truth_quest
New member
@accelerator Yeah I seem to have lucked out and gotten a pup that is happy to sleep as long as I am.
“Wake up before your dog, it’ll help them sleep in longer” yeah thanks now he wakes up at 4:45am
nottoosure
New member
@accelerator My older dogs do this. Glares all the way up to noon 
faithful_blacksmith
New member
@libra111 Always take dog advices here with a grain of salt. A lot of people tend of think what works for their dog, must work for other dogs. There’s no one-fits-all solution, every dog is different has its own personality/temperament/how they been conditioned.
Unfortunately the downside is having to figure out and try different things until it finally clicks with your dog.
Maybe try moving his crate into your bedroom. Perhaps he doesn’t understand that you are also asleep during that time, and that he just wants to see you.
Our puppy awakes way before us, but won’t wake us up until he really has to potty. I think most dog understands to an extent that being disrupted while sleeping is annoying. Because we probably have done it to them countless times.
Unfortunately the downside is having to figure out and try different things until it finally clicks with your dog.
Maybe try moving his crate into your bedroom. Perhaps he doesn’t understand that you are also asleep during that time, and that he just wants to see you.
Our puppy awakes way before us, but won’t wake us up until he really has to potty. I think most dog understands to an extent that being disrupted while sleeping is annoying. Because we probably have done it to them countless times.
rainylynn1980
New member
@libra111 We had a similar issue when our border collie little girl was around that age. My husband walks her in the mornings at 5 am on week days and we were lucky if she slept in until 5:30 on a weekend. We went through a phase where she was waking up and crying in her crate at 4:30,4:45 even sometimes 4am every single morning. We were consistent with crate training, she sleeps there every night. And as she has gotten older we saw so much improvement. Now we can sleep until 7 on the weekends and if she’s crying in her crate before the alarm goes off we know something is the matter with her like a belly ache. Best of luck to you!!
@rainylynn1980 Taking her for a walk at 5am is training her that’s ok.
rainylynn1980
New member
@libra111 I agree that 14 months is still a puppy. Hang in there!
My girl was an insanely early riser throughout her first year (4.30-5.30 ish). I don’t mind in summer, but winter was rough. Between 16 and 24 months, we made small steps to sleeping until being woken.
She turned 2 this last November and I’ve been consistently waking her up throughout the entire winter. We wake up around 7.15 ish on weekends and stay in bed to cuddle sometimes until 7.45.
My girl was an insanely early riser throughout her first year (4.30-5.30 ish). I don’t mind in summer, but winter was rough. Between 16 and 24 months, we made small steps to sleeping until being woken.
She turned 2 this last November and I’ve been consistently waking her up throughout the entire winter. We wake up around 7.15 ish on weekends and stay in bed to cuddle sometimes until 7.45.
gcjohnstone
New member
verdanavivian
New member
@verdanavivian He’s a setter.
First meal is anywhere from 7:30-8:30 and last meal is anywhere from 5:30-6:30. Don’t think it’s food related, though, because he very, very rarely eats his meals. Today’s breakfast will sit in the bowl until 2-3pm if I had to wager.
First meal is anywhere from 7:30-8:30 and last meal is anywhere from 5:30-6:30. Don’t think it’s food related, though, because he very, very rarely eats his meals. Today’s breakfast will sit in the bowl until 2-3pm if I had to wager.
verdanavivian
New member
@libra111 Cool. Ok so he's turning adult between 12-18 months about so should be soonish
The food isn't directly an issue but you could use food as a way to train him sort of to relax in the mornings
Try experimenting with the timings. Use a few days to push the meals further towards bedtime and then do the same the other way Pushing them further away from bed time. Might cause some unexpected change
Then see if you can time when he gets hungry when he wakes up and use that chance to feed as if you do training treats by telling him a sit or lay down command. Maybe stay. Or whatever works
To show him he gets breakfast if he relaxes. Might take a week or so before he understands
It sort of sounds like he's sleeping overnight but not like a deep night sleep and more of a midday type of nap. Also he doesn't eat until 1-2pm so he's not hungry for breakfast. He's probably full of energy early morning
See if you can work a timing where he's hungry at the time you want to wake up at.......
Maybe.. might work or help a little
The food isn't directly an issue but you could use food as a way to train him sort of to relax in the mornings
Try experimenting with the timings. Use a few days to push the meals further towards bedtime and then do the same the other way Pushing them further away from bed time. Might cause some unexpected change
Then see if you can time when he gets hungry when he wakes up and use that chance to feed as if you do training treats by telling him a sit or lay down command. Maybe stay. Or whatever works
To show him he gets breakfast if he relaxes. Might take a week or so before he understands
It sort of sounds like he's sleeping overnight but not like a deep night sleep and more of a midday type of nap. Also he doesn't eat until 1-2pm so he's not hungry for breakfast. He's probably full of energy early morning
See if you can work a timing where he's hungry at the time you want to wake up at.......
Maybe.. might work or help a little
@libra111 How much exercise does he get? I recommend increasing his pm workout. Take him for the longest walk/jog you can manage and then let him play with some enrichment toys until bedtime. Something like a lick mat would probably keep him quiet for awhile after that first morning potty as well.
@amoskaeg I think he gets plenty of exercise. 1x hour long walk/training session/fetch after work, 4x 20 minute walks thru the day (I work from home), and gets some sort of chew or lick mat or kong in the evenings if he’s up for it, but oftentimes isn’t interested in any food since he doesn’t eat much.
@libra111 Just to clarify, what’s the issue with him waking up before you? Is it a bladder issue or is he noisy or (if he sleeps free roaming) is it a trust issue of him being awake but alone? I think this probably makes a difference.
We used to set alarms for ourselves (still talking 7am at the earliest) when the bladder was still a risk to ensure we let our girl out in time but we slowly moved our alarm 5/10 mins later each time to gradually make that later. We haven’t had an accident since she was around 8 months old (which was a random one off) and she doesn’t even rush out in the morning anymore, she wants her attention first.
Noise wise, we worked hard when she was a puppy to not let her out of her pen while she was fussing. The rule we had in place was she had to be quiet and laid down for us to open the gate to let her out. We held to this rule even when she was fussing for a reason, we’d go over so we weren’t ignoring her but wouldn’t open the gate until she settled. When she was little this was mainly because she would get so excited and wound up about being let out that we were trying to teach her to be calm to get attention, but it’s had a nice side affect that she’s now mostly quiet. The main noise now if she knows she’s going to be let out is the thumping of her tail! But this means she just chills quietly now in a morning until we’re ready to let her out. She’s awake a fair while before we go down but she won’t disturb us with it and isn’t stressed waiting for us. (This one was a long one with a lot of persistence to teach)
And trust wise, our girl used to be in a pen as a puppy and then transitioned into a crate as she got older and we became more comfortable with the crate training and it being her safe space.
We used to set alarms for ourselves (still talking 7am at the earliest) when the bladder was still a risk to ensure we let our girl out in time but we slowly moved our alarm 5/10 mins later each time to gradually make that later. We haven’t had an accident since she was around 8 months old (which was a random one off) and she doesn’t even rush out in the morning anymore, she wants her attention first.
Noise wise, we worked hard when she was a puppy to not let her out of her pen while she was fussing. The rule we had in place was she had to be quiet and laid down for us to open the gate to let her out. We held to this rule even when she was fussing for a reason, we’d go over so we weren’t ignoring her but wouldn’t open the gate until she settled. When she was little this was mainly because she would get so excited and wound up about being let out that we were trying to teach her to be calm to get attention, but it’s had a nice side affect that she’s now mostly quiet. The main noise now if she knows she’s going to be let out is the thumping of her tail! But this means she just chills quietly now in a morning until we’re ready to let her out. She’s awake a fair while before we go down but she won’t disturb us with it and isn’t stressed waiting for us. (This one was a long one with a lot of persistence to teach)
And trust wise, our girl used to be in a pen as a puppy and then transitioned into a crate as she got older and we became more comfortable with the crate training and it being her safe space.
@libra111 Susan Garrett has a pretty good episode on this, I found it on FB but it may be on youtube too
pauljackson
New member
@libra111 To be honest, this was with our GSD too. And if she needed to go out, afterwards, we just ignored her. She doesn’t sleep in the crate and sleeps freely, but keeping things really boring, she eventually just went back to sleep.
Granted it took patience but now she gets the idea that if mom and dad are not moving, then it’s time to chill.
I will say working hard on the calm settle may have helped us here - we did that from when she was about 10 weeks to now.
I wish I had a more eloquent answer. If you’re not comfortable with your pup free roaming, maybe a tether while you’re in bed. We had to do that with her when she was really tiny and being a land shark to keep things boring, and she’d eventually go to sleep. But again, this was from about 8 weeks to 4 months.
Essentially just keeping things really boring and having a lot of patience is what worked for us. The earliest she will wake up now is 7:45 and usually goes back to sleep until about 9:30-10.
For reference before, it was anywhere from 5:30-6AM.
Also want to add - she is VERY energetic as she is a working line GSD.
I hope this helps!
Granted it took patience but now she gets the idea that if mom and dad are not moving, then it’s time to chill.
I will say working hard on the calm settle may have helped us here - we did that from when she was about 10 weeks to now.
I wish I had a more eloquent answer. If you’re not comfortable with your pup free roaming, maybe a tether while you’re in bed. We had to do that with her when she was really tiny and being a land shark to keep things boring, and she’d eventually go to sleep. But again, this was from about 8 weeks to 4 months.
Essentially just keeping things really boring and having a lot of patience is what worked for us. The earliest she will wake up now is 7:45 and usually goes back to sleep until about 9:30-10.
For reference before, it was anywhere from 5:30-6AM.
Also want to add - she is VERY energetic as she is a working line GSD.
I hope this helps!
minobimaaduziwin2024
New member
@libra111 I have an 11 am dog. Like people, some are morning creatures and some are not. You can shift their schedule off some but probably not going to change them.
Puppies are also food oriented so I’d consider a strategy that does not involve starting your morning with food. I personally free-feed my dogs but it helps to not have a food obsessed breed/individual, high quality kibble, and exercise. If you can’t free feed, taking them out to go potty, then you shower or eat, then feed puppy. This way, they don’t think walking you up is a game they play to get food.
Good luck!
Puppies are also food oriented so I’d consider a strategy that does not involve starting your morning with food. I personally free-feed my dogs but it helps to not have a food obsessed breed/individual, high quality kibble, and exercise. If you can’t free feed, taking them out to go potty, then you shower or eat, then feed puppy. This way, they don’t think walking you up is a game they play to get food.
Good luck!
whiteladybug
New member
@libra111 My dog wakes up around 7am, which is usually when my partner and I go to work. We like to lie in on the weekends, but because he's used to being fed and then left alone for a few hours, he's usually happy enough to curl up and go back to sleep once he's had his breakfast and a wee, which only takes a few minutes. So it's just a case of us arguing over who's turn it is to look after him and then we can both return to snoozing.