hi everyone our little guy Albie is now 16 weeks old and he's waking up every morning around 4am! We have tried different rooms pitch black rooms etc and still he wakes up and to be honest it's starting to seriously effect our lives to the point of we are considering rehomeing him. We don't want to but every morning at 4am with barking is too much. My question is does anyone give a dog of that age a bone? And if so what type. Just trying to think of a way of keeping him quite in the morning
Is Albie in the same room as you? I would seriously consider that before rehoming - it could be a simple thing that keeps him calm. He's still just a baby and lonely when he wakes up. It's a phase and will pass, if you manage it properly. The first few weeks (months) of puppy ownership can be very tiring, but as long as you look at him as the baby he is, rather than thinking he' misbehaving, then it's easier to keep some perspective. Just as a human baby learns to sleep through the night without screaming the house down, so will a puppy. Bones are fine, as long as they are appropriate, and that means easy for the dog to eat. You shouldn't, at any age, give big bones (weight-bearing bones from larger mammals such as cows, sheep, pigs) but you can give things such as chicken carcasses, chicken wings, rabbit portions, lamb ribs etc. The proviso is three-fold. Firstly, I would never give a bone to a dog unsupervised, and since you're going to be using it so you can get back to bed, then it would be a no-no for me. Secondly, he may come to look forward to his early morning treat and wake earlier in anticipation. Thirdly, you generally find the first few times you give different bones/protein sources, a dog will have a runny tummy, and you don't want that to be something you come downstairs to! If you ignore the second point and feel he needs something to keep him busy, I'd recommend giving him a frozen kong, filled with something tasty such as soaked kibble with a tin of sardines mixed in. That should keep him occupied for a while at his age.
Thanks for the reply they are all very valid points as for sure I don't want to make the situation any worse. With regards to rehomeing I don't think we will actually be able to do it as we love him to bits! I was probably over reacting in a tired rage when I first posted this I think the most frustrating thing is he used to sleep in till 5-30 to 6 time but as he is getting older he seems to be getting worse and we feel like things are going backwards. He goes to bed fine by himself it's just the waking up and annoying neighbours etc.
I know how tough it is, and how down you can get about it - been there, done that! My Shadow went through a phase when he was around a year old, when he suddenly started waking and barking at 5am, so I feel your pain! As for your neighbours, pop round with a bottle of wine and some earplugs and explain that you're working on the issue and it won't last forever. Most people are as understandable when you explain as they would be if you had a new baby in the house. I think the easiest option is to bring his crate into your bedroom at nighttime. Even if it's just for the short term to get him back into a nice relaxed sleeping habit for a week or so. You can then gradually move the crate further from your bedroom if you don't want him in there with you long-term.
If he is waking up needing the loo could you go back to getting up at 2 say and running him out to the loo for 3 days then stretching it out for 1/2 hr every 3 days? What time is his last loo trip? Is he In a crate or just in a bed?
Hi he's in a pen and at 8 weeks old when we first got him he slept through to about 5-30 and just weed on his puppy pad if he needed it. We let him out at 4-30 this morning and he didn't even go to the toilet much to our surprise.
Don't let her go to bed much before you do. Does he sleep in the same room with you. Most people seem to think that is the best arrangement. We have always given our dogs commercial sterile bones which were fairly small sections of big weight bearing bones. They can't break off or splinter. We used to put one of Coopers soft toys in her crate with her also. Now that Cooper is older she is not crated and can come and go as she pleases. Ours don't bark or whine at night, but we have our own issue. Cooper has the annoying habit of jumping on the bed about 4 or 5 in the morning often when she has come back in the house. It is just to say hello but when a 80+ lb lab jumps on the bed it can be disconcerting. She comes up, and gives us a kiss and then either goes to the foot of the bed, or back to the floor.
