# Wake Up time. Who decides? Please help.



## Alcibides (Feb 14, 2012)

Lucky has dinner about six p.m. and goes to sleep between 8 and 9:30 after peeing and pooping and playing quietly for a while. He's eleven weeks old and when he was younger, he would whimper at 2 a.m. and I'd take him to the pee pad where he would void and then go back to sleep until 5:30 to 7 (I was thrilled with 6 a.m. but hoping always for 7). Well NOW he does not wake in the night but sleeps through and when he considers the morning 5:30 a.m., that's not optimal but fine. He gets up and relieves himself and we start the day. BUT NOW, it's getting earlier and earlier and he gets up at 4, ready to void and start the day. I've been hoping he could pee and poop and go back to bed for a while but the a.m. has become his wild child time for rlh and outrageous excitement about the day. I am so not ready to start the day at 4 and tried today just to feed him and suggest we go back to bed for awhile but it was a mistake even to return to the bedroom where he barked and barked (we duly ignore it) and ultimately went back to sleep (after much fussing) in his crate, sleeping for two sweet hours. Ideas? What am I doing wrong?? He sleeps in his crate in our room and loves his crate. I don't want to turn it to a place of captivity. Thanks for any help you can provide.


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## rokipiki (Oct 15, 2010)

When Roki was about the same age he did the same thing. 4.30 to 5 AM ready for new day, full of energy, not even thinking about staying in his bed. Usually I would pick him and play with him on my bed and eventually he would fall asleep for short period. Little by little his morning habits changed and when he was five to six months old he was sleepin whole night, even without taht pee pad trip during the night. Be patient, he will grow out of early morning activity
Marina&Roki


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Alcibides said:


> Lucky has dinner about six p.m. and goes to sleep between 8 and 9:30 after peeing and pooping and playing quietly for a while. He's eleven weeks old and when he was younger, he would whimper at 2 a.m. and I'd take him to the pee pad where he would void and then go back to sleep until 5:30 to 7 (I was thrilled with 6 a.m. but hoping always for 7). Well NOW he does not wake in the night but sleeps through and when he considers the morning 5:30 a.m., that's not optimal but fine. He gets up and relieves himself and we start the day. BUT NOW, it's getting earlier and earlier and he gets up at 4, ready to void and start the day. I've been hoping he could pee and poop and go back to bed for a while but the a.m. has become his wild child time for rlh and outrageous excitement about the day. I am so not ready to start the day at 4 and tried today just to feed him and suggest we go back to bed for awhile but it was a mistake even to return to the bedroom where he barked and barked (we duly ignore it) and ultimately went back to sleep (after much fussing) in his crate, sleeping for two sweet hours. Ideas? What am I doing wrong?? He sleeps in his crate in our room and loves his crate. I don't want to turn it to a place of captivity. Thanks for any help you can provide.


Of course he may have to pee earlier when he's not getting up in the middle of the night, and he does go to bed on the early side. So it's not surprising that he's getting up when he does. OTOH, there is NO reason that you have to do more than potty him and put him back to bed at that time. I definitely wouldn't feed him at 4AM, unless you want it to become his "permanent wake up/breakfast time". You may have to put up with a couple of days of barking and fussing before he settles down again, just as you did today, but he'll get the message that this is not an appropriate time to get up and adjust to your schedule.


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## ivyagogo (Sep 11, 2007)

I think we got lucky on this one. Jinx eats dinner around 5:30, has his last pee around 10:00 and sleeps through the night until around 6:15 when we all wake up. Sometimes I hear him in his crate playing around 5:30, but he waits until we get him up to fully rise.


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## TilliesMom (Sep 30, 2010)

ouch, that's early!! I agree with Karen, there is NO reason to feed him at that time! Just treat it like a middle of the night potty time. Out to PEE/Poop and back in the crate, don't turn lights on, don't talk to him except to tell him to go potty. Make it very clear that it is NOT playtime. at all. I haven't had this problem with Tillie (she sleeps as long as I do and never makes a peep unless she is sick!), thank goodness, but sure did have it with my HUMAN kids!! LOL


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## Kalico (Jan 11, 2012)

My dog and cat used to wake me up at 6am, anticipating their 7am feeding time. I am not a morning person, and take a strict stance on this kind of thing. With them, I simply shut them out of the bedroom. I believe pets should adjust to our schedules (within reason). Eleven weeks is young and there may be issues with getting through the night without peeing, but this really should not continue to be a problem in a few more weeks. We got our Hav pup at about 11 weeks and during the first weeks of getting up early we would put her straight back in her crate after peeing at night. No play, no treats, no chance to even do any running (we carry in and out at night). The important thing is to enforce your schedule. It sounds like you are doing the right thing by enforcing the back-to-crate routine, but it will take a few days for him to get the picture. Just be no-nonsense about it and don't give in. He will do what he can to convince you to do things his way!


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## irnfit (Nov 21, 2006)

Sorry, but at 11 wks both of mine were sleeping through the night and they still do. They get up when I do at 6:30am. On the rare occasion that I get to sleep in a bit, they will stay in bed.


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## Suzi (Oct 27, 2010)

Put him in a sound prof room and go back to bedound: Mine slept on my bed and both got up early. I would just put them back on the bed and put the blanket over my head. They would try to play with me but settled down fast.


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## misstray (Feb 6, 2011)

I was lucky. Brody slept through the night until morning from the day I got him. His morning, however, was too early for my tastes (5am-6am), but this got later over time. Now he'll contentedly sleep in with me. On work days he gets it that I hit the snooze button a time or two and doesn't want up the second the alarm goes off (in fact he'll often burrow in as if saying "quick..mom turn that off") and on weekends he sleeps in later with me. I really hated the early morning thing because I was losing out on sleep and getting cranky. LOL I need my sleep! Thankfully Brody loves bedtime, it's totally his favourite time (I'm thinking maybe it is because he gets hours of snuggle time with me).


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## Rita Nelson (Jul 13, 2009)

Just like with our human babies, this too will pass. In another month, Lucky will probably be sleeping in also. Tucker was probably between 3 - 4 months old when he'd sleep until 6 or 6:30 a.m. Now he sleeps in until we're ready to get up. It does get easier as they grow up.


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## Kalico (Jan 11, 2012)

irnfit said:


> Sorry, but at 11 wks both of mine were sleeping through the night and they still do. They get up when I do at 6:30am. On the rare occasion that I get to sleep in a bit, they will stay in bed.


Thinking back on things, I agree that by 11 or so weeks most pups can make it through the night. I think with Jasmine, we only took her out in the middle of the night a few times during that first week. Then there were a couple times when she whined in the middle of the night and I took her out and...nothing. No pee or poop. After a couple times of experiencing this I realized she was whining simply to get me up out of bed and interacting. After that we enforced sleeping through the night with no potty breaks. I had to tell my bf not to get up at 5 in the morning to take her out when she started to whine.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Kalico said:


> Thinking back on things, I agree that by 11 or so weeks most pups can make it through the night. I think with Jasmine, we only took her out in the middle of the night a few times during that first week. Then there were a couple times when she whined in the middle of the night and I took her out and...nothing. No pee or poop. After a couple times of experiencing this I realized she was whining simply to get me up out of bed and interacting. After that we enforced sleeping through the night with no potty breaks. I had to tell my bf not to get up at 5 in the morning to take her out when she started to whine.


I agree that most are "sleeping through" at about 11 weeks. However, how many are going to bed at 8:30 or 9? That makes it a LONG time till 7AM! I'm not surprised that Lucky needs a pee break before "real" wake-up time, but he should also learn to settle back down and wait for the family to get up.

I have RA, and was finding that staying UP with Kodi in the evening so that he could have his last pee at 10 or so was wearing me out. I need a lot of sleep! (about 10 hours) That's when we started his crate attached to his ex-pen arrangement with a litter box inside. That way, he could pee independently, when he needed to, and I could get the sleep I needed. This worked PERFECTLY! When he had his litter box available, he was able to stay in his crate/expen from 9, when I went to bed, until 7, when we took him out for his morning potty and fed him breakfast.


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## Alcibides (Feb 14, 2012)

Cannot thank you all enough. Tried ALL your suggestions, from not turning on the light when he went to pee to "sticking it out" with the whining in his crate this a.m. and he did quiet down until first light - about 6 a.m. which is a great start. Think I have been confusing him with a "real" baby and trying to listen for his schedule forgetting that he is a puppy who needs to adjust to our schedule. Really great advice.What a resource this forum is. Bless you.


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## littlebuddy (May 30, 2007)

Django rises with the sun. our usual wake up time is 5:30 a.m. which is not a problem because i am an early riser. My feeling is i should be thankful he's telling me he has to go out. This morning for example, he woke me up at 4:45 a.m. rushed to the door and peed and pooped. wen't back to bed and got up around 5:30. He's been like this since day one and is 8 years old today. I do notice however when the dog sitter is here she stays up late, till midnight and he doesn't get up till 7:00 a.m.


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## Thumper (Feb 18, 2007)

Honestly, If I had this problem I would just let him sleep in bed next to me, lol but that probably isn't the advice you want  

You could try wearing him out more before bed, walks, playing, keeping him up so he's too tired and sleeps through the night.

Kara


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## Kalico (Jan 11, 2012)

Glad to hear you are finding solutions!


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## Alcibides (Feb 14, 2012)

*the bed?*

So far Lucky show no signs of wanting to sleep in our high off the ground bed (he's been up there but the accessibility of both of us just makes him want to visit and play) BUT here he is (photo below I hope) making his own bed in our white sofa. We're mad about him. Thanks for these great ideas.


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## littlebuddy (May 30, 2007)

He's too sweet. I think extra play time might wear him out. plus, he's just a baby with baby energy!


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## narci (Sep 6, 2011)

Oreo did the same at that age.

I guess were lucky now. Last meal at 5:30pm, last pee between 8pm and 10pm. Sleep time for a between 8pm and10pm. He sleeps through the night and not a peep from him (unless he's snoring or dreaming). He won't wake up until we wake up. He just lies in his crate till I let him out. 

Actually thinking about it, I wake him up at 7:30am because that's when I get up naturally. I walk him to pee an poop, he eats and then he goes back to bed hahaha lazy bugger.


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## Alcibides (Feb 14, 2012)

narci said:


> Oreo did the same at that age.
> 
> I guess were lucky now. Last meal at 5:30pm, last pee between 8pm and 10pm. Sleep time for a between 8pm and10pm. He sleeps through the night and not a peep from him (unless he's snoring or dreaming). He won't wake up until we wake up. He just lies in his crate till I let him out.
> 
> Actually thinking about it, I wake him up at 7:30am because that's when I get up naturally. I walk him to pee an poop, he eats and then he goes back to bed hahaha lazy bugger.


This is very encouraging since Lucky does all of this except for the 7:30 am part...so maybe wake up will get later as he grows up. How old is Oreo and at what age did he begin to sleep in till you wake him? Thanks for this.


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