# Whining in the morning



## Grove (Oct 17, 2012)

When Gandhi was very little he had half puppy pad and half vetbed in his crate and used the pad if he needed to go at night. He never cried or made any noise at night, you would go down in the morning and get him up for a wee (if he needed one) and then breakfast and all was fine.

Several weeks ago, as he got bigger he naturally saw the whole space as his bed and started to wait to go to the toilet outside. Around this time he started to whine in the morning when he heard my boyfriend getting ready for work (for about 15 minutes) before he came downstairs at 6am. We thought this is just because he really needs the toilet and knows someone is up and so trying to tell them. At this point, you could go down and let him out to the toilet, he would go straight away and then go back in the crate, lights off, and he would be quiet and wouldn't whine again until you came down properly. I started to get up at 5:30 just before he would have started whining, to take him out to the toilet and then my boyfriend could get ready and come down at 6am. This was fine for a few days until he started to whine continuously when I put him back in the crate until my boyfriend came downstairs.

We live in a terraced house and the neighbours hear him, so this is what makes it difficult and can affect our decisions. So we then decided that when I get up with him at 5:30am, I will also give him breakfast and stay with him until 6am when my boyfriend comes down. I wasn't able to get any more sleep anyway and it actually worked well because my boyfriend had two less things to do in the morning.

But now he has started whining earlier and earlier. Today he started just before 5am. I took him out to the toilet and put him back in and put the cover down on the crate (which is a night time thing) and he cried for.. an hour!! until 6am (when my boyfriend got up). I knew he didn't need the toilet because he'd just been. I didn't go to him because that's not what I want to do and I think teaches him the wrong thing

He is full of beans when you first take him out so I think he maybe just needs less sleep and wants to get up, but he needs to learn that the time to get up is when we get up and turn all the lights on and let him out of the crate into the house etc.

If I lived in a detached house I probably wouldn't even be posting this, I'd just let him cry and he would learn over time when it's time to get up. But I feel under pressure because of the noise affecting the neighbours. 
My gut feeling is to not let that influence when I go to him and to get up at 5:30 no matter when he whines because that's the morning routine that works for us and I think it's reasonable for him too. 

So yes..... very long..... please share any thoughts!


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## Cat 53 (Aug 26, 2012)

If Ghandi is old enough then maybe he is ready to be free of the crate. I think others on here have posted similar comments to yours and tried removing the crate. Might be worth a shot!


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## Grove (Oct 17, 2012)

I would never have thought of that! He does have a pen area attached to the crate so we could leave the crate door open so he has more space. This is where he goes during the day when we can't watch him. I think he quite likes the crate though because he will walk in by himself at bedtime. 

The other thing is that when he stays at my parents house or if we were to go on holiday he would be sleeping in the crate so would it be difficult for him to go back to the door being closed in those situations?


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## Lexi&Beemer (May 5, 2013)

You could let your neighbors know what is going on. Apologize ahead if time and warn them for a couple of days this will be going on as you want to keep him from doing this forever. It seems my two get up later and later as they get a bit older. And now will go back to sleep after their 5/5:30 pee. But ultimately I adjusted my schedule to match theirs. Probably not the best choice but it means I have morning kisses for an hour rather than five minutes. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 2


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## RuthMill (Jun 30, 2012)

Would you consider moving his crate to your room? When Nina was about 10/11 weeks we moved her to the same room as Lola to sleep. She had started getting a bit upset at night when going down (had been fine for first few weeks). Up to that point she slept downstairs in her crate, Lola sleeps in a room upstairs. As soon as I moved her up with Lola she totally settled again. She just needed company. My two are like clockwork - Lola could sleep on until we get up but Nina is awake 7.15 every morning. We are hopeful that as she gets older she will sleep on a bit longer.


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## dio.ren (Jan 18, 2013)

Maybe he can hear you moving around is is whining for attention. Molly is a big whiner I know what it's like She whines if I'm in the bathroom she is getting a lot better but it's like soft baby whines so my neighbours can't hear her She sleeps in her crate in the bedroom no whining


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## Grove (Oct 17, 2012)

RuthMill said:


> Would you consider moving his crate to your room? When Nina was about 10/11 weeks we moved her to the same room as Lola to sleep. She had started getting a bit upset at night when going down (had been fine for first few weeks). Up to that point she slept downstairs in her crate, Lola sleeps in a room upstairs. As soon as I moved her up with Lola she totally settled again. She just needed company. My two are like clockwork - Lola could sleep on until we get up but Nina is awake 7.15 every morning. We are hopeful that as she gets older she will sleep on a bit longer.


It wouldn't really work for us to move the crate to the bedroom - Gandhi doesn't come upstairs, but also I am at home all day but I have ME and need to go and lie down for an hour or so every few hours to recharge. This would be difficult if he was allowed in the bedroom! I also think that because I am at home all day, it's important for there to be times when I'm not with him because otherwise he would probably find it harder the times when I did have to go somewhere.

During the day when I go upstairs to rest he will sometimes whine just as I've put him in the pen and leave the room, but by the time I am upstairs he has stopped and he will be quiet the whole time. But then I have played with him and spent time with him just before and I think he just settles down to sleep. I think the problem early in the morning is he's not tired. He will sleep a lot earlier on in the evening and then I think he just naturally wakes up earlier. 

I can see one of the solutions about to be offered is 'get another puppy' for company. Haha!


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## Grove (Oct 17, 2012)

dio.ren said:


> Maybe he can hear you moving around is is whining for attention. Molly is a big whiner I know what it's like She whines if I'm in the bathroom she is getting a lot better but it's like soft baby whines so my neighbours can't hear her She sleeps in her crate in the bedroom no whining


I think this was the problem before when my boyfriend was getting ready for work and Gandhi had been put back in the crate. But now it's moved on to him whining before anyone is awake! 

I know what you mean about the different whines as well. there's definitely a varied repertoire! There's the loud slightly urgent sounding whine (usually needing the toilet), then the softer pining whine, then the partial howl and funny noise chattery whine.


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## RuthMill (Jun 30, 2012)

I bet he would love a snuggle in your bed!  That would be much easier than getting a pup!


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## Grove (Oct 17, 2012)

Lexi&Beemer said:


> You could let your neighbors know what is going on. Apologize ahead if time and warn them for a couple of days this will be going on as you want to keep him from doing this forever. It seems my two get up later and later as they get a bit older. And now will go back to sleep after their 5/5:30 pee. But ultimately I adjusted my schedule to match theirs. Probably not the best choice but it means I have morning kisses for an hour rather than five minutes.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 2


We have said to both sides that we are sorry about the noise, but perhaps we should explain a bit more. 


Thanks everyone for your help and suggestions with this


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## Florida Cockapoo (Aug 24, 2012)

I guess we are lucky, Piper adjusted to our schedule over time. We did have her in our room, but not the first two days we had her. We tried the "crate" thing at night and did put her in our guest bedroom. But she cried ALL night long and weed in her crate. After hubby and I tried to figure out what to do, we decide to take our cat crate and take the top half off and put it on my night stand. She slept in that until about an month ago. She did come to our bed at night but not until later on.

Now she sleeps on her own bed on our autumn chair. She goes there on her own now when we are ready to go to bed. Then comes to our bed around 5-6am. But in the beginning it was much earlier like 2am.

Also her peeing and getting up has been going later and later, now she is pretty much on our schedule. As for the crate she also goes in to her crate and doesn't complain much. 

We also lay down for "naps" during the day as we work from home. Piper also does this now. It took her a while to adjust to the naps. We would just put her in the crate while we had our nap. But we only sleep for about 30 minutes or so. Now she lays down with us on the bed, but today she went to her own bed on her own... 

I think you just need to decide what schedule you want. Then they will adjust to it. But it does take time.


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## Grove (Oct 17, 2012)

After all that he hasn't done it since I posted this! Must have been a funny week. He is teething at the moment and I wonder if that could have had something to do with it. Poor boy!


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## Grove (Oct 17, 2012)

Have been meaning to update this with the answer as I know people search for similar problems in past threads.

Cat53 was right: it was the crate! 

He stopped for a little bit as mentioned in the last post, but then he started again. So then we left the crate door open so that he was in the pen with access to the crate and he would always sleep on a blanket _next_ to the crate! We realised that he was going into the crate before just because it had been his bedtime routine and he was sleepy, but by early morning when he wasn't as tired he didn't want to be in it. At this time we had also started leaving him in the pen for naps during the day instead of in the crate, so he was getting used to one thing by day which he obviously preferred. 

- Nowadays we've gone a step further and packed away the crate and pen and he sleeps on his bed in the kitchen 

As soon as we started letting him sleep outside of the crate, he didn't call in the morning. Now on weekends we have slept til 8:30 or 9 without a problem. Much better than 5am! 

It of course also helps that as he is older he doesn't need the toilet as frequently. 

Hope this helps anyone doing the search with a similar issue. Because so many poos seem to love their crates and people always talk about dogs liking the den area etc, we assumed ours would be the same but it seems he grew out of it and was trying to tell us, but we didn't hear the message at first (although we heard him!). So thanks to Cat53, as we tried the open crate door as the next thing, and this was what it was 

The good thing is that he was happy in the crate long enough for it to be a successful part of his toilet training routine.


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## dio.ren (Jan 18, 2013)

Molly sleeps in her crate in the bedroom. We can get up and she doesn't budge. I close the door and put a towel on the floor to block off any light. Then I wake her up when I am ready The only time she ever whines in there is if she needs to go

Sometimes I wake her up at 5:30am and take her out and give her her food and then she lies down on her diva bed and sleeps for hours without moving It's great when they get more mature and can be on their own. Sounds like Gandhi is a big boy now and can be on his own more


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## Grove (Oct 17, 2012)

I remember that lovely Molly likes to be in her crate  

It's funny when you read back your own posts and you can see what the problem was - like me saying he was just starting to have his naps in the pen instead of the crate. 

He is a big boy now, and we're pleased he likes to be in the kitchen. He still likes to sleep with his bunny though


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