Hi all. I know all homes are different, and I have the puppy handbook, but wonder if anyone else has ideas for getting just an extra hour sleep at weekends! We are first time crate users, as our previous homes were smaller and we didn't have majorly precious items. This time round we have renovated a forever home, and wit our previous boy being older at the time installed rather precious oak floors, doors and a kitchen! All of which we now police from 15 week old teeth. Crate is no problem, we use it at night and when have to go out. When we are in he has run of place, and set himself a stolen throw as his daytime crash place too! Very proud he can take himself off and nap without being put in crate. However, hubby works away most of week, but if he is home he is up by 5am. Obviously he let's him out for a wee, spends half hour with him, and then crates him and leaves. Of course he then wants me! My alarm goes off at 5.45, and that's breakfast signal. No probs with this weekdays as he is ready to crate by 7 as I leave for 2 hours at work then. I would dearly love to be able to wake a bit later on a weekend, preferably in daylight. Obviously we have started this, by feeding him when we get up, but he was fed at 6 by breeder and always goes to bed at 10 and slept right thru. I seem to have weekend job of entertaining him for a couple hours while rest of house sleeps and all these hours are adding up and my poor boy things his mum is a panda with dark puffy eyes! How should we do this when hubby is about? Leave him? Feed him?
Pups need you they don't get weekends. I get up at usual times 4.48am and then snuggle on The sofa after the pup has been toileted and fed and get extra zzzs that way. When they are older they are so lazy I have to wake them up feed them. Things will be different when they are older while they are pups its all me me me now now now. my hubby never helps so i do it all on own i find that to be a real positive . Feeding early is also good because i like to know if my dogs are ok before i go to work.gives time to play with them or do any massage etc. You'll get more sleep soon its just the first few months
Yep, I'm with @SwampDonkey on this - a puppy doesn't know the difference between weekday and weekend and doesn't understand why their routine should be different. And agree that it won't last forever. Jess would sleep til noon these days, any day of the week! In the meantime, maybe you can go back to bed after you feed the puppy and let him out for a wee, or have a nap at a quiet time later in the day?
For the first few months I got up at 6am, wee, breakfast, poo, play until off to work. Exhausting for me and luckily for her too as she would then sleep most of the morning until lunch time. Now she is 8 months and on a Sunday I can lay in until about 9am, she can hold her toilet no problem. She sleeps in her crate through the night and when my alarm goes off or before, I fetch her onto out bed and she snuggles with us until we get up, she doesn't seem to want to go anywhere for toilet or food when she is with us so Sunday mornings are lovely now. So maybe when hubby gets up have him with you on the bed after he has toileted etc. and he may fall back to sleep with you, if you don't mind that of course.
Think I misunderstood. I know they don't do weekends. And I am fully aware he needs me. Its more a case of human routine and bodies in the house that's different. I am out only 4 hrs during the day, so he is very attuned to me. Hubby wants to be more involved but only has weekend and I don't know weather its worth changing routine.
I just proved to myself why writing too early with a pup attached to leg isn't a good idea. I am sorry if I came across like I just want to sleep all day. I am fully aware my pup needs me. I have had many before him, and over years have gone so far as to cut work hours down to be a stay at home dog owner. I just wanted a bit of advice regarding when hubby is home and to shape routines more at weekends in order for him to bond with everyone, rather than just me, so turns can be taken. Right now, I have managed to read too much probably into replies, and feel strangers think I am a rubbish owner. There is a section on early waking in good puppy book, so I am obviously not too rubbish if it is an issue in general. That said, I thank all for replying, but shall be deleting my account as I am really cross with myself for having tears over a forum site at my age lol
I'm sorry if my response was abrupt - I wasn't judging you in the slightest! Please do keep posting and asking for help. I remember being exhausted when Jess was little too, the sleep deprivation is hard. I was trying to be reassuring by saying it won't last for long. It's tough and of course you have to find a routine that works for you. That could be done in lots of ways. I was on my own with Jess for most of her early months so I found the best thing was for me to get up early and then go back to bed, or to get up early and then sleep later. But you should figure out what is best for your family. Also, you don't have to give the puppy everything he wants! If your husband has taken him out and played with him then I would definitely consider the pup to be okay for another couple of hours before you get up. You're doing a great job, and this will get easier.
You don't come across that at all you just sound tired. You are not a rubbish owner we all know what hard work pups are.
No need to cancel your account. As things progress you will probably want to get some advice again. Then you will have the dilemma of "if I go back they will think. . .". Some of us are a bit sensitive about dogs. We have seen too much of this "It is all about me as the owner and what I want". The classic example is the pup who is purchased for the kids and then becomes nothing but a burden on the parents so the solution is to relegate the dog to solitary confinement in the backyard. In other words, some of us can be very protective when it comes to dogs and sometimes it peeks through our comments.
That would be a shame @Tracey carr , this forum has been a massive help and support to me with my Labrador, Cassie, and fun as well, and additionally I've met some beautiful Labradors and the people in their lives on the Forum walks. Mostly it's just me and her, my son and daughter who are in their early twenties don't live here all the time but come and go as they please, but Cassie has bonded with them just fine, your puppy is small so there is all the time in the world for your husband to be in his life.
I was thinking, maybe when your husband gets up early it would be better not to feed/interact with the puppy and just be quiet and matter of fact, so he (the puppy) gets the idea the day hasn't really started yet. I've always varied Cassie's mornings, she doesn't get things in a set order or a particular time, and is very accepting of this. Maybe at the weekends you could practice gradually getting up a little later, but in the main agree with others that this will probably work out in time.
Yes. My brother gets up at 6am and goes to work. I don’t get up till 7:30am. The dogs don’t wake up at all when he comes down, gets his breakfast and leaves - this is true when the pup is tiny too. They know that he’s not going to feed them! .
@Tracey carr, don't go! You're not a rubbish owner in the slightest. You're knackered. I didn't interpret any of the replies as implying anything negative about your ability as a pup owner. I too wish my 13 month old would sleep longer and haven't yet worked out how to make it happen. I'm relying on the replies which say it'll come as they get older. Fingers crossed.
