[MustLoveDogs]

I have this fantasy that one day, there is a "6" at the beginning of the number on the clock when I wake up, instead of a 5 (or less...). Cleo is just 16 weeks, so this is probably premature, and I should probably be very very grateful that she has made it through the night 99% of the time since we brought her home at 11 weeks. She goes to bed at 9:30 and gets up anywhere from 4:55am (ffs) to 5:30, at which point I throw a party because it's after 5. The vet suggested i try letting her "cry it out" for a bit if she gets up before 5:30, but I think she needs to go, or she wouldn't be up, so i hesitate about that (and plus if she's going to bark and bark, no one else will be able to sleep, so what's the point?). I don't go into her while she's barking though, I always wait for a lull.

I've tried keeping her up later, but she is clearly ready for bed at 9:30, displaying typical toddler overstimulation behavior, and she drops off very quickly when i put her in her crate. (In fact later to bed seems to work against sleeping later--or at least it did last night, when she was up past 11, probably because we had visitors.)

She does nap a lot during the day, a long nap both in mid-morning and late afternoon. (I try to not let her nap past 5:30pm, but I hate to wake her up!) So I realize this is probably going to have to be her schedule for a while. I guess i'm just looking for some reassurance that she will eventually sleep later. If only i could go to sleep at 9:30, I might not be so exhausted!

 

[MaizieFrosty]

I'm here to reassure you that with time she will be sleeping later and later. I'm glad you're not listening to the vet (most vets really aren't qualified to give any training advice imho), but also finding a window when she's quiet to let her out. So keep doing what you're doing, and in a few months, or a year LOL, she will be sleeping at least a couple of hours more in the morning.

 

[lily cd re]

I agree with MaizieFrosty and think you understand this already that she is a baby and she will grow out of this, just like human babies. There may come a time when you should leave her to figure out how to soothe herself back to sleep but that time is not now, nor is it next week or the week after that...


Remember puppies mostly cannot withstand the pressure to void their bladder or bowel until they are at least 6 months old. Their neuromuscular controls are not well developed enough. Until then if a puppy wakes you up with persistent crying or barking one should assume they really are trying to tell you they need something.

 

[Raindrops]

My 16 week old will actually sleep in his crate until 10 AM most mornings, even when my boyfriend is up and showering before I get up. I don't quite know how I did it, but I am so happy he isn't a 5 AM dog! I don't know how you manage. I think this schedule has taken hold because I put him to bed very late, and if he goes to bed early I will take him out to pee around 2 or 3 AM. For the first couple weeks he would wake up as soon as anybody walked around in the morning, and would pee immediately on the towel in his crate. I instituted more mid-night potty breaks and tried very hard to get him outside as soon as he woke up. Eventually it worked and he now sleeps very soundly until I come and tell him it's time to wake up. He actually is usually reluctant to get up and will do the "my legs don't work" act as he wakes up. First thing I do is feed him and then immediately let him out to pee.

I really can't say a surefire way of achieving the late mornings. I do really try to take him out to pee frequently when it gets late, and I don't care if he seems to need to go or not. Even if I need to drag him out of his crate (he pretends he can't walk) I know he will pee immediately if I do take him outside. Then he's happy to go back to bed. I also try to reduce his drinking as it gets late. He can comfortably go about 6 hours at night, maybe more. I'm a night owl myself, so I think his schedule has just come to mirror mine. He's actually been pretty rough with potty training, and will still pee occasionally if he's bored.

 

[Mysticrealm]

Get up. Let her out. Put her back in crate. Go back to sleep.

 

[Dechi]

Get up. Let her out. Put her back in crate. Go back to sleep.

Exactly what I was going to say !

That’s what I’ve been doing for 30 years. I don’t get up at 5:30, so my dogs don’t.

 

[Dogs4Life]

Something that you could try is if you wake up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom, take your puppy out to go to the bathroom at the same time (since you are already up). This should cause your dog to sleep later in the mornings.

 

[Mufar42]

This is exactly what I have done in the past. If woken at the incorrect time..I'd the them out toothy, put them back in crate and go back to bed. No talking just taking care of business. I am a early riser and I'm usually up and about by 5:30, I make coffee, clean cat box, make dogs breakfast, take 3 out (they go together) bring in fed and then its Renn's turn. Sometimes he will whine a little while I'm doing the other dogs but just a little as he want to be out with them . After that he gets fed while I'm on computer visiting poole forum lol.

 

[jojogal001]

There’s some good advice here. If you take him out again before you go to bed he will probably sleep later.

With my dogs using wee pads instead of going out, the last 3 puppies I had, I kept a wee pad by the bed, and when they woke me up in the middle of the night I would put them on the floor, they would go to the pad and puddle and come right back. I’d pick them up and right back to sleep we’d all be for a few more hours.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[EVpoodle]

Your puppy is being a puppy.
I agree with everything that has been said so far. Just one note, I have been able to teach my poodle a shush command for when she is in the crate and wants to get up at 4 o'clock in the morning. I just tell her to shush and go right back to sleep.

 

[Dechi]

Your puppy is being a puppy.
I agree with everything that has been said so far. Just one note, I have been able to teach my poodle a shush command for when she is in the crate and wants to get up at 4 o'clock in the morning. I just tell her to shush and go right back to sleep.

That’s fine if the dog is old enough to hold it. If it’s still a young puppy, you better get up or you’ll end up washing the bedding and the crate !

 

[NaturalPoodle]

I have this fantasy that one day, there is a "6" at the beginning of the number on the clock when I wake up, instead of a 5 (or less...). Cleo is just 16 weeks, so this is probably premature...

The idea of simply getting up early, taking her out, and going back to sleep isn't so simple for everybody. If you've had insomnia much of your life (like me), you'll know that falling back asleep isn't likely to happen.

It's probably too early for the puppy Cleo to sleep late because of her little bladder and still being in housetraining.

But once matured, some dogs can naturally attune to their owners' rhythm. I am a late riser, and my last dog knew no one would be up before 9.30am whether he whined a couple times or not, and adjusted to that quite happily.

Of course, as a puppy it was different because he couldn't hold it, and as an adult if there was a persistent whine, there would be something wrong. Then, you're up at any time for him/her