Hi everyone, I wonder if any of you experienced puppy owners can help me? I have a beautiful 16 week lab who is a little star; smart, fun and a great asset to the family. I am at home with him all day and do frequent mini training sessions with him and also give him plenty of exercise for his age. He goes all night in his crate without asking to get up, so once he starts barking at 6am I feel it's only fair to get up straight away to let him out. After this he is with me in the kitchen whilst I try to sit quietly and have my breakfast. However, at this point we have rather differing ideas about how we like to conduct ourselves! Whilst I realise he is a puppy, at the same time I feel that being jumped up at and bitten repeatedly on my wrists and legs until I give him full attention and entertain him is not a behaviour I should allow to develop. I try to engage him with a toy but he gets very bored with them unless they are brand new and the only thing that will calm him down is if I give him a frozen kong. Then I get a blissful half an hour. My question is this, should I do this every day for some peace, or put up with him biting me (which really hurts!)? I feel he is now waking up specifically for food and he will not leave me alone until he gets it. When he's finished his kong at about 7am I make him wait for his breakfast until 8am and often he will settle by my feet or amuse himself until then. Am I doing the right thing and is there any advice that will help me feel more confident? I know all about children, but not about puppies!! I'd be interested to hear about other people's morning/breakfast routines. Any tips? Thank you.
My dog is Four years old now and wakes up wanting his breakfast rather than toilet first. I'd continue with giving him the Kong in the morning then he'll settle and you can have a peaceful start to the day.
