Change dogs sleep routine?

Wexy86

Hi guys

Looking for some tips on how to change my dogs Messi's sleeping routine. He around 5 and a half months.

For the last month Messi has been allowed back into the open living area and all is going well :-) (there was a serious eating through wires issue) except he wakes up at around 5.30/6AM every morning, I can handle it during the week but at the weekends I need at least a 7AM lie in.

He normally gets into his bed himself around 11PM and then wakes around 6AM barking the house down and scratching the sh*t out of the door!! He gets walk with an hour of waking and then a walk around 9PM. If he's off to the beach with the sister during the day(doggy day care ) I won't walk him in the morning as it might be a bit much for his little joints. I've tried walking him earlier/later in the evening and also changing his nighttime feed but no change be in sleep time, I try to play with Messi late at night but he's having none of it I normally wake at some stage about 3/4 to go bathroom and I pop downstairs and let Messi outside to do his business, he pops outside and back to bed/sofa very quickly.

We start obedience training in early June, no idea if this will help but said I'd mention.

I leave the light on as i felt I started the light habit when he was sleeping in the utility room during his way through everything phase. I've recently stopped the hot water bottle too, maybe a fortnight ago. I don't think this was ever appreciated as he often kicked it off of his bed or ignored it.

Any suggestions guys or just accept the early wake up call? Thanks

DBB

Hi Wexy,
What time is his last feed?
And what time is breakfast?

Wexy86

DBB wrote: »

Hi Wexy,
What time is his last feed?
And what time is breakfast?

Last feed would be around 9.45PM and breakfast about half an hour after walking, 6.25/6.30 ish. He'll also have a some food around 1/2. When he was smaller he wouldn't scoff it all up now he's a bit of a grazer and doesn't seem to have the biggest appetite, I leave his dish down for half an hour before taking it away. He's on a mix of wet food and nuts as he won't eat the nuts of his own, have tried numerous brands/steeping in water/chicken stock but he won't take to them.

DBB

I wonder is he waking because he knows (a) you'll come down to him when he starts making noise, and (b) he'll also get brekkie when you do?!
I also think it's possible that he's waking because he feels a bit peckish... and it's getting bright so early with the season.
Your letting him out when you get up yourself during the night is really good, and it works too because you're initiating him waking up, rather than him learning that barking gets you up, if you see the difference:).
I think I'd have a stuffed Kong at the ready from the night before, and when you let him back in after his middle-of-the-night toilet break at 3/4am, I'd give him the Kong to settle down with before heading back to bed myself.
You could just have this Kong stuffed with wet food, or a mixture of wet and dry... you may have to make this one particularly nyommy for him if he's a grazer. I don;t know what wet food you're using, but do try to avoid the supermarket tinned stuff, and go for one of the similarly-priced, high-meat content foods from zooplus, such as Rocco or Naturediet, which are complete wet foods
Do you think the above would help?

Wexy86

Apologies for the delay in replying, sickness took over me for a while!

Right, I've tried all the below over the last few weeks and nada, Messi is still scratching the ****e out of the door at half 5 :-(

Longer and later walks
Blackout curtains
Light on
Light off
Kong with a load of different fillings
Leaving nice meat(chicken/ham) down when I go down throughout the night (not touched when I get up)
Have tried about 10 different food(wet and dry) to try and get his appetite up but still likes to graze, currently on some Royal Canin nuts mixed with Rocco wet food.

He doesn't eat for an hour or two after waking, he should be hungry as he doesn't eat the most but he doesn't seem bothered.

I'm drained beyond belief as I'm just getting over a nasty virus so when I go down after 30 mins (my cut off before I cave) of ripping the door to shreds I don't have the energy to be all nice and play so I've been doing the whole silent treatment, after about 30 mins he falls back asleep for an hour or so but there's me wide awake just looking at him ;-)

As he falls back asleep I'm beginning to think it's more of a separation thing? I don't know really. He done a few nights in my sisters recently with her dog here and there and not a sound from him as he has her dog to keep him company. She commented that when she gets up he doesn't even pay her attention when she gets about 9.

I don't want to have him sleep upstairs for the night, any suggestions on the separation side? The longest he would ever be on his own bar sleeping at night is 3 hours max so I understand 7 hours is a lot for Messi to take, I'd be lonely too!

Any wisdom is much appreciated.
Thanks
A very tired Wexy!