Puppy sleep deprived, just let me moan it out…..

[Starbabe6]

Morning, I say morning but I feel like I’ve already been up half a day and it’s lunch time!
We have a 14 week old lab pup who is so so good is so many ways and incredibly quiet. He really is good BUT insists on waking at 5.30am and barking/ growling/ shouting incessantly until we get up. We had been going to him as he’s only little but the last 10 days or so he hasn’t been straight out for a wee or even seems arsed to go out, some mornings wont even get out of his crate, but if u close it again and go back to bed he kicks off again.
Yes, 5:30am is still good for a pup his age, no I don’t wish to re-home him, we are now ignoring him until 6am, when an alarm goes off in his room (sleeps in dining room), I don’t want him in our room as prefer him to stay downstairs - the kids rooms have enough choke hazards on the floor….
I know he may well grow out of his 5.30am shouting but it’s hard when you are in the moment, my youngest is 9 so I’ve had the luxury of sleep for years & a month of 5:30am wakes ups is starting to take its toll.
We are in Cornwall for May half term which we always love & is always a fabulous week away, but already I’m dreading that when he starts at 5.30am we will have to go to him or wake the whole park, so it’s going to be a completely different experience.
Please don’t do the ‘oh you got a puppy what did you expect’ thing. I’m sure we all had moments after having our kids where we questioned our choices. I do not want to re-home him or anything I am just really really tired. Going to bed at 9pm trying to get enough sleep to function. I just need a moan. 50% people say ‘oh he’ll grow of it’ but then I chatted to man yesterday who still gets up with his 18 month old lab at 4.30am each morning, so the other 50% say ‘you’ve got an early riser there, you’ll never change him!’ And I feel completely overwhelmed…..and full of dread….

I should add - the 9pm bedtime is his terms. He takes himself off to his crate and will not come out for food/ treats/ kong/ anything…..

I know you don’t want him upstairs but could one of you sleep on a mattress downstairs with him? Just to try and get his body clock used to a slightly later wake up?

or take him for a walk round the block just before 9 to try and make bedtime a bit later

or try the scary technique where you actually get him to stir earlier than 5.30 so he’ll hopefully settle back down for another sleep cycle.

but I think if you can ride it out he’ll sort himself out fairly soon-and probably by may half term.

get that coffee brewing!

If you get up at 5:30 is he up and ready to start the day or just looking for some company?

Our lab used to wake around 6 at that age but was quite happy to snooze on the sofa with me until later.

Sorry to say, but your holiday is unlikely to be relaxing with a 4 month old pup irrespective of what time he's waking. Where will he sleep when you are there? If he can be in his crate in your room you might find he sleeps longer.

My lab did this too. In the end we just have him the run of the kitchen instead of keeping him in his crate and now he's quiet as a mouse.

He wasn't desperate to a wee at 5:30am he just wanted out of his crate to stretch and move.

Do you have a room you can close him in? Or maybe try a much bigger crate?

If you let him sleep in your bed, he won't wake up until you do. 😜Our dog can snooze until midday if someone is still in bed. Sometimes we all have to do "wrong" things with kids/dogs for our own sanity. I also used a dummy (shock horror) for my baby to get some sleep 😴

This is normal puppy behaviour 🤷‍♀️ I got up with our puppy at 5.30 and then kipped on the sofa with him until 7ish.

It does get better and they're not little for long.