Dogs getting me up at 4am every day

[needsleepbadly]

I have two little dogs ages 8 and 14, they are so spoilt and I've made the mistake of letting them sleep in my bedroom from the beginning (I regret that now).

For the past few months they have been getting me up every morning at 4am which is absolutely ridiculous. They are so stubborn that they will cry and cry and cry if I don't get up with them and take them downstairs. I have literally tried everything feeding them later at night, walks before bed, ignoring them, just absolutely nothing works. I've tried leaving them downstairs but they just bark, and cry, and bark and cry and they will literally do this all night long if I don't bring them upstairs.

I work at 9am every day so I'm ending up with only 4 hours sleep a night, sometimes less. This is draining me so much and I am absolutely exhausted, I am at the end of my tether and don't know what the hell to do!!!! I know it sounds absolutely ridiculous but I never knew two small dogs could dictate my life so much.

Does anybody have any advice or help for me? Thanks in advance

Gosh that sounds awful! You must be exhausted!!

Has something unsettled them? Could they be cold?

What do you do when you take them downstairs? Do you feed them? Or are they dying for the loo?

If you’re getting up and feeding them - don’t, you’re rewarding the behaviour. They will have to wait. If they’re dying for the loo then of course they have to go out but make sure they are going last thing at night - go with them to make sure they do perform.

I would teach them to ‘settle’ in their beds during the day - I think the Dogs Trust have a good video on this. I would also work on moving them out of the bedroom - perhaps just onto the landing to start with. Or if they sleep on the bed, into their own beds as a first step. If they try to get out, send them back to bed (with your settle training). This may lead to some rough nights but it’s an investment for the future.

Good luck, it sounds rough!

Also - ignoring the whinging will eventually work but they will be stubborn and escalate before they give up. This is called an extinction burst. Think of it as you being a vending machine that has suddenly stopped working - they’re going to jab those buttons harder and harder, maybe give the machine a good shake and a kick before they finally give up because they really want that Mars Bar! White noise and earplugs might help.

If you think they might be cold, you could try Equafleece-type jumpers - mine used to wear his at night when we went camping.

What happens when they go downstairs? Do they go to the toilet? Have a drink? Get fed?

Get an early night for starters.

Then only let them out in the garden at 4am on lead, so that it is super boring for them.

Set an alarm for 3.45 and wake the dogs and take them outside. Try to resettle them. Do this for a little while until they know to wake up with you/alarm then next set the alarm 5 -10 minutes later and keep doing this until you have adjusted there waked up time to something more appropriate.

Thanks everyone for the replies, I'll try the things you've all suggested.

When we go downstairs they go out for a wee but will then cry at me until their feeding time at 6am, even though I don't feed them any earlier than that they'll still cry and cry until 6am. I've tried letting them out and then taking them back to bed but then they will continuously cry to go back downstairs until I take them back down.

It's so exhausting I have no idea what to do next I've tried everything!

What time are you feeding them before bed? It could be that they're genuinely hungry - why not try a biscuit before bedtime?

They're usual feeding time at night is at 6:30-7:00pm and then we go up to bed at around 10, I've tried feeding them something before bed but it doesn't make a difference they still wake so early. It's mainly the older dog that wakes me up, so I'm starting to wonder if he's getting confused with his old age and is forgetting that he's been fed!

So this has been going on for the last few months but before that they slept in later?

What happens when they have been out?

I wonder if the older dog is needing to wee more as is common with age and that obviously disturbs the other one.

So if your bring them up they whine to go down and if you leave them downstairs they whine to be with you?

I would go and get a vet check(when we are allowed!) see if either of them has a wee infection or check out cognitive decline in the older dog. Best to get that ruled out first. I does seem odd to have just started for no reason.

Had things changed at home what with covid etc are you at home more, routine changed etc

common with old age! fgs sorry

My older dog (who sleeps in the kitchen but comes up for an hours cuddle at 6am) suddenly took to screaming the place down at 4:30am. I was a bit worried to start with that he was developing some sort of doggy dementia and was waking up scared and disorientated but after a few days realised he was happy as Larry, just ready to either start the day or join us in bed. In the end I just had to be firm, slept on the sofa for a few nights so I could be at the door telling him to be quiet almost instantly. Made sure to give him no attention, just repeating ‘bed’ until he retreated and shut the door again. We did this approximately every 3 minutes for a few days then once I’d gone back upstairs every 20 mins or so for another week then one night he just never did it again. Gives a very quiet and polite woof if we’ve snoozed alarm without fetching him!

How much have you persevered with ignoring them? Tricky if you have neighbours, I know!

If you go to bed at 10pm then 4am is 7 hours. I would go to bed a little later. I would also feed a little later too unless you feed at 6am as your off to work?

Don’t forget the clocks have gone back so what is 5am to you is 6am to them so breakfast time?
My littlest one sleeps in the bedroom & gets me up around 3am but she does have a wee if I put her out. I used to bring her back upstairs but she’d never settle again, pacing around & squeaking then barking if I ignored her. Tried having her on the bed, she just climbed on my head & pranced on my chest, in her bed on the floor, that didn’t suit. I started letting her go in the sitting room instead & after a few nights of her creating a bit of a racket she settles there now till I get up at six. She only started doing this after my other little one died. My bigger dogs have always slept like logs, from bedtime till I get up, in their big crates on thick blankets downstairs.