Puppy scratching the bejeezus out of the door

[whothehellwantstoknow]

We are seasoned dog owners and now have a cocker spaniel pup (she is the only pet in the house). She's been with us from about 10 weeks and is now 5 months old. Unbelievably cute, great with kids and so far very receptive to training.

The 'but' in all this is that every morning at between 6.13 and 6.17 she wakes and scratches the kitchen door until we come down. When tiny, this wasn't a problem, but I see today there is real damage to the (relatively new) door. We have no idea what wakes her...hunger maybe. Heating/alarms don't kick in until later.

Any idea how we either get her to sleep longer or stop her clawing at the door?

Hi,
We got round this problem by putting a dog gate ( like a baby gate but taller) up at the doorway.
Can't help with the early rising though, it will hopefully improve with age.

Weevil, perfect, thanks Will go get one today.

Crate.