My seven month old chocolate lab is relatively well behaved and has always slept in her cage at night. For the past few weeks, she's been waking and barking at 5.30am. She doesn't need the toilet and she doesn't get fed until 7.30am. Once she starts barking she doesn't give up until somebody goes down. We're all shattered. What should I do?
Re: Early mornings What time does she bed down for the night ? Oh sorry , welcome ! The other thing is, does this tie in with when the clocks went back ? My 18 month old who has always given us peace until 7 started to wake an hour earlier and wanting us up too , it did wear off though . I suggest that you go to her, maybe let her out, no fussing her at all and then put her back with a kong filled with peanut butter, dont even speak to her as she will see this as winning !
Re: Early mornings Hello and welcome! That sounds awful - barking at 5:30... But first of all, the one thing you MUST NOT DO is let her out when she is barking. Wait until she stops, even for a minute, and then you can let her out. She has obviously learned that if she barks for long enough, someone will come and let her out - and if that means she has to bark for a full hour, at the end of that time, sure enough, down will come Mum or Dad and let her out of her crate. I'm trying to imagine what I would do if this were my dog. Will she sleep quietly if you dont put her in the crate at night?
Re: Early mornings Hi Jo Welcome to the forum I think you have two options. One is to punish the barking. The other is to reward the end of the barking. You could also combine the two. Have a look at this article, Night Waking: how to restore the peace which I think may help you. I agree with Karen, I would not let her out whilst she is barking. It is just too rewarding. Let us know how you get on, and good luck! Pippa
Re: Early mornings Thank you for your welcomes - it's a great site. She's been testing her boundaries in other ways (teenage years??) but it's the barking that is driving us mad. She never barks at any other time. Thanks for the advice - I feel better already, and the link was particularly useful
