# I need a little more sleep



## Specman (Jun 14, 2012)

We have had our 7 mo. old miniature poodle for a month now and all is going well. The only issues I have with his behavior is that he sleeps in our bed and licks our faces at first light which is now about 4:30! I know he should be in a crate but, we were letting him out a 3:30 when he was crated which was worse for us.

All I need is another hour of sleep to make it through the day. Our other dogs which were rescues had no problem sleeping until I was ready to get up.

Is this because he is still a puppy and will sleep more when he is an adult or am I creating habits for life? A bath at 4:30 is not how I want to start my day!


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## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

I am not quite sure how I did it, but both of mine have learned that morning starts when I say so, not when the sun comes up. I suspect that it was made easy for me - Sophy likes her sleep, so it was one of the rules I made and she enforced on Poppy! 

I ignored any attempts to wake me up - licking got a decided growl and grumble, and I turned over with my back to the dog. If the pup really needed to go out, I would take them out, then go back to bed. During the day I rewarded Settle as a behaviour, and then used it as a cue for some peace in the early morning. I tried to avoid being persuaded into early breakfast, and most definitely avoided early games. Much as I believe in reward-based training, I think it was very clear to my dogs that I was not a very friendly soul in the dawn hours, and that I was only to be dragged out of bed for significant emergency!

In our house the issue tends to be the dogs complaining that I keep them up too late - Sophy worked hard for months to get me into bed by 10pm - she was succeeding until I cottoned on, and becoame resistant to her very clever ploys!


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## ROHAN-K9mm (Nov 20, 2011)

Crate him. He is old enough to go from when you go to bed- Last Call for Potty Time ! to 5:30 or so. I have one 14 months now who wants to sleep on the bed, and would dig covers off my feet to deliver a pedicure. I put him in his crate with a treat AFTER I have done my nightly routine. I put his treat in the crate, tell him Kennel Up, shut him in . get in bed and turn out light. He went through a spell of fussing about it, about 8 eternal minuets, than 5 and now I just get a gripe or two. The truth is - Mama ain't happy, Nobody's happy. You need your sleep so you can politely train him. I love the little warm body curled up next to me, BUT not the stealth pedicure. He will fuss at first. Harden your heart and say Go to SleeP. Listen for the real' I need to POOP NOW cry, honor it and get up for it. Put a leash on him, make a big deal about going out to potty, go back to bed, each of you in your own bed Give him a little treat, and go back to sleep. You have earned it. and it is your house.Do take him out first thing in the AM. Best Wishes


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## PaddleAddict (Feb 9, 2010)

Crate. Our mini still sleeps in his crate at night for this very reason. He loves his crate, too, would prefer to be in his crate instead of in the bed.


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## Specman (Jun 14, 2012)

I know that I should crate him but I guess I am a pushover. He is a sensitive dog and he was fine in his crate until 3:30am which time he would start to cry. The first time he did this we ignored him all night and found him covered with urine in the morning. Since that time we let him out a 3:30 and he did what he needed to do and put him back in his crate. He then whines, barks, howled for the rest of the night. 

So at that point, he was in our bed at 3:30am on. My mother-in-law live with us and I can't have him up all night. From there we let him on our bed and he now sleeps until 4:30 or 5:00am. 

I know that this is a slippery slope but I am getting more sleep this way and he is good in our bed. He does not take up much space and is good other than a 4:30am bath.


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## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

I'd growl. Deeply and increasingly loudly. Not hard at 4.30am, and well understood by most dogs.


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## PaddleAddict (Feb 9, 2010)

Specman said:


> I know that I should crate him but I guess I am a pushover. He is a sensitive dog and he was fine in his crate until 3:30am which time he would start to cry. The first time he did this we ignored him all night and found him covered with urine in the morning. Since that time we let him out a 3:30 and he did what he needed to do and put him back in his crate. He then whines, barks, howled for the rest of the night.
> 
> So at that point, he was in our bed at 3:30am on. My mother-in-law live with us and I can't have him up all night. From there we let him on our bed and he now sleeps until 4:30 or 5:00am.
> 
> I know that this is a slippery slope but I am getting more sleep this way and he is good in our bed. He does not take up much space and is good other than a 4:30am bath.


Ha, sounds like the dog is in charge at your house!

Your dog does not sound "sensitive" to me, he sounds like a typical poodle puppy. Like a toddler throwing a temper tantrum, he has learned how to get what he wants.... But now is the time to decide if you make the rules or he does. Totally up to you!


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## lrkellly (Jan 6, 2012)

Are you sure he doesn't just need to pee at 4:30am? I can't remember how long a 7 month old miniature should be expected to hold it... but could that be the reason for waking you? Do you take away water 2 hrs before bedtime and let him out to pee before bed?

If he definitely isn't needing to pee I think fjm's growling advice will probably work! Good luck...


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## Elfywara (Apr 16, 2012)

I was getting the same problem here, accept my puppy is now 9 weeks old, and sleep in his crate. It's been just a week since a got him!

Last night was his best night of the week. He sleep at 10 pm until 5 h 30 am. I wake up at 5 h 30 am, go outside for potty, and then return him in his crate until almost 8 am. The first few nights, i wake up several time in the night to go outside with him, and he was so loud!!! But it's comprehensive, he is just a little puppy now! The first 3 days with him makes me so tired! But now, i think i got the routine in place, he don't wines very long (less than 1 minute) before going to bed. But of course, in the morning, he wines to tell me he need to go potty!


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## dcyk (Nov 30, 2011)

Try this, if he's on your bed, you make the calls, sleep with an arm over his back, and if he stirs and tries to wake up, be firm and hold him down, tell him go sleep.


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## sarpoodle (Dec 26, 2011)

You have discovered the timeless secret to creating a dog that loves you, and needs you more than anything else in the world. It's the best way to have a dog that is perpetually glued to your side. He will be there every time you turn around, causing you to stumble and practically kill yourself. He will follow you everywhere, so you can't get a moments peace. You will be his source of comfort, and he will come to rely on you to help cope with life's problems. It feels so good having those little, furry creatures lying next to you in bed. Just remember, it comes at a price.

If it were my dog, he'd be in a crate. If he really needed to be taken out at 3:30am for a potty break, well, I'd do that. It's just the price of admission when you get a young dog, but it would be temporary, because my goal would be to get him sleeping through the night until I was ready to get up and start the day. At 7 months, he really should be able to sleep through the night, so that's what I would be striving to teach him. It will be inconvenient at first, but in the end, he will possess the skills to deal with these long periods of time separated from me.

Dogs are an integral part of my life, but I don't want them controlling it to the extent that I can't sleep as late as I need to. With 4-5 dogs living in my house at any one time, I need all of the energy I can muster in order to work with them throughout the day. We get plenty of bonding time then.

Greg


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## Specman (Jun 14, 2012)

Actually this was much easier than I thought. Since he is a poodle and very smart, I just tell him to go lay down and he is good to 5:15 or so when he really needs to go out. He has even adjusted to the fact that I have to get up in the middle of the night for a potty break even if he does not. He is well mannered in bed and I really don't even know he is there until he has to go out.


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## Marcie (Aug 2, 2011)

Specman said:


> I know that I should crate him but I guess I am a pushover. He is a sensitive dog and he was fine in his crate until 3:30am which time he would start to cry. The first time he did this we ignored him all night and found him covered with urine in the morning. Since that time we let him out a 3:30 and he did what he needed to do and put him back in his crate. He then whines, barks, howled for the rest of the night.
> 
> So at that point, he was in our bed at 3:30am on. My mother-in-law live with us and I can't have him up all night. From there we let him on our bed and he now sleeps until 4:30 or 5:00am.
> 
> I know that this is a slippery slope but I am getting more sleep this way and he is good in our bed. He does not take up much space and is good other than a 4:30am bath.


Both my girls sleep with me on the bed and they sleep all through the night. Sasha loves to sleep late so I have the opposite problem. I have to wake her up to go out when I go to work. 

When your little guy starts licking you to get up, lay him back down next to you, tucked under your arm tell him to sleep. Try and keep him there for at least 5 to 10 minutes, then get up and let him out. If you can keep increasing the time by 5 minutes or so, pretty soon he will get on a better schedule. Its worth a try. I sleep better knowing they are right there with me.


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## Doodlegirl (Aug 13, 2012)

Specman said:


> I know that I should crate him but I guess I am a pushover. He is a sensitive dog and he was fine in his crate until 3:30am which time he would start to cry. The first time he did this we ignored him all night and found him covered with urine in the morning. Since that time we let him out a 3:30 and he did what he needed to do and put him back in his crate. He then whines, barks, howled for the rest of the night.
> 
> So at that point, he was in our bed at 3:30am on. My mother-in-law live with us and I can't have him up all night. From there we let him on our bed and he now sleeps until 4:30 or 5:00am.
> 
> I know that this is a slippery slope but I am getting more sleep this way and he is good in our bed. He does not take up much space and is good other than a 4:30am bath.


Put him in a crate. 
I take food and water up at 7-8 at night. No matter what time we go to bed. take them for a run or walk around dark time. Do all your nightly chores, shower bathroom, do whatever. Then, right before you are going to get in bed, take the dog out, say go potty. Give him time to walk around and get it all out of him. Take him straight to the kennel and say bedtime. 
You need to have a toy or hard bone in the kennel- I prefer Kongs stuffed with yummy goodness. Maybe start covering the crate with a dark sheet so when the sun does come up.. he wont know.. I would also suggest a spray bottle filled w/ water. If the kennel is next to your bed, which is sometimes easier.. and the pup starts to whine or cry at 4:30 spray and say hush- or sleep. Make sure your kennel is ONLY big enough for the pup to stand up and turn around. If you have a large kennel, you can gett a divider and put in it until the pup is the right size for the kennel. You have to be consistant on this. Don't let him win you over!!!!!!!!!!!!! I kennel my 11 mo old everynight. But one night each week he gets to sleep with us. He knows. But he also loves his own bed. This is a reward for being good in his kennel. Make sure your babie's bed is comfy for him. stick in an old shirt that smells like you, he may just be unconfortable. They always whine and cry-and want to get up at the oddest times at night- let him know you are the boss. set your alarm for 6 every morning and take him straight out. He will soon be on a regular schedule and your problems should be fixed. This is only if you stick with the program everynight! Should only take a few weeks of being consistant, and you won't even have to set your alarm anymore, he'll wake you up around six, it's weird I know, but all my standards have worked like this.  Hope this helps!


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## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

It sounds as if you have it sorted, without having to resort to spray bottles or other methods. I found that the morning start got later as their ability to control their bladders improved - they now usually sleep the 8 or 9 hours that is my norm, and only wake up when I tell them it's time. The only small issue I had with my two on the bed is that Sophy tended to object to the cats joining us during the night - I got so that I could say "It's my bed - I decide" without really waking up, and they now all distribute themselves around my humps and bumps with no problems.


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