Early wake up calls

[Aimee Santa Monica]

I am wondering what happened to sleeping throughout the night?  Our 2 doods (both 6 1/2 mo) were sleeping from 9:30pm-7am last month. Early this month,, Ayla was on meds for her diarrhea- she was getting me up every 3 hours & i started feeding her at 3:30am because she would'nt go back to sleep, she would bark continuously , - until i did.  Well, the meds worked, and her poop was back to normal. But now,  they are still waking me up at 3am (like clockwork), then again at 6am- for the past week now!

We were thinking that maybe they are hearing the neighbors getting up at that early hour (the dog room is closest to our neighbors garage)-so last night, i put them in their crates, covered with towels, and i even put my radio clock in there and set it on "Rain" sounds, to sooth them , hoping they would'nt wake up to whatever they are hearing so early.

Well, i put them to sleep at 9pm, and they started barking at 1am!  :(    I took them outside on the grass, & brought them back straight in, & just fed them .  They slept & woke me up at 3am ! And then at 6am.

I used to have cushioned dog beds in each crate, but they chewed it up , & i was afraid that they would eat the fluff or foam- so i just use a towel in there. 

 

I have tried just having them loose in their room, but -they still wake us up by barking, & scratching at their door!    

I am thinking that they want to be near me, but i don't want them loose in our bedroom.  I tried once taking them in our room at those early hours, with their leads attatched to each door knob- & they did fine, sometimes they would bark, but they would go back to sleep when i told them to-  till Ayla chewed up her lead. So i stopped that.  But yesterday i got the metal chain leash that i ordered online.  

Should i again, try having them in our room at those early hours?  Or stick it out till they stop barking at those early hours?    Broken sleep for over 3 weeks now.

[Julie, Boomer, Milo & Casey]

What happens if you ignore the barking?    Could you bring the crates in to your bedroom for the night?    Sounds like they do better if they are in your room but it also sounds like they need to be crated so they don't chew their leads.

[Aimee Santa Monica]

Thanks, Julie!  I moved the crates in my bedroom a few days ago, to try it out, but it seems to work better for them in our hallway, so far.   I'll give it a few days in the hallway, then if it does'nt work, i'm bringing them in my room.  :)

[Sally loves Maple & Lucky]

Our first doodle, Maple did not want to be alone during the night. So we put her crate in our bedroom and everyone slept through the night. It worked for sleep, but "marital activities" ;) were ALWAYS interrupted by whining no matter how quiet we were! Not good.

So we got another doodle for company. Lucky is really Maples dog. It was the only way to get Maple out of our bedroom - give her some one ELSE to sleep with in the living room. It worked from day one. So now you know ANOTHER reason why we named our 2nd Dood "Lucky" - because we are too! heehee

Anyway, can you put them right outside of your open bedroom door? Then slowly move them back little by little over time to the room you want them in. Sounds like they got used to being fed in the wee hours and their internal clocks are off.

[Adina P]

I would definitely stop feeding them before you're ready to be up for the day.  That's actually why I do NOT feed my dogs breakfast of any kind (they get lunch and dinner)...they tend to be ready to eat 1 hr before its time so I'd never get sleep because they'd try to wake me up earlier and earlier for food.  Not gonna happen. 

 

Whether you want to put up with the barking until they quit (could be many days) or bring them into your room or some other set up is up to you...but if your dogs are anything like mine then feeding them ONCE in the middle of the night will have them expecting it for a very long time.  There's no reason they need to eat then...but they like it so they'll keep trying to get it.   If they haven't had water close to bed time they should be just fine making it till morning.  It's just that they've gotten into a new fun habit they like--that's my take on it anyway.

 

All of our dogs sleep with us in our room (on the floor, on dog beds with freedom to switch beds or lie on the floor) with the doors shut.  They are good and quiet all night long.  It's worth considering trying again....  Though if you think one of them might find things to chew up, just take as much off the floors as you can or, if there is room, bring the crates into your rooms.  That might, on its own, solve everything because they are near their people.

[Aimee Santa Monica]

Thanks so much for your reply!   I appreciate all of the advice i get-  sometimes i feel like i'm alone with all of this! :)

For the past few days, i have moved the dogs crate out of their corner dog room  and moved them into our hallway, near our room.  It has helped alot!  I think that this has helped with the noises that  they have been hearing from our neighbors .   They slept from 9:30 -4:30.  :)  This is a big improvement from waking me up at 1am & 3am.   I usually take away water by 6:30pm and take them out at 9pm.   

I have prepared my room to be "sock-free" for Ayla,   in case they continue barking after i put them back in after 4:30am.  But so far, they do okay for several hours later.  

Hope it gets better soon!  :)

 

[Lynda Kamrath]

Sounds like they are getting you trained.  Just kidding, but if they can get you up at 3:00 and get you to feed them, why not do that every day?  You need to set the limits and make them adjust to your schedule.

[Aimee Santa Monica]

Yes, you're absolutely right!  She was getting used to early feedings!   I am sure glad i moved them out to the hallway- they hear less sounds there.  :)  

 

Or could be my snoring!   :)

[Beverley S. LaLonde]

Get them a Big White knuckle bone and throw in at bedtime.  Cover the crate move crate to furthest point from your room and let them bark. They will eventually give it up. With knukle bone they have something to keep them busy and tire them down a bit. You could also leave a radio on low by them. Bev & Pack

[Allyson, Peri & Taquito]

Try a sound machine - or have you done that already???  Put it on white noise. Did the trick for Peri (and us!). We sleep with it every night - me, DH, Taquito and LadyP.