# Early waking and barking



## Fergusmum (Jul 20, 2014)

I have a 4 month old lab who has been with us about 5 weeks. He is crated over night and after going out for a wee at bedtime, happily goes into the crate and goes to sleep........until about 4am! He wakes anytime from 4am onwards (this morning it was 3.50am ), i get up and let him out for the toilet without minimum interaction with him and he goes back into the crate and I go back to bed. He then barks almost continuously until I get up with him. 

I have recently started putting a frozen kong in with him when he wakes and this keeps him quiet for about 30 mins and then the barking starts again. I have 2 young children and his barking is waking them up and so I then have grumpy children for the day as well. 

I am now exhausted and cant carry on like this for much longer (it doesnt help that my youngest wakes in the night as well so I am getting roughly 5 hours sleep a night). I am trying to ignore the barking but it is very difficult and in order to allow the rest of the family to sleep I get up with him at 5.30am. He has breakfast at 6am and then generally lays in his bed in the living room and sleeps.

He does have a run and kennel outside, which he uses while I am at work and my husband has suggested putting him in there when he wakes but i am loathe to do that if he then barks and wakes the neighbours. I think he just wants to be with us but my husband is against having him upstairs. He has such a lovely temperament and is training well with every other aspect of his behaviour.

Please any advice is welcome as I am literally about to fall over with exhaustion and dont know what to do settle him. We start puppy socialization and training classes this week so I am going to mention it to them as well but I am not sure I can last until Thursday!

Thanks


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## nicl03 (Aug 9, 2013)

I had the same problem with Mylo also a lab he did the same would wake about 3 am and that was it would let him out put him in his crate with a kong fine for a while but when whining barking scratching at his crate, I found not speaking when letting him out helped also a very dark blanket to go over the crate to keep all light out, other people will suggest a crate upstairs or in bedroom then slowly move it to where you want it, I never did that I didn't want Mylo upstairs he started off in kitchen, now the crate has gone he has access to downstairs but stays in the kitchen and dining room.


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## labradrk (Dec 10, 2012)

Hi, what time do you put him to bed?


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## Sarah1983 (Nov 2, 2011)

Mine wakes me around 6am each morning to go out for a pee and have his breakfast then we go back to bed. I'd probably get on the sofa for a nap personally. Doesn't really solve the problem though.

What time is he being put to bed? Perhaps keeping him up later would help? Again, not much use if you're putting him to bed as you go to bed though. If you're getting up when he's barking then unfortunately you're teaching him that barking works. I'd perhaps try setting an alarm for before he tends to wake, taking him out to toilet and seeing whether that makes a difference.


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## Fergusmum (Jul 20, 2014)

I am putting him to bed at 10pm which is when we go to bed. I cant stay up any later as I am up in the night with the children and am pooped by then. I let him out for a wee and then straight into the crate. He is obviously still tired as he slept for 2.5 hours this morning after his breakfast, so I am not convinced he is waking up because he wants to be awake, if you see what I mean.

I get up when he barks because I thought that was him telling me he needed the toilet and he has been clean in his crate almost from the word go, so I dont want to take a step backwards with that. He will go straight outside and wee and usually poo but not every time.

I dont talk to him when i take him out in the early hours.

He can wake anytime from 4am onwards, so if I were to set an alarm should i do that for say 3.30am? 

I have tried getting up and then going to sleep on the sofa but to be honest I felt that was just encouraging him to wake up earlier and expect to come into the house. I didnt really sleep either because he would want to play and would constantly nudge me fuss him 

I am thinking of getting an Adaptil diffuser to see if that might help to calm him, what do you think? Are they any good or am I wasting my money?


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## labradrk (Dec 10, 2012)

I think 6 hours of sleep is about right for a puppy to be honest. I counted myself lucky if I got 6 hours with mine and she was an awful sleeper. A lot of puppies don't really 'do' sleeping for massive long periods - they'll sleep for a couple of hours, then get up, then sleep for a couple of hours etc.

When is his last meal at night?

Also, what time is your youngest child getting up in the night? because if he can hear you moving around, the pup may well be responding to that as a sign to get up.


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## bogdog (Jan 1, 2014)

Could you not let him out to toilet when you get up for your child so you'd know he is not desperate to relieve himself? Then ignore any noises he makes. What I did with puppies was took them outside on a lead every time they made a noise in the night. They soon realised that there is no fun in getting me up unless they needed to go.


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## Jamesgoeswalkies (May 8, 2014)

At 16 weeks they are still very much in the puppy stage of sleep ..wake ..sleep, so sleeping for 6 hours ( 10pm till 4am) is about right. And once morning has broken (in their mind) then I would expect up for a couple of hours to eat and play and then sleeping again for at least another two hours or more. I would expect lots of daytime sleep still at this age.

How can you get the pup to sleep til later? Well, on the whole the light at the end of the tunnel is that it will improve with age (so long as we don't inadvertently reward their early morning call).

Looking for a slightly later bed time routine may help, too. (11am til 5am)

Keeping all curtains well drawn (blackout style) can help, too. (Dawn starts around the 5am with light appearing at 5.30).

Noises will wake them,too. We can't help the foxes being about but we can make sure it isn't us.

One of the problems with crating is that puppies don't want to wee around their bed and so will most usually ask to go out ...which is good if you don't mind getting up...but not so good because most puppies may need to wee in the middle of the night.

I never crate puppies at night. All my puppies have access to another area (hard floor) with puppy pads if they need to get up...which they do. When I come down in the morning I take the puppies out and they all wee. (And then I go in and clear away the damp puppy pad).

I have three 9 week old Labrador puppies in my house at the moment (not permenant thank goodness ).

J


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## Buzzard (Aug 10, 2012)

I feel your pain! My last dog was like from from a pup until he was nearly a year old and still would start barking at 6am ish. My new pup is a lab and has been the opposite. I really am lucky and count my blessings as it is as sleep deprivation is awful. At 5 months a lab puppy should be able to got through the night dry. I would not get up for him. This is teaching him thar barking works. The way I tackled it with my previous dog was I slept on the sofa with him in his crate in the lounge. I did this for 3 nights. 1st night in view, second night in view, 3rd night out of view then up to my own bed. I would get up at 5.30am and that would be it. It worked, the barking more or less stopped until 5.30-6. If he barked I made a point of waiting until he was quiet for 30 seconds or so he didn't think it was him barking that got me to come to him. Try my method, and if he starts to bark when you go upstairs rough it out for a few nights.


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## Fergusmum (Jul 20, 2014)

Thanks for the replies everyone it's really useful. I did wonder if I was expecting too much at this stage and if the 6 hours sleep is enough - especially as he sleeps during the evening and try as I might can't get him to stay awake after 8.330pm.

My youngest can wake any time after midnight and more than once and he doesn't make an noise the, so that would back up the theory that he has just had enough sleep by 4am.

Should I be able to expect him to go more than 6 hours without a wee even if he isn't sleeping?

He is crated in the utility room with black out curtains so I don't think the light is an issue. 

His last meal is 6pm and I have wondered about gradually making that a bit later - he is currently fed 6am, 12m and 6pm. I can't move the lunchtime feed as my husband comes home when I am at work to feed him and he can't change his lunchtime. Do you think moving his last meal might help? Is he waking because he is hungry?

Thanks for all your help. He is my first puppy and I feel like a new parent all over again lol!!!! I just want to do the best for him without completely collapsing from sleep deprivation!!!!


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## Elmo86 (Aug 13, 2014)

I thought I was the only one! Was so happy when my pup Elmo who is nearly 11 weeks and a Labrador! starting sleeping longer, he sleeps in a crate and I was waking 2-3 times a night to let him out for the toilet now its only once but he wakes so early!! He has been having his breakfast at 7am which was all fine but not when he wakes at 4am-5am! I also go to bed quite early, 9.30pm-10pm, I cant stay up any longer as I'm exhausted. I have been naughty and have put him on my bed when he wakes just to get an extra hour sleep which works! He'll chew a toy/bone for 10 mins then doze off again! Lets pray for lay ins!


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