dog constantly waking us in morning

moving_home

our dog is constantly waking us moaning and whining at 6.30 ish. I usually get up round 7.30 and like my sleep until then. I've gotten up and let her out of crate at this time thinking something was wrong or she needed to go toilet but she just runs to her inside bed in kitchen and won't get out when i open back door or runs around kitchen playing with her ball. This is recent behaviour, in last couple of months. Before that she sometimes slept till 10am. Any ideas or tips appreciated. Oh just to add her crate is covered by a blanket to keep it dark.

bgrizzley

Wont get out when you open the back door? you are the boss, not her. (assuming outside is safe for her until you get up an hour later)

Taltos

OK - well by responding to the whining at that time you have taught her - whine and he comes to play with me....

You can try to retrain her - however that is not an unreasonable time to get up. We are normally up at 6 with our two. They play a bit and then around 9am sleep again.

Maybe look at the time you are putting your little one to bed, and examine the food you are giving her - you know usual stuff - not too much sugars etc.

Also maybe leave some toys in the crate. When you get up later (not too late) make sure you make a fuss of her - but responding to whining will just reinforce it - good luck on breaking that now.

portgirl123

what breed of dog is she

moving_home

She goes to bed around 11.30/12 and I used to wake her at 7.30am when I got up (up to last couple of months). During the week I always get up at 7.30 or maybe a bit before. First thing I do when I let her out is make a big fuss of her and loads of rubs and cuddles. She is walked daily. Her food is suiting her perfectly and she is doing well on it in all other respects. Tried leaving toys in the crate but she is funny with toys and rarely bothers with anything except a tennis ball.
Yes I agree I have been responding to her whining as I cannot sleep when she is crying and hate to think she is distressed. I was also worrying in case she was sick and needed to go to the toilet.

I have noticed that if she is whining and I get up and into the shower and am moving about upstairs she will stop whining and just wait for me to let her out. I try to let her hear movement upstairs and not expect to get out of her crate immediately which is why I sometimes leave her in bed while I am getting ready for work.

moving_home

she's a cocker spaniel

biko

The point is to break the connection whine - play.
As you said, if you get up but go into the shower there is no reward for whining so that should cause her to stop.

seamus

It might end up with a few nights without proper sleep but you do need to retrain her, like others have said, to understand that she gets let out when you get up and not the other way around.

She's awake and she wants attention, there's not really anything more to it. She whines, you get up, play with her, result!

There are some good suggestions here in terms of getting up and going doing something else. If nothing more, it will take your mind off her whining, presumably you won't be able to hear her while you have a shower.

Golden rule is that you do not enter the room and go to her when she's whining. Wait specifically for her to stop before you go to her.

Just push the boat out a little. If she wakes you up whining at 6.30, then either stay in bed or occupy yourself till 7am, wait till she's stopped whining and then go to her. Quite quickly you'll find that she either stops whining or she waits till 7am. Then you can push it back to 7.30am.

Dogs are also much more sensitive to working with the natural clock than we are. In the summer when it's bright at 6am, they start waking up at that point, and they're fully awake by 6.30/7am. In winter when it mightn't be bright till 8.30am, they'll happily sleep on till 9am.

If the dog sleeps in a room with no curtains or where the natural light is otherwise quite strong, then her sleeping patterns will be seasonal. Even a blanket over the create will let in plenty of light. There are blinds where our dog sleeps, but it still gets quite bright in the summer. In the Summer/Autumn when I go up to let her out, she's spritely and happy at 7.30 and looking for breakfast. In Winter/Spring I go into her at the same time and I get a grunt and a look before she plods over to her other bed and goes back to sleep.

moving_home

Ok thanks guys will try just leaving her to cry and then getting up and letting her out when she stops.
I do find it very hard to leave her crying and definitely can’t go back to sleep when she is crying. We were really lucky cos she never cried at night time even the first night we had her so I haven’t had to sit and listen to her moaning before.

Actually I just thought of something because of all your comments – we stopped setting alarms for the weekend and just got up when she started crying to be let out so its obviously that which caused it. She obviously now just associates whining with being let out because she doesn’t understand the difference between weekdays and weekends. Doh! Feel like an awful idiot now.

Thanks for all the comments. Back to setting alarm for early on weekends from now on (we go to bed quite late on Fridays and Saturdays 2/3am so just got in habit of leaving her in bed till she decided she wants to get up).

tazwaz

moving_home wrote: »

our dog is constantly waking us moaning and whining at 6.30 ish. I usually get up round 7.30 and like my sleep until then. I've gotten up and let her out of crate at this time thinking something was wrong or she needed to go toilet but she just runs to her inside bed in kitchen and won't get out when i open back door or runs around kitchen playing with her ball. This is recent behaviour, in last couple of months. Before that she sometimes slept till 10am. Any ideas or tips appreciated. Oh just to add her crate is covered by a blanket to keep it dark.

oh she sounds like my guy ...he usually wakes at 7.30 when i getting up but a few months ago he woke at 6 crying and barking, i presumed he needed to go to the toilet so i ran down the stairs, he went outside played for a few mins and when he came back in i gave him a treat and i went back to bed.
the next morning he cried the house down at 5, same thing again...the following nite it was 3 in the morn, i stupidly did the same thng...the last night it was 2.30...i let him cry and cry and cry...i know that sounds awful but it worked...he was playing me for a fool, he cried, i ran to him and gave him a treat for crying

moving_home

though! glad I'm not the only one :-) Will just have to put up with the crying and not give in! So hard though!

DMGlampers

Cocker spaniels like attention and little things can unsettle them from the routine. I got advice on this which worked. Get up and acknowledge the dog with a pat on the head, no major fussing. Leave the room and sit on the stair or somewhere close. When she whines speak soothingly. Three nights of feeling like I was pointlessly sitting on the stair but it did work for me.

moving_home

actually we've had no trouble since. Anytime she has whined (which has only been once or twice) we've ignored her until she stopped and then let her out and gave her attention. Also we now set our alarm for weekends so we get to her before she starts whining

PinkFly

any ideas of how a puppy should be trained to slepp during the night? got a bischon today and its goin mental at the mo? keep ignoring the crying?

are you serious

Train a puppy to sleep at night??? lol (sorry)

Ignoring any crying when you leave the room for your bed time is the only thing to do, after a few nights it will get less and less.

You know what time your bed time is at your puppy doesnt, the best thing you can do is about half an hour before bed time play with the puppy, make the puppy very tired, out to the toilet and then the pup will want to sleep.

If you go down even once to stop the crying you are ruining any work that you have done, and you will be up and down like a yoyo!!

Your pup will want to go to the toilet at least twice through the night and that is only when it gets used to your house. For the start I suggest you go down every few hours to check and let the puppy out to do the business!

PinkFly

Thanks for your advice, we already have a westie and obviously we were blessed because there was never any of this messing, for a tiny dog the noise of him is ridiculous, I'll be popping to my neighbour tomorrow with a large box of chocolates =/

mikemac

Any young dog we've had would cry for three nights
But would settle down after that

Obviously there is no set rule but I'd expect the pup will settle down after three nights

Playing and getting them worn out will help

PinkFly

thank so much mikemac for your advice, I gave in the first night to the crying and had him in my bed,

but last night was amazing,

he was out playing with my son in the garden for most of the day, had his tea and went for a little walk and a play and into bed for 9 o clock, stopped crying at 9.45, let him out for a wee and a poo when i was going to bed at 1 and slept ALL NIGHT until I woke him at 730, so delighted

Thank you so so much for your help,I would have given in to the crying!!!