Very early waking

[Goingtobeawesome]

My golden retriever is almost 14 weeks and mainly wakes 5:20-5:55 with the odd morning going until 6:25. This morning she was awake and barking at 4:40. After ten minutes I got up and she went out for a wee and poo. Put her back and after 8 minutes she went off for about an hour. It seems around 8pm she wants to sleep sleep but that's too early for us and we daren't risk not waking her for a wee and play in case her next day starts at 3.

Feels like we did controlled barking [neighbour] doggy friend said leave her 10-15 minutes otherwise we'll never get a lie in but I know dogs are very routine led and doesn't understand weekends, plus we have children and they don't need to listen to fifteen minutes of barking.

Any tips please? I suppose I'm asking if we should get up immediately and then put back after her toilet trip, is when we feed her relevant or anything else anyone can help with please?

Four or five am is exhausting, six something is okay.

TIA

If she barks in the night take her out for a wee (on the lead so its no fun), don't interact, just minimal praise for the wee, then back in.

That way she knows that all she gets, so knows barking won't get her attention, hopefully she'll go longer when she's a bit older. You can try leaving it 10 minutes if you're sure she won't have an accident, that might stretch it.

Take her out last thing before you go to bed, even if you have to wake her.

(In the interest of honesty - our spaniel has a flap, and sleeps in our room, because she has a tiny bladder and is a needy mare it's the only way we get a lie-in)

We do do all that and if it six or after it's fine but 4/5am is a bit early. Thank you.

My dog on October 6th

Awww, she's so cute.

I always thought of that middle of the night/very early hours barking like when one of my babies cried because they needed their nappy change. It has to be done, but minimal interaction etc.. teaches them that afterwards they need to go back to sleep or entertain themselves quietly. Whilst you slope off back to sleep.

She can go to almost half six. There just doesn't seem to be any pattern yet and I don't know if we should know better by now.

My human babies used to sleep better at night the more they had slept in the day. DS1 would sleep 7pm-8am, a morning nap then 2-5pm every day. Barely saw him.

Are you taking away her food over night and just leaving her a little bit of water? I'd make the time of her last meal of the day a bit earlier, too.

She's doing very well managing to go until 6.30 some mornings, to be fair to her. We got up at 5am to let ours out for at least 6 months. (And then went back to bed.)

Currently she eats four times a day

7:30-7:50
12:30-1pm
4:30-5
8-9

With a bonio at 10 and 6ish.

She's been asking for food these last few days which is new. We were trying to time supper to fit in with toileting and then being able to go all night but she'd like it at 7:30pm and then nods off about 8am.

She doesn't have access to water at night but we don't follow the advice to take water away a couple of hours before bed.

6:30 is twice a week, more likely 5:20am. She's not keen on going back and dh didn't listen to me when I told him to try.

We are confused how much to feed her as the breeder told us far too little and bad advice. She's now on almost three times the amount when we got her but then she's nearly six weeks older and the vet has seen her.

Thank you x

I never fed 4 times a day. Max of 3 times and quite quickly dropping to 2. Of giver her more food less often, and last meal in the afternoon, not evening.

We did four meals as the vet recommended that when she was 10 weeks old. She's still only 13.5 weeks so would have about 90g a meal instead of 70g x 2 and 65g x 2. Does that sound okay? It's all so confusing!!

I never weighed food or got very hung about it all to be honest. My dog's breed is not greedy though, so if she is full she stops eating and leaves food.

Don't do anything that I say if a vet says different!

Just back from trying to take her for a walk. She's really not keen until we get out of the close and I'm not sure what to do about It! Everyone tells me different which is so confusing!

I think we'll start with three meals a day very soon. Thank you.

I think your last meal is quite late and therefore she may wake early for a poo. 3 meals a day sounds better, morning, lunch and tea is what we did. Our pup is now 5 months old and going onto 2 meals a day through her choice.
We got our pup at 11 weeks and she wants to sleep from 7/730 ish. From day we got her. She sleeps through the evening with us in living room then last to bed puts her out for last wee and into her crate with a couple of biscuits. She doesn't get up till 730/8 on this routine! It will get easier. At 11 weeks our pup slept the night till 630/7 and was desperate for a wee and frantic as soon as she woke. By 15 weeks she would slow stroll to the back door first thing and by 20 she doesn't immediately go out.

Thank you, that's very helpful. We were feeding her late so that she didn't wake hungry but didn't think she might wake early for a poo as she was going before bed. Tonight she's had supper at 7:15 as she was very barky.

We are in a routine but still not sure if it's okay. Getting her to the end of the road is problematic yet we went to a huge park yesterday and she walked staight away without any difficulties. We are also wondering if we should just go with one walk. We've been doing a short one 8:30-10 depending on her sleeping and a longer one 2-4. Out for 30-45 minutes in the morning and 45-60minutes in the afternoon but that's not solid walking for half an hour, an hour etc.

I think 2 walks always better, 2 shorter walks rather than one big one. We found out pup may be quite restless and so we would take her literally around the block. She's now great at street walking although still a bit pully.
Let her doze all evening then last wee which we do is 1030 ish and straight into crate. We also use rawhide chews/pigs ear(yuck!) chews when she seems maybe peckish but probably not as been well fed. That keeps her busy for ages! Or bully sticks(stinky double yuck!)

She slept until 4:45 so dh took her out for the loo, settled down quickly before barking at 5:25 so dh let her out of her crate den and she settled down on the floor and slept again until 7:20am. on the sofa

She does pull a bit on walks but I don't mind too much as she responds to me saying stop and she is at least moving! She's better if someone else is with us but there is something making her not want to walk. Yesterday she sat down, faced home and cried then dh and the boys drove past so one got out and he encouraged her and she then had a decent walk. It's getting her going.

Food wise she's on Burns with training treats and Bonio puppy milk treats.

Don't take her water away at night - dogs should always have access to water.
As for getting up early - at 14 weeks she is still a baby and unfortunately will need to go during the night, just like a human baby would. However it's a relatively short phase and will only last a few months.
Never scold when she goes inside, praise like mad when she goes outside (maybe try introducing a toilet command) and have on a lead for night pees.

We've never scolded when she weed inside and she hasn't for about a week now. She's 14 weeks, we are well entrenched with her toilet training. She knows to ask, we know the signs, she goes on demand if she's gone out and become distracted with a leaf. This thread wasn't about toilet training .

The water isn't in her crate by per our guide book and she isn't desperate for a drink when she gets up.

How old is your book OP? (As in when was it written, not when you bought it). Because removing water very much goes against modern, positive training techniques

It's from 2015 and reads as for the USA.

This one.

No advice re the water but when ours was little he got spooked about about walking. He would sit down and refuse to walk, looking back over his shoulder (very embarrassing). He also got a phobia about going upstairs at one stage and just refused to go up them.
Treats are your friend. We just rewarded him for walking along the pavement, sitting and walking to 'heel'. He has gradually learnt and now (just over a year old), has overcome all those fears. The treats are now rarely used. But yours is still very little - she will settle.

It's so hard as we've been told different things by people. One who I don't think looks after her dog very well and also thinks I should have my puppy off lead in a massive field surrounded by thousands of places to hide where I couldn't get to her and another who looks after her dog and has excellent control but then yesterday we met a child of a man experienced in dog training who agreed with one point the first person said .