Puppy is waking up too early

[ChristinaPitman]

My 17 week old golden retriever/Dalmatian mix is doing well with crate training at night. He settles down and goes to sleep without a problem, and wakes up one to two times per night to eliminate. He goes out, does his business, goes back in the crate and settles back down to sleep.

The issue starts between 4:45 and 5 every morning. He decides he’s ready to wake up and eat. I know puppies need to wake up early and that’s fine - all I want is train him to sleep in until 6 am!  He will start barking incessantly. Ignoring him doesn’t help. I think he would go on for hours.  He eats his last meal of the evening around 6-6:30 pm.

Any advice? 

[Adrienne]

Hi Christina, 

I hear you! I just recently went through something similar with two 8 week-old puppies who were waking up early around 5 AM, then once back inside the crate, they didn't want to go back to sleep. Things got better once I took them out very late for their last potty break (their last trip was at midnight) and I got them to sleep up until 8AM. 

Here are some other tips:

-Make sure your puppy doesn't have unmet needs. Make sure he has eaten well, has had an opportunity to drink before bed time (some owners restrict water 3 hours prior to bed time, ask your vet if OK), has peed and pooped before going to bed, and has been offered one or more opportunities to go potty in the night. Also, make sure your puppy is not too hot or cold.

-Trick his circadian rhythm. Many puppies awaken due to bright lights. Room darkening may help with some early risers. Make sure you pull the curtains and close the blinds so that the morning bright sun doesn't awaken your puppy. If the room is bright and no way to make it dark, you may find it helpful to cover the crate with a blanket.

-Provide companionship. For lonely puppies, keeping the crate in the bedroom beside the bed may help reduce barking from feeling lonely. Pups who waken up will often go back to sleep once they realize they are not alone. For many pups just hearing the owner's breathing (or even let's say snoring!) is reassuring enough to make them go back to sleep. This can be a temporary measure, and the pup's crate can be moved slowly out of the room bit by bit over several days.

-Keep some white noise on. White noise (TV or radio on) can help so the puppy doesn't feel lonely or wakes up to external noises. The white noise sounds may keep the pup from hearing birds, the heating coming on or neighbors driving which may act as a wake-up call.

-Give a little snack. A later evening snack may help quench early morning hunger pangs.

-Postpone puppy breakfast if you give a bedtime snack. Try feeding morning breakfast a bit later if possible. Puppies may learn to wake up because they associate getting up with eating. Delaying breakfast for a bit may break this association and trigger the puppy to sleep in more rather than barking.

-Evening games. Make sure your puppy is exercised enough and mentally stimulated (brain games!) during the day. Prevent your puppy from sleeping too much during the day, especially in the evening. Spend time with your pup in the evening, ensuring he is really tired.

--Train to respond to the alarm. This is a bit exhausting but may be worth a try. If you plan on waking up around 6:00 am and your puppy is barking at 5:30am, you can try for one week to set your alarm at 5:20. When the alarm rings, immediately get up and let the puppy out (if he is not barking of course, unless you want to use your puppy as a back-up alarm!). Then, each week move the alarm forward five more minutes, until you reach 6:00. This may teach your puppy to wake up when the alarm goes off.

-Patience pays. Dog behavior is governed by learned behaviors and instincts. It's important to be patient and understand that the longer a behavior has been rehearsed, the longer it will take to extinguish. With guidance and consistency though, patience ultimately pays.

Hope this helps,

Happy training!

Best,

Adrienne

[ChristinaPitman]

Thank you for all of your tips!

[Adrienne]

You are very welcome!

Best,

Adrienne