# Help! My dog wakes up too early!



## N2Mischief (Dec 3, 2012)

If he slept later in the crate, I would put him back in the crate. Most nights my toy poodle sleeps with me, but on occasion she bugs, lol. She wants to play, and attack my feet under the covers and start chewing on the quilt, or starts picking on the other dogs. I just put her in her crate and I don't hear from her again.


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## knit1purl2 (May 29, 2010)

Actually, he used to wake earlier in the crate. As soon as he heard one of us stir, he would cry to get out. He used to sleep later with us than he ever did in the crate. He doesn't always bark in the morning, he walks around our room, tears up paper, but it is enough noise to keep us up. Sometimes he barks.


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## Tiny Poodles (Jun 20, 2013)

Well really, I think that if he is walking around ripping up paper, he really came out of the crate too soon, but putting that aside, the barking behavior is self reinforcing because he is getting what he wants - getting you up and getting some action going!

If it were me, I would immediately get up, put him out of the room and go back to sleep - putting him the crate as far away from the bedroom as possible if needed to keep him from getting into trouble or standing at the bedroom door barking. 
It won't take him long to realize that this behavior gets him the polar opposite of what he wants, and he will happily lie quietly by your side instead of risking getting completely removed from you!


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## knit1purl2 (May 29, 2010)

I may try that. This is very new behavior for Frankie, he always slept until one of us was ready to get up. That is why we are not understanding what has changed. But being put in the crate in another room might do the trick. He HATES the crate, always did, but we did use it for a very long time before letting him sleep with us. He was well over a year and a half when we stopped using the crate for sleeping.

Thanks!

Lisa


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## Specman (Jun 14, 2012)

He sounds like Max's twin! He gets up every morning at 5:45 as well. I have tried long walks or mental stimulation before bedtime. This seems to help a little with Max.


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## Tiny Poodles (Jun 20, 2013)

When Teaka first started sleeping in the bed, she thought it was playtime - so I did exactly what I said with the crate, and I don't even know if I had to do it 2 or 3 nights, and that was IT - ever since then, she is like having a stuffed animal in bed lol!


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## LEUllman (Feb 1, 2010)

We feel your pain! Beau gets up with the sun, which is around 5:30 - 5:45 AM. He has a good stretch, does a thorough (noisy) shake, then scratches at the bedroom door. If we ignore him, he either stays at the door and begins to whine, or comes up on the bed for a brief cuddle, then goes back to the door and scratches again. He's more reliable than any alarm clock!

The good thing is, once we get up, go downstairs, and let him out into the back yard, he goes pee right away. Then he gets breakfast. After that, he'll come back up to the bedroom, curl up in his bed, and go back to sleep for a few hours.

We wish he'd sleep longer, but I guess we've all gotten used to the routine.


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## Joelly (May 8, 2012)

Have you try to put him in the crate and cover the crate with a heavy blanket? I think he is awaken by the sunlight.

Charlie does this too ever since summer begins. Every night before I go to bed, I put them both, each in their crate, then cover it with a heavy dark-color blanket. This works so far and hubby is grateful for it. Charlie is like Dennis-the-Menace first thing in the morning.

Here is also another thought, cold surface will send Charlie fast asleep. I received a hand-me-down cold-bed for Charlie. It's light blue and cold to the touch. I put a pillow cover over it and lined Charlie's crate with it, Charlie now loves to be in his crate.

I'm not sure what awaken your dog, could be the sun? or an increase temp in the morning when the sun is up?

Others give you good advise already. I just thought I'd share my personal experience. Good luck!


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## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

I found not responding till they settled down worked. I started when they were pups though, which is probably easier. Any attempts by dogs to wake me up get the cold shoulder - at first I waited for the first split second of peace to make a big show of waking up and greeting them, but pretty quickly they realised that waking me up for fun and breakfast was not an option! When housetraining I always took them back to bed to settle down for another hour after very early calls.

I think a strong Settle cue can help - that way the dog knows what it is you expect. But remember that every time you respond to his demands you are reinforcing this behaviour - and expect an intense extinction burst before he accepts that it no longer works!


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## Specman (Jun 14, 2012)

LEUllman said:


> We feel your pain! Beau gets up with the sun, which is around 5:30 - 5:45 AM.


Maybe we need to start the "Miniature Poodle's Sleep Deprived Owners Club".


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## CT Girl (Nov 17, 2010)

Swizzle has to be dragged from bed. He is still on his back belly exposed. I carry him to the door and then finally make him stand, sometimes I fear he will fall over as he lifts his leg to pee as he is still half asleep.


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## patk (Jun 13, 2013)

swizzle is my kind of dog. never did believe in that early to rise bit!


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## HerdingStdPoodle (Oct 17, 2012)

*Morning Dog*

Knit1Purl2;

I am going to be the party spoiler! Your dog is a morning dog. There is tremendous joy in the morning! But I live on a ranch and LOVE the mornings---so my suggestion to you is 
this---go to bed earlier. Use your "alarm clock" as a wake-up reminder and get out of bed and get going! You will be surprised how wonderfully quiet the mornings are and how much you can get done, while everyone else sleeps in! HerdingStdPoodle


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## Ciscley (Jul 16, 2013)

I am NOT a morning person and I adore alarm dogs. My favorite thing about having a puppy is the fact that it's the ONLY time in my life that I quickly and easily bolt out of bed to take that little bundle outside (as part of the typical every 3 hours potty training.) But _somehow_ () all my dogs turn into sleepy heads after a couple of months with me. 

One of the girls we have visiting is a naturally early riser and it was great for the first two weeks she was here, but she's already starting to give up and turn into a sleepy head too.

So I guess I'm on both the side of ENJOY it and also on the side of proving that if you ignore it (even unintentionally like moi) it will stop.

--- My one caveat - crates should be safe places that the pup loves to be in, not a punishment place. So since your pup doesn't enjoy it, I'd use a different safe room to keep Frankie during this time and separately focus on re-training the crate as a happy place. In my opinion, if he loved the crate, putting him in it would just be depriving him of the attention and reinforcement he wants, not punishment.


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