy to lie about having his belly rubbed on our bed for most of the morning on a sat and sun so we still kind of get a lay in..... even if it is three in a bed lol

Debbie

I used exactly the same tactic with Maggie after she'd had a bout of the trots and I realised if she was with me (which is where she was when she was poorly) she slept as long as I wanted her to, within reason of course  By 10 her eyes start boring into the side of my head like little lasers