Zoey's New Trick/Habit :-(

[Zoey's Mom, Lynn]

Zoey has a new habit, as of the last 2 weeks or so.....  She has started waking up around 2:00 a.m. thinking it is time to get up for the day.  Nothing we seem to be doing will convince her that she needs to go back to sleep.  From the day we got her at 8 weeks (she is now 4.5 months old), she has slept through the night in her crate.  Until now...  She doesn't need to potty, she's just ready for the day to start!

My wife and I are taking turns with her in the living room, as she barks and wakes the rest of the household.  It is getting tiring!!!!

We have tried exercising, making sure she's had her fill of dinner and water (earlier in the evening), kongs with frozen peanut butter/kibble, rawhides, etc.

Any and all suggestions are welcome!!!!!

Thanks!  (I love this website!!!!!)

Zoey's Mom, Alynn

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

What happens if you just ignore her?

[Zoey's Mom, Lynn]

Karen:  She barks, cries, whines  (all high pitch annoying sounds) and digs at the crate....

:-(

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I'll tell you honestly, if Jasper started doing this, he'd get moved to his crate in the family room for the duration of the night. At my age, I need my sleep, lol!

[Zoey's Mom, Lynn]

I think that's what we are going to start doing!  It's like she has forgotten that she was crate trained!

Thanks!

[J and Riley (and Luna)]

Have you tried reserving a small portion (1/4-1/2 cup or so) of her daily kibble for a pre-bedtime "snack"?

Riley was waking us up early (not quite so early as Zoey, but about 4-5 AM) super hungry and a few times she was feeling so off (we assume from hunger) she threw up in her crate.  Once we started giving her that 1/4 to 1/2 cup just before her last potty break of the night she has stopped her early waking habit.

It's worth a try!  I'm still in no-sleep land over here (due to a human baby though) so sleep is precious to me lol. :)

[Sue, Murphy and Bella ()*o*()]

I agree with Karen. Neither of mine would be given any human contact at that hour!  Ours have both always slept in our bed from the start, but if either one decided it was time to get up at 2 AM, other sleeping arrangements would have happened real quick.  The later feeding sounds like a good idea. Is she sleeping much of the day?

How much exercise does she get on a daily basis? Getting older means more exercise with these guys. In the meanwhile, moving her to another, quiet, dark area, getting everyone ear plugs and as long as she's safe, fed and doesn't need to potty, I'd just wait it out. These doodles are pretty smart, she'll figure it out quick. 

[Lori, Winnie, Bob and Indie]

All have given great suggestions!

I have to wonder, though, is there something specifically that might be waking her up at that hour? Outside or something inside the house? Maybe the sound of a sprinkler system, buzz of a street light, hum of a dishwasher, etc. or one of you snoring? Or a light flashing somewhere? Is your house thermostat set to make a change around that time?

Dogs are such creatures of habit! And, it doesn't take long for them to develop unwelcome habits. For the longest time, our 3 were getting up at 6:25am on the dot- even on weekends. :-(  My husband would remark about how they would sleep in for him until 8 or 9 if I was out of town. It took quite a while until we finally figured out how he got so lucky.....it was my coffee pot waking them up! I don't know if it's the aroma or the 3 quiet beeps it does when it's done, but I have it set to brew at 6:10 every morning. I stopped setting the timer on weekends, and sure enough, they slept in!

I realize that your 2:00am is more maddening than 6:25am on weekends, but it makes me wonder if there's something changing in her environment...

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I thought about that too. 

A neighbor whose hours have changed, or a newpaper delivery person with a noisy car...we had one of those here on my block for awhile. But those were more like 4-6 a.m., not at 2.