My dog has decided we wake at 5am

[tirrylea]

My Bennys started doing the 5am singing routine!!! GIT!!! I think it's because Battys on the bed with us on the moment whilst Benny's tail has been healing and he feels lonely, I will keep Batty downstairs tonight to see if he shuts up tonight! It's not wanting to go out, I think he's just uber lonely and wants company

[samburns]

Jan 18, 2011 14:31:16 GMT -5 tirrylea said:

My Bennys started doing the 5am singing routine!!! GIT!!! I think it's because Battys on the bed with us on the moment whilst Benny's tail has been healing and he feels lonely, I will keep Batty downstairs tonight to see if he shuts up tonight! It's not wanting to go out, I think he's just uber lonely and wants company

Funny isn't it, Dickie usually wakes us at about 6am (both dogs sleep downstairs because he doesn't 'do' stairs) but he doesn't need to go out he just wants reassurance that we are there, OH always goes down and naps on the sofa until time to get up at 7.30ish

[Melanie]

I can definitely relate!
Axel slept well and silently from when we got him in May through to the recent clock change. He suddenly started howling and barking at 6 the sometimes earlier. We normally get up at 6.30 every day for work, but he obviously was still doing this at weekends...
We recently had a brainwave....Axel sleeps in the cupboard under the stairs with a dog gate across the door. We then started hanging a vet bed over the dog gate and close the door over (not fully closed) and this blocks out enough light that now he is silent in the mornings! He'll only whine now if we're having a lie in and he wants us to get up, but this is 8 onwards...so much preferred to 5!!!

[chatter]

For Chatter it depends on the weather, if its raining she stays in bed till i make her get up, if the sun shines she tells me to get up and yes its usually around the 6/6.30am time.

[3doggies]

Wow!! I have to admit, though I FEEL your pain, I feel some small relief knowing our dog isn't the only one who is going through this. We have had two greyhounds since September (so, 4 months)...they started out sleeping in our bedroom, and they both slept through the night, minus a few turns around the pillow in the middle of the night from the young male grey. Eventually I realized I wasn't sleeping through the night EVER because of the atrocious GAS that they emitted!!! Also the female thought she was racing in her sleep and would claw the wall all night long like she was running along it. HAHAHA! Hilarious at first until you seriously haven't slept for two weeks ;D We moved them into the living room and they have slept fine for 2.5 months (and so have I!)! All of the sudden the male dog gets up 2-3 times a night whining and crying!! I have tried doing everything I can think of, between letting him out (sometimes he goes potty and sometimes he doesn't)...to making him go back to his bed and covering him up with his blanket, to ignoring him (only lasts so long bc I have a toddler that he will wake up).
He has also started becoming increasingly anxious thorughout the day, whining and crying. I took him to the vet and had him checked out, all of his blood work and urine test came back completely clean.

Any thoughts?? I am considering putting him in our room or in his crate at night. I have tried the crate but we are in the middle of showing our house for sale and it is such a ginormous eye sore So not completely ideal, but will do if needed.

Should I switch his food? Wondering if his sensitive tummy is bothering him. He pooped on the floor today for the first time ever (never has he ever had an accident inside) -- today he pooped inside after just being outside and not going out there :/ baffled.

[ragsysmum]

Are you sure he isn't just cold? If he gets chilly through the night he won't sleep through. maybe you could try a fleecy coat or pj's as well as extra bedding.

[ritab]

Mine sleep in the bedroom and no gas whatsoever - so perhaps their food is to blame. Also stress could be a factor in the behaviour change - he has probably sensed something is going on re the house sale and the crate disappearing. Mine spend ages in their crates - doors open - and they are covered with a 'tasteful' throw with just the front open so could look fairly presentable if I hadn't then used the tops for their multitude of collars, coats, etc.

I have found it takes a while for them to be completely reliable re house training. Gizzi took a few months before accidents completely stopped and we have had Lena for 6 weeks now and have to keep an eye on her or she will wee at the bottom of the stairs even though she went out only 15 mins ago.

Perhaps change the food (I use Burns Pork & Potato Sensitive) and let them sleep in the bedroom again - I'm sure you'll like it when the dust settles.

[LindsayA]

I think our dog gets cold at night and that's why he fusses about around 3/4am. He's in a pretty good bedtime routine now, we let him out just before we go up to bed, usually between 11pm and 12am, but come 11pm he's normally gotten himself up off the sofa and is waiting to be let out. He does his wees, and then comes in, goes straight to the door to upstairs, races straight upstairs and waits by our bedroom door. When we open our door he mooches straight onto his wilko cheapy duvet lol and gets himself comfy. We chuck a blanket over him, and around 3/4am he normally hops up onto our bed and cuddles up with us. In fact I normally wake up between 6 and 7 either half pushed off the bed / squashed against my bf / curled up in 1/4 of the bed while he takes the other 1/4. Hoping that a house coat / jumper/ jimjams at bedtime will help, and no doubt when the weather gets warmer he will be flaked out by himself rather than snuggling us curled up like a cat.

[sharonhigh45]

Moss,sleeps in his bed all night then about 5.00am starts circling the bed, he usually last out until the alaram at 6.00am when he gets into bed for his morning cuddle, the old staffie X likes to sleep on the sofa and does her own thing.

[ReggieK]

My girl has started, in the last month, waking me at 3am ish. I come down and let her out for a wee, then she goes back to sleep until 6am when she goes out for a poo. She used to sleep until about 6-7am and then get up and do both poo/pee in same visit.

I don't know why she started doing this. She is let out about 10pm before I go to bed, and she has held her bladder for 12 hours+ at times in the past.

Personally I'm not bothered about getting up to let her out, but when I go away she stays with friends and was a right pain for them last time. Not sure how to fix this

[Lisa]

Are you going out with her and watching she's emptying properly before bed? Since the weather has turned they often go out at bedtime but don't do anything just hang by the door waiting to come in. If you are not overseeing it you just think they've been

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[ReggieK]

Yes, I oversee it to make sure she goes.

[Lisa]

Maybe waking up cold. Try sleeping her in a house coat and leave the heating on around sixteen degrees. You can also try a couple of handfuls of cooked warm pasta before bed

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[ReggieK]

OK thanks Lisa, will try warming her up first.

[clareandy]

Hi! We are new to this forum but we are having exactly the same problem with our ex-racing greyhound Heath. I am pretty sure he's just after his breakfast, at 4:45am. I will try him with some biscuits before bed and putting his jumper on tonight though. Hopefully it will work. Nice to be part of this forum, thank you. Clare and Andy