# Waking up very early



## bevaskew (Jan 19, 2016)

Hi I have an 18 week old cockapoo. He's crated at night and has always been good at sleeping although always dirtied his crate overnight. Over the last couple of weeks he has stopped doing this all of a sudden but now barks at about 5am so that we can take him out and very often won't settle until he has breakfast! Its wearing us out! Is this just a phase??? Or what should I do?


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## TanzyRose (Dec 26, 2015)

I think this is completely normal. He realizes he isn't supposed to go in his crate. Dogs typically prefer going potty outside. Our 6 month old has to go out at 5am everyday, even on the weekends. Sounds like he is getting the hang of crate training! Awesome! We solved our sleepiness by going to bed a little earlier. It definitely hasn't been a phase for ours. Its part of her routine. She's been doing 5am potties since we got her at 6 weeks old.

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## MHDDOG2016 (Jan 2, 2016)

Could you take him out one last time for the night an hour later? And after taking him out to go at 5am could you put him back in his crate with a Kong to chew on? Just a thought...


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## Kirsty p (Dec 4, 2015)

Rupert is 14 weeks and he wakes up typically between 5-6 am. We get him he goes to the toilet, has breakfast and goes back outside to the toilet. We then go back to bed as we've got this down to about 20 mins. He's crated during the night but when we go back to bed he says in the Dining room and is happy to play with toys on his own for another hour. Me and my husband take it in turns getting up. It was my turn this morning and I dropped on as Rupert slept in till 6 30.


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## LolaCockerpoo (Feb 1, 2016)

I sympathize, Kirsty. Interestingly, I was going to ask a similar question today.

12 week old Lola is barking and whining between 6 to 6:30. Seems to be getting a little earlier each morning. She used to wait until 7. I'm wrecked as typically my husband and I don't go to sleep until quite late.

When they get older, do they sleep until later, or do I have an early morning call for the next 10+ years of my life? Perhaps some members with older dogs can tell us about their pets morning wake-up habits.


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## Marzi (Sep 17, 2012)

They definitely do sleep later as they get older! However there are several factors coming up that will mean they go through a period of waking earlier:
The mornings are beginning to get lighter - by 6:30 here (UK south coast) it is getting so light I do not need a torch to find poop (I walk early and the winter months are miserable and dog poop spotting can be a challenge) 
Again here there are a lot of foxes actively seeking a mate and a lot of associated fox noises - when the dogs were younger they felt obliged to bark at these - not so much now in the morning!
Soon it really will be lighter and the birds singing the dawn chorus will inconsiderately remind puppies that the world is out there and they are missing out if they stay asleep. It is their duty to remind you of this fact too.

I seem to remember that the worst time was probably 5-7 months. Not really too bad for me as I'm up at 6 most days anyway and over the years my dogs have taught me to really love this time - walking and getting my head straight  and just enjoying the peace at the start of the day before the madness of the daily grind sets in.
Things that may help - take your pup for a 15 minute lead walk around the block in the evening - mine still enjoy their last walk they go out sometime between 8:30 (if I'm walking them and 11pm if someone else is. Where we live we can walk for 3 mins on lead and then on a footpath across farmers fields for 10 and back home. They are off lead along the footpath and love their last mad dash and pooping opportunity. Most mornings these days I have to wake them up and at the weekend if nothing else is going on (really rare) they will sleep in until I am ready to get out and walk them - sometimes as late as 10!!!
If your pup is in a crate - cover it on three sides, leaving the side against the wall uncovered so there is plenty of ventilation. Cover the windows in the room the pup sleeps so that it is dark.
One other thing - I always walk before the dogs are fed - so they are out (as adults) for 45 minutes to an hour. They then have a 30 - 45 minute rest they are fed - so they have never barked to wake me up because they want food. With baby pups this is not an option obviously - but by the time they are 5 or 6 months old it works just fine.
Take heart you will sleep again and in the meantime enjoy the dawn!


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