# Dog whining every morning 5am!! HELP



## Joyyy (Mar 8, 2020)

I have two Pomeranians, one is a year and a half old the other is 8 months. Every morning starting from as early as 5am the younger one will whine/ cry the house down for no particular reason (he has water/ I’ve tried taking him out for potty/ I always walk him as late as possible the previous evening) I’ve tried ignoring him and I’ve tried waiting for him to be quiet before I let him out (They currently sleep in the utility room together). It’s really starting to effect my partners sleep and wellbeing now and we are at complete loss on what to do! It’s definitely attention crying but we are unsure on how to tackle the situation.


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## Torin. (May 18, 2014)

Is it every morning, or every weekday morning? If it's a recent change I have two initial thoughts:

1) something environmental is disturbing him. Whether that's something outside, something a neighbour has in their routine, or something in your house (e.g. heating).

2) Given you say he's a pom, I'm wondering whether stomach acidity and bile build-up and discomfort could be the cause. When are his meals?

However, when it comes down to it, you have a puppy who is upset in the night. All crying is "attention crying" when you think of it from the animal's pov - it's not really a helpful descriptor. Waiting for him to stop communicating his distress before you attend to that distress is very back to front. Dogs that communicate their distress are the ideal really, so training him that you don't listen could shoot you in the foot later, and won't be helping either of you now.

Does he sleep through if he's with you overnight?

More information about your/ his routine and how recently this started are needed though.


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## Joyyy (Mar 8, 2020)

Torin. said:


> Is it every morning, or every weekday morning? If it's a recent change I have two initial thoughts:
> 
> 1) something environmental is disturbing him. Whether that's something outside, something a neighbour has in their routine, or something in your house (e.g. heating).
> 
> ...


Thanks for your response!
It's not a recent thing he had done it since he was a puppy!
He has a pretty good routine normally walked twice a day and he is fed on a good quality dog food (butternut box). I normally feed him around 7.30-8am and then his evening food is at 5:30pm. 
In the day he is fine ( I work from home) he doesn't whine and he keeps himself occupied playing with our other dog. The only time he whines or barks is in the morning. I have tried getting up to let him outside but as soon as I put him back in the utility he starts crying again. I think his mission is to get us up and out of bed! As soon as I go down and sit with him in the utility he is quiet, as soon as I leave ( I sometimes even leave a kong ball if it's really early) he starts crying again!


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## Torin. (May 18, 2014)

Aww, poor dog if he's been upset at night for months  I would go back to having him sleep with you for a while until he settles , and then slooooooowly move him further away. I suspect you did it too quickly when he was new to living with you.

I would also try giving him some food last thing at night. 5.30pm through to 7.30 or even 8am is an awfully long time for a toy breed to go without food, regardless of age. This will be much more effective in helping him settle and sleep through than a Kong when he does wake up.

He really won't have any ulterior motive - please do try and think of it from his pov.


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## Joyyy (Mar 8, 2020)

Yes we’ll try adjusting his feeding time we normally go to bed at around 10.30 and when we put him to bed he’s fine! He doesn’t whine and he’s completely settled it’s as soon as he wakes up in the morning anytime from 5am-7am. I think because he’s happy when we put him to bed ( he sleeps with our other dog in the same bed) is why we’re finding it a bit baffling as surely if he was unhappy/ anxious he would cry every time we left him or when we left him for the night?


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## Torin. (May 18, 2014)

Sorry, I don't understand why it's baffling? If you wake up starving hungry (noting the timings that waking at 5am is practically 12hrs since you last had food) and don't have the capabilities to feed yourself, would you not try and communicate your discomfort with the situation to other people in the home? Then someone you live with comes to you and you think "yay they're here to help out!" but then you're awake and you're upset and even if they do provide food you're already worked up and upset. If that person then leaves it's understandable that you'll be upset again because you're not happy and calm. And that's with the cognitive understanding of an adult human, vs the understanding a baby dog has. That's what I mean about thinking about it from his point of view


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## Joyyy (Mar 8, 2020)

Torin. said:


> Sorry, I don't understand why it's baffling? If you wake up starving hungry (noting the timings that waking at 5am is practically 12hrs since you last had food) and don't have the capabilities to feed yourself, would you not try and communicate your discomfort with the situation to other people in the home? Then someone you live with comes to you and you think "yay they're here to help out!" but then you're awake and you're upset and even if they do provide food you're already worked up and upset. If that person then leaves it's understandable that you'll be upset again because you're not happy and calm. And that's with the cognitive understanding of an adult human, vs the understanding a baby dog has. That's what I mean about thinking about it from his point of view


We have tried feeding him at 5am/ 6am/ 7am and the results are the same even if we feed him and then go back upstairs he still cries . We just want to be able to have a good nights sleep without being woken at 5am.


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## Torin. (May 18, 2014)

Joyyy said:


> We have tried feeding him at 5am/ 6am/ 7am and the results are the same even if we feed him and then go back upstairs he still cries . We just want to be able to have a good nights sleep without being woken at 5am.


Yes.... I think you are misreading my posts? I am saying that feeding him when he wakes up 12hrs after his last meal is only (badly) dealing with the fallout. Along with other reassurances and offers of comfort you want to be feeding him before bed, so that he's not waking up hungry in the first place.

I'm sure your puppy would like a good night too.


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## O2.0 (May 23, 2018)

We have always kept puppies in the bedroom with us for several reasons.
1) Initially you're getting up in the night with them anyway, it's easier if they are in there with us and we just take them out when they start to stir.
2) Comfort. Leaving littermates and mum is stressful, new puppies do much better with us nearby to help them settle. 
3) As above, help them settle, and just as importantly, teach them what I call "sleep manners". 

I would bring your pup back in the bedroom with you for the reason #3 above. 
When pup is in the room with you, you have instant access to teach him the rules of behavior when humans are sleeping. If he starts whining, you can give him a settle cue, remind him that he's to stay quiet and chilled until YOU get up. Not based on time, not based on when he wants to get up, but based on when you are ready. 

My dogs also learn that if an alarm goes off, it's fair game to pester me  And if I start stirring, they also will try their luck. But having them in the bedroom makes it much easier to tell them to lie back down if I don't want to get up just yet.


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## DanWalkersmum (Mar 21, 2019)

Joyyy said:


> We have tried feeding him at 5am/ 6am/ 7am and the results are the same even if we feed him and then go back upstairs he still cries . We just want to be able to have a good nights sleep without being woken at 5am.


Have you tried bedtime biscuits though? It's a long time for a small dog to go without food and maybe that's why he's crying, or maybe he's cold, that time of the morning he is waking must be the coldest part of the night? If he were mine I'd be tempted to take him back to bed with me, much like I did with my children when they woke in the night.


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## Boxer123 (Jul 29, 2017)

Mine used to get sicky empty tummy bellies in the morning they have a bed time kong now. Have you tried a kong ? I do agree that having them up with you might be the way to go. It’s cold at the moment mine get up then we get back in bed for a snooze. (Although in the summer we are up at 5 regardless it’s the most beautiful time of the day)


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## Joyyy (Mar 8, 2020)

Hi guys,

thank you for all your responses. We tried feeding him later around 10pm and taking him for a walk at around 11 for potty which initially worked like a dream for around a week! Recently though I feel like he's got used to be being fed later and he's up at around 5am again now. My husband would never allow dogs in the bedroom as from pas experience we've always been told to leave them in a separate room, also as they are so tiny I'd be scared of squashing them in the night! Keep in mind we have another dog so he's not on his own and the other dog has never made a peep in his life in the mornings. What are your thoughts about an automatic feeder which gives them a small treat of something at around 5am?



O2.0 said:


> We have always kept puppies in the bedroom with us for several reasons.
> 1) Initially you're getting up in the night with them anyway, it's easier if they are in there with us and we just take them out when they start to stir.
> 2) Comfort. Leaving littermates and mum is stressful, new puppies do much better with us nearby to help them settle.
> 3) As above, help them settle, and just as importantly, teach them what I call "sleep manners".
> ...


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