Hello all,

Haven't posted in a while, but I really, really need someone's opinion on this. Lexie will be 5 months old this Tuesday. She used to get up a couple of times a night until she was about 16 weeks old, and now she goes outside for the last time before bed at about 12:00am, and then she gets up barking at about 5:30am. So, there are about 5 1/2 hours at night where she is okay in her crate. If I try to push her last time out back earlier, she gets up even earlier. She eats breakfast at about 6:30-7am, dinner at about 4:30pm and gets her last water at about 6:00pm. Is this normal? I guess I had some delusion that I might actually get 8 hours of sleep at night at some point! I am a chronically tired person, and I knew it would be like that for a while, but I was kind of hoping it wouldn't go on this long, and now I'm wondering if it's just going to be like this. I think I could cry right now. Everytime I try to talk to my husband about being tired or anything, he just talks about wanting to get rid of Lexie. So, I don't really even talk to anyone about my frustration. Anyway, just thought I'd try to glean from your experience...Anyone?

Thanks,
Diana

Duplicate post deleted

Edited by Connie Sutherland (05/05/2008 04:35 PM)
Edit reason: double post

There are a couple of things I would do, until she gets a little older and begins to develop a different habit:
1. You didn't mention if she gets a lunch. She should be eating 3 times a day at least until she's 6 mos old. Divide her daily portion into 3 meals.

2. Since you'll be feeding her 3 times a day, feed her breakfast at your normal time, feed her lunch at about 1 PM, and don't feed dinner until about 7 PM. Give her water with her dinner at the same time. Since until now she's been eating dinner at 4:30 PM and not eating again until 6:30 AM, that's too long for a young puppy to go without eating. She's waking up and crying cause she's hungry.

3. Take her out to potty after dinner and again at 10 or 11 PM.

Try this for a while at least until she's 6 or 7 mos old, it should help, keeping her belly fuller through the night.

Getting rid of the puppy is not the solution to such a simple problem. She's just hungry.

Diana, you double posted. See your other post regarding this.
http://www.leerburg.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=193437#Post193437

It may sounds a little different but you could try kenneling at night and crating during the day. I often do this if I'm in the middle of finals or a huge project for work and MUST sleep after what sometimes is 48 hrs with zero rest. During the day we do our normal routine otherwise and I've noticed no issues with switching the dogs in this schedule as dogs sleep alot anyways.

Otherwise I'm in agreement with Sandy. Add a meal, move dinner later and I think you should be in better shape.

I would also sit down and speak with your husband. If life with a dog isn't his cup of tea but it's important to you then it should be discussed. As much as I love my dogs (and I do adore them) family comes first.

I'm getting 7 hours of sleep with a 13 week old pup. The last meal is at 4pm and it's a light one. Last water is 5pm. Last time out is 9pm. At 4am she's ready for action.

That's ok I'm a early riser.

I think she should be lasting longer at 5 months old but every pup is different. All the pups I've had were making it through the night at that age.

My experience is limited to maybe 8 or 9 pups in my lifetime.

how much exercise is she getting? My Malinois puppy is now 7 months old and by 5 months he was going out one last time at 9PM and sleeping quietly until 6 AM. I let him out at 6 and then make him go back to bed until 8 AM or so.

Rush gets an hour walk in the morning (anywhere between 8 AM and 11 AM, depending on my schedule) and then a play session in the afternoon. Sometimes we go on another walk, but not always. I do vary feeding times with my dogs, because I determine when they eat and if they start bugging me I ignore them and then feed them when they are calm and relaxed.

Realize that dogs with good food drive will try to demand their food, so I started with the rule from day one if you carry on in your crate, NOTHING happens. No attention, no food, no being let out. (when I know the dog is just demanding, not asking to go out to relieve himself)

Have you accidentally trained her to behave this way? I find that dogs do what works for them. Barking early in the morning has most likely been reinforcing to her, so she's just doing what works.

I personally would have no problem using a bark collar on a 5 month old dog, if this behavior can't be resolved with any other management. YOU are the one who determines when your puppy gets out of the crate, it's not up to the pup.

My pup was sleeping through from about 10:30 to 6:30 by 5 mos old. However, my mom has a pup that kept waking her up at 3:30 a.m., and after several weeks of this, my mom started telling her "No, be quiet." And the pup (about 5 mos old) actually learned to hold it for another hour or two. I think she was waking up at the same time out of habit, more than needing to go out...you might try this.

Diana, sorry about your lack of sleep. I can relate; my husband also is not very supportive regarding our pup.
You could also try moving back her last potty break by 10 minutes a night until you reach the time when you want to go to bed.
Have you tried covering the crate at night? Can you move the crate to an area where she won't wake you when she barks?

I know this may be hard to do if you have a complaining husband and/or kids that you don't want the pup to wake up, but really make an effort not to let her out of the crate when she's barking. If you are consistent with this she will learn...

If nothing is working for you, then perhaps the no-bark collar, as Cindy suggested, is the solution.

What do you do when she wakes up barking?
Sounds like she may be a bit spoiled actually, as in, when she gets up, so do you and then you start the day.

If you are not worried about her having accidents in her crate, I would get up, walk out, ignore her and put a blanket or sheet over the crate and go back to bed. Put in some ear plugs, shut the door and get some rest.

Little Em used to get up at 5:30 or 6:00 like clockwork and bark, so I used the blanket method. Now, she sleeps or is quiet until I go and get her to go out.
I now get up, make coffee and have a cup, get meals ready and then take her out.
The only time she is a bit noisy is when meals are being prepared and a firm "stop" quiets her down.

I agree with the three meals until 6 months, but hungry or not, she needs to learn how to be quiet until you decide it is time for her to be out.