# How to stop a puppy whining in the morning?



## nailsem (Nov 29, 2012)

We have a 12 week old standard schnauzer puppy. She has settled in really well, sleeps all night (without sounds) in our laundry in her crate (door open) and is allowed into the kitchen which blocks off the rest of the house with a child gate. She also has a dog door to get into the backyard which is always unlocked.

My problem is she starts to whine and sometimes howls when she hears someone upstairs in the morning. In the last few days she has also pee'd near the child gate in the kitchen (pretty sure its whilst making the noises).

What is the best way to deal with this issue? 

I get up at 5.15am to get to the gym and my partner gets up around 7am so ignoring the sounds is quite hard so he normally gets up earlier than needed to play with her and I need to pass her to get out to the gym. She has plenty of toys in her crate and can always get outside to more and water.

Thanks !! Look forward to some advice


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## Guest (Nov 29, 2012)

nailsem said:


> We have a 12 week old standard schnauzer puppy. She has settled in really well, sleeps all night (without sounds) in our laundry in her crate (door open) and is allowed into the kitchen which blocks off the rest of the house with a child gate. She also has a dog door to get into the backyard which is always unlocked.
> 
> My problem is she starts to whine and sometimes howls when she hears someone upstairs in the morning. In the last few days she has also pee'd near the child gate in the kitchen (pretty sure its whilst making the noises).
> 
> ...


I think it's likely that the sound of someone moving upstairs wakes her up, and once she's awake she needs to go to the toilet. Can you not go straight down to let her out to toilet as soon as you get up?

With regards to the whining you have to make sure that she's not getting rewarded for it. It sounds like at the moment the whining is getting her what she wants - someone to go down to her. I think you either need to get to her before she starts whining, or completely ignore her until she stops and then go to her.


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## newfiesmum (Apr 21, 2010)

Does she know how to work the dog flap? She seems awfully young to be able to open it herself or to know that it is even there. As said, you should go straight downstairs and take her outside.

It is all very well having a dog flap but she needs to be taught how to use it and she needs to know that she has to go toilet in the garden.


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## nailsem (Nov 29, 2012)

Thanks for the help, she does know how to use the flap, she actually taught herself at 9 weeks when we brought her home!

I will get up and to her straight away tomorrow morning and see if that helps.

I just thought it might be anxiety as she pee's near the child gate which is closest to the house and us and not on the paper near her crate. Saying that she tends not to do it every day.

Will keep you posted on tomorrows finds / activities!!

Thanks


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## newfiesmum (Apr 21, 2010)

nailsem said:


> Thanks for the help, she does know how to use the flap, she actually taught herself at 9 weeks when we brought her home!
> 
> I will get up and to her straight away tomorrow morning and see if that helps.
> 
> ...


She might well pee near the gate out of excitement when she hears you moving about. She is just the age to do that.


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## nailsem (Nov 29, 2012)

Thanks it does seem like an excited pee. Will make sure I am the first one up tomorrow!

Thanks again


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## Jenny Olley (Nov 2, 2007)

I would think she wants social interaction when she hears someone up, if no-one is up for another hour, she would wait till then. I have a similar age pup, sometimes you have to alter your routine to fit in with puppy needs, they are needy little things.


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## nailsem (Nov 29, 2012)

thanks, she does tend to stay quieter later on weekends when I am not up so early. hopefully the 5 mins I can give her before I need to hit the gym will be enough. Or else I will have to get up even earlier I guess  Yawn

I do leave her with a kong / treat so that keeps her entertained for a while once I leave


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## Rottiemama (Nov 10, 2012)

Oh boy, your household sounds like ours in the mornings. I'm up at 5 for gym.....Hubby sleeps until 7.
It took us a good few weeks for our Cuba (when he was your pups age) to fit into our morning routine. Although he always slept with us in the room, me getting up would signal the 'start of his day' in his mind 

Leaving the house for gym those first few weeks was something akin to an action movie, including chase scenes, hiding, tricking, sprinting out of doors etc 

With much patience, rewarding, positive re-inforcement and repeating the moves about 7 gazillion times, we found our happy place - all 3 of us 

I wake at 4.45am, and feed Cuba (good anti-bloat move as well, as he gets to sleep 2 hours after his meal)
Cuba goes outside briefly to piddle
Cuba gets on the bed with hubby and falls asleep again
I dress and leave.
Cuba and hubby sleep until 7am when I arrive home from training, and then it's all systems go go go go for Cuba :arf: Walk, swim, play, a little training - and then he settles as I start working.

(If you have a crate upstairs, you could possibly move your pup so that she is closer to your OH when you leave for gym - might settle her sooner?)

As most have said: your pup reckons the day is starting as soon as the sounds start :thumbsup: When no-one comes down to 'include her' in all the fun happening upstairs, she whines. The urine is pure excitement whilst waiting to get to her 'people' and start her day I reckon 

Oh the joys


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## Wiz201 (Jun 13, 2012)

Once your pup is ready for walking, you might not need to get up that early for the gym, just a suggestion  
Also, do you give any attention like talking to her when you come down? If you just go down and take her straight out without talking, the excitement might decrease.


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## nailsem (Nov 29, 2012)

I am glad to hear your house is the same!!

This morning was great, I was up at 5am to dry newspaper and floor, took her outside, still sleepy she eventually pee'd and did a poo. 
I then played a little and left her with a filled Kong.

She was quiet from when I left at 5.30am - 6.45am. Progress I hope it lasts!

Hopefully this continues on the weekend and into next week.

Thanks again for your tips


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## nailsem (Nov 29, 2012)

We can't wait till she can get outside, 4 weeks and counting!
I will still be up for the gym as I need more than walking but my partner will do the morning walks when I am at the gym. I am taking on the afternoon stroll once I am home from work.

I generally don't give her any attention, today she sat at the gate quietly wagging her tail. We do try to ignore her when arriving and leaving her. I think she is worse when she has heard someone for even 10 mins.

Definitely will keep getting up to her first!

Thanks


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## Sled dog hotel (Aug 11, 2010)

nailsem said:


> We have a 12 week old standard schnauzer puppy. She has settled in really well, sleeps all night (without sounds) in our laundry in her crate (door open) and is allowed into the kitchen which blocks off the rest of the house with a child gate. She also has a dog door to get into the backyard which is always unlocked.
> 
> My problem is she starts to whine and sometimes howls when she hears someone upstairs in the morning. In the last few days she has also pee'd near the child gate in the kitchen (pretty sure its whilst making the noises).
> 
> ...


Is she going through the night without toileting? If she is thats pretty good going but they still have a pretty limited capacity, so once hearing you moving about and wakens she may be desparate to go, and if she hasnt got the hang of the dog flap yet properly then may get caught short, usually after waking especially they are usually desparate at that age, and the whining might be trying to tell you so, particularly if shes pretty clean already
in general. Depending on the time you give her last meal at night too, after going all night she is probably pretty hungry too, which might be another reason for the whining when she hears someone moving about.

Have you tried getting up quietly coming down and letting her out to toilet and if she hasnt been and does it outside praising and giving her a treat to re-enforce its the correct thing and what you want. Once toileted you could them perhaps give her breakfast and see if she settles again after. After breakfast they sometimes need to poop too, so before leaving her once she has eaten might be an idea to just make sure she pops out again to toilet if she needs too.


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## nailsem (Nov 29, 2012)

she seems to be at times, seems to go from 11pm till 5-6 ish. Or she could be taking herself out the dog door.
we have tried taking her outside and then giving her a treat or breakfast to settle her down again. She normally wants to play however.

Thanks for your help


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## Bagrat (Jun 4, 2012)

I'm feeling exhausted just reading this thread. Gym??? Are you guys in bed by 8.30pm??


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## nailsem (Nov 29, 2012)

nearly, 9.30


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## Wiz201 (Jun 13, 2012)

I certainly can't do gym, I do enough exercise at the weekend with stables and dogs on the Sunday (parents walk them during the week as I work full time) Once the dog has grown up, you could take him for morning jogs.


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## IncaThePup (May 30, 2011)

When I wake up I let dogs out first thing. I have an older dog and that helps I think, I let him (puppy 2 months) out with her he sees her go to loo then come back in for a treat so copies. Some times I take him out on lead if just him going..I don't make older dog go out every hour, if weathers bad or its not time to play cos its dark he learns to go straight to toilet and come back in.

If I want a lie in I go make his breakfast and myself a cuppa, fill his kong then leave him back in his crate with a kong stuffed with his breakfast and go back to bed for an hour with a cuppa!


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## ultras2007 (Jul 8, 2012)

hey , if the puppy begins to whine do not give in and go try to comfort ur puppy because this will only reward him for whining. Also, it is perfectly appropriate to reprimand unnecessary whining.

After a period of time ur puppy will begin to accept that being alone sometimes is part of his new life in your home and he will stop whining on his own accord when left alone. This will be a happy day for you because you love your puppy and it is hard to hear the constant whining without wanting to step in to comfort the little one.


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