Help! Cooper Stopped Sleeping

[Nick]

Ok...that's a bit dramatic, he didn't stop sleeping...! But, looking for input, advice or maybe just some solace...

Ever since we got Cooper at 10 weeks he has been a good sleeper. Aside from the first few nights, he has slept through the night and has an internal alarm clock that went off every morning at 5am on the dot (even when the time changed...!). Funny because my wife and I remarked on how we couldn't remember the last time we actually set an alarm on our phones to get up in the morning because we have Cooper now!

Well, over the past week Coop has decided to stop sleeping in (yes, 5am is now considered "sleeping in"). He has steadily been getting up earlier and earlier and after getting up with him at 3:00am this morning, I've had it.

Cooper is now 17 weeks old and I know the reason he gets up is he has to pee. So, I'll get up with him and he will go straight out and pee. The problem is, when he gets back in he wants to play and eat. I try to not play with him or feed him but he will start barking and dancing around followed by running circles in the living room which hypes him up even more until he gets fed (yes, I know, he trained me...I'm not very strong-willed at 3am). If I put him back in the crate, he will cry and howl which wakes up my wife and our other dog and there we are...3am wide awake. But, if I feed him, he'll calm down and after 30-45 minutes he will zonk back out. By this time, its 5am and we have to get up for work. He then proceeds to sleep all morning being a lazy butt until around 10am or so.

I've noticed that he has lost a couple of his bottom teeth lately so I'm wondering if this is because he is teething and therefore, restless(?). 

Can anyone suggest any strategies or share any "it took my doodle __# of months until he would sleep in" stories? Hoping there is a light at the end of the tunnel. He wears me out all day with his puppy craziness...I need to sleep!!!

[Leslie J]

Cooper is adorable! I remember what I used to do when Cocoa had to pee at night- I put on the leash, carried her out, stood in one place so she could pee, carried her back in, and popped her back in the crate.

If the crate is right next to your bed, you can often calm them down if they're a bit unsettled. I would not feed him- it will motivate him to wake up at night.

This will pass!!! Cooper will sleep through the night!!!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Maybe you could adjust his schedule so that he gets something to eat closer to bedtime? And a good long walk or playtime in the early evening might also tire him out.  

[Nick]

Thanks for the replies so far! Cooper does sleep in his crate which is right next to our bed. The problem we have with putting him back in there in the middle of the night is he screams and howls which gets our other dog all riled up and then everyone's awake!

We definitely wear him out in the evenings - he goes to bed exhausted and I know he needs the sleep...I guess just not between the hours of 3-5am!

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

You might try picking up his water bowl at 8:00 p.m. because that will limit his need to pee. As hard as it sounds, I think you should NOT give in to his playing and being fed during the night.  He might wake you up for a couple of nights, but once he realizes that the most he is going to get during 'dark time' is a short pee break, I think he will quit.