Hello everyone. Long time reader, first time posting. We have an 14 month old English Yellow Lab, who we have crate trained. Typically the only times she's in her crate are during the work day or whenever we're not at home, and to sleep. She has always been an A+ dog thus far for crate training, and she typically wakes up and cries to be let out around 6:00-6:15 AM. Recently, this past week, she's been gradually getting up earlier and earlier each day. This morning she started to cry at 4:35 AM! Nothing has changed in terms of her feeding times or nightly routines, which is why this is so perplexing. I took her out around 10:15 PM last night, and she did her business - both of them, which has always been more than enough time for her told hold it until the following morning. Nothing noticeable has changed with her behavior, either - she's still chows down anything you give her to eat and her energy levels are the same. I'm thinking it may be anxiety related? This morning when she started to cry, I got up, but got in the shower immediately and she was quiet once she knew I was up. When I went downstairs, she was laying in her crate calmly, but was not sleeping (can usually tell when she's been sleeping due to heavy eyes). I'm at a loss of what to do, but we need our sleep! Has anyone experienced anything similar, or what would you suggest to do to get her back on schedule? Thanks in advance!
Welcome to the forum! Sorry that you hadn't had a reply yet. Your doggie looks beautiful. What about ditching the crate at night now and giving her a bit more room in the house? Is that possible, given the layout of your house?
Hi and welcome from me and 4 year old girl, Harley. Is there anything waking her up? Harley went through a stage of waking early and it turned out to be a truck reverse beeper a few streets away. As Rachel says above, you could also try letting her out if the crate at night as this might help.
Hi and welcome from me and my dogs Rory and Moo. Its a difficult one really she doesn't sound distressed or like she wants a wee. Mine used to wake when the heating came on and more recently when a neighbour got up for a early work shift.i leave them with free run of the ground floor at night and they are much more relaxed now. Moo is old and deaf and now has a interesting approach to get up time. Its maybe she's missing you or is bored those were some if the reasons we found made Moo bark too. one if the things I did was get up feed and do stuff when my alarm clock went off they now associate this noise to getting up. I don't move till it goes off. That's worked well but now Moo is a little eccentric and deaf things are more difficult.
I've been having similar issues this summer. Two or three times a week my OH will have to get up early - 4.30 - 5, and I follow soon after, letting Monty outside and giving him breakfast. And at this time, it's completely light here in June, July and early August. On the mornings we don't have to get up so early, I've noticed Monty starting to whine between five and six. At first I was getting up and going downstairs to open the doors, thinking he needed the toilet, and I fell into the trap of giving him breakfast at the same time. But all he wanted was the food, never the toilet, - he often wouldn't go outside for another 2 hours, so no way was he desperate for a wee! I then switched to going downstairs just to open the doors, but the past few weeks when he's done it, I've just ignored it, and encouraged him back up on the bed. One morning it grew into a couple of barks from him, but I just shushed him. I think it's working as the early whining is less frequent. I've also started to give him his dinner a bit later - 7.30pm ish rather than 6.30pm. I think this is partly because of the very light mornings and will get a bit better in the winter - can you block out some more light so that isn't waking her up? Possibly giving her a bit more space at night might help too, we started de-crating overnight at around a year old.
Thank you for all of the feedback! She has slept outside the crate at night a few times when we have been downstairs with her, but we are somewhat hesitant to give her free reign, not supervised over night, in fear she would destroy something. Whenever we have her out of the crate, and have to run upstairs to get something, she will 100% of the time look for something to steal or get into to re-focus the attention on her so we have to play her "game" of come and get it. Has anyone else had this fear of letting their lab have free reign, and waking up to total destruction?
Perhaps you can babyproof an area and let her sleep there - a room, or use a pen to give her a bigger area? Our boy wasn't crate trained and never slept in a crate. The worst he did was gnaw a little on my bedside table. When they sleep, they sleep. When awake he had ample chew toys to occupy him. If I left out sandals, i could say goodbye to them! We did make up cheap MDF boards to protect our skirting boards- they stood up like barriers against the walls. And he was never allowed in the lounge unsupervised - we had a baby gate to the entrance to the lounge. Being neat is key to protecting your stuff!!
Oh goodness, yes .Though if my memory serves me correctly, we did night time decrating before daytime, thinking if he was suitably worn out he was less likely to get up to mischief. All you can do is reduce the risk by removing anything obviously dangerous and maybe start it an hour at a time, when she is fed, toileted and tired. Lots of people begin decrating by accident, they leave the cage door unlocked and come home to a perfectly happy and safe dog snoozing on the sofa. I'd also use a kong with something really high value in to distract her at first. I think the fear of doing this is worse than actually doing it, she might pleasantly suprise you!
I have never crated any of my dogs past or present so the only advice I could give would be to let her sleep in the same room with you on a dog bed if she isn't allowed on your bed. This way she should feel more secure having you close by and may not feel the need to get into anything. Having never used a crate for restriction, my house is dog proofed but I have never had a problem with them getting into anything at night.
I was so afraid my pup would ruin something when we left her outside that crate but she had done beautifully. I always shut the restroom door since I know she looooved to pull tissue out of the bin but other then that we have a had no problems. We did a trial run of just 30 minutes the first time by doing our normal leaving the house routine. Peanut butter kong and "kennel up" but just left the door open. When we got home she was just snoozing on the couch. She has been out of her crate since 8 months and is 13 months now and has never destroyed anything. I know every dog is different but she is so much calmer when left out of the crate, so it worked for us.
I am having the same problem with my 1 year old. He keeps waking up earlier and earlier. I am concerned because it is getting darker outside in the morning so I thought this would be a sign he would sleep in more! He starts whimpering and that turns into a bark. I go to the bathroom and then let him out and he is sitting in the crate quietly. I am also at a loss because he loves his crate and I don't think he would like sleeping in the bedroom with us. Usually at about 9pm he puts himself to bed.
Maisy slept in a crate since we got her and with a frozen meat paste kong as her nightly treat she went to bed willingly, usually about 10.30pm. She always woke about 6-6.30am but then, like yours, it started getting earlier and earlier. It is really hard to ignore them when they are scratching about and whining so we started a routine of getting her out of the crate and onto our bed at 6am each day after having a wee and breakfast, this was from about 4 months old. She settled on our bed and slept soundly until we got up - 7am in the week, 8.30am weekends. She then got a bit large for her crate and until I managed to get a new one let her sleep with us on the bed again. All night from 10.30pm to 6am - up for a wee and breakfast - back for a snooze until 7 or 8 ish. What I am trying to say is that when she was with us she was quiet as a mouse, slept all night, did not move from the bed or destroy anything. I put it down to just wanting our company, maybe when she hears you get up and shower she is comforted to know you are there. However, I would ideally like her to have a bed on the floor in our bedroom rather than be on our bed but I have tried coaxing her into it and she will not stay there. She knows the comfort of our bed now so she just keeps getting on it instead of staying in hers - does anyone have any ideas on how to get her to stay in there? She is sleeping in her crate some nights and on our bed few a few nights of the week which is working out ok for now.
