To regret getting a dog

[katedan]

I really love our dog and he is a dream in the daytime but he wakes in the morning earlier and earlier and it is now about 6am. We go and let him out for a wee but he then wants company and will woof until someone joins him downstairs. We do not let him upstairs and that is a given. I am Really tired and it us impacting on my ability to work etc, I did sleep deprivation when the kids were young and I don't want to do it for a dog! Really questioning if I can do this for the next 12 years. He is 18 months old.

Try taking him for a half hour walk after dinner and make sure he goes out for a last wee right before bed. Other than that I think you'll just have to get used to it. He's young and they are family animals, they like company.

I have 2 labs, a black and chocolate. The black one sleeps with me as she hates being away from me so I just have to accept its part of having dogs and hoover every day. She's like my little shadow, follows me everywhere. Even to the toilet, she lies outside the door.

He’s training you well! What happens if you ignore him for a few mornings?
Fwiw mine aren’t allowed upstairs and they get up when we do.

Dogs upstairs (or not) is just personal preference. Neither party is right or wrong.

I would try one (or all) of the following:

• covering his sleeping area so it's darker. The lighter mornings probably means he's being disturbed more easily.
• make sure he's not too cold - so give him access to blankets to burrow under if he doesn't have these already.
• 6pm until morning for food is quite a while for a young dog - maybe try and give him a treat before bed or move his evening meal a bit later on so he doesn't wake up with an empty stomach.
• set up a camera so you can see when he stirs, and go down to him before he barks so he doesn't associate barking/whining with you coming downstairs.

I wouldn't go down the road of feeding him breakfast when he wakes up because you might end up with him waking up earlier and earlier in order to get fed

Mine used to sleep in his crate in the kitchen, then on a sofa in the kitchen and then on the floor of our bedroom. At around 2 years I think we cracked and let him sleep on our bed to get more sleep as we were shattered with his nocturnal awakenings.

It wasn't totally successful in that he tries to lie on you but I wish we had done it sooner. Overall we get more sleep and I now realise that cuddles from your dog in the morning are bliss.

I know you said no to upstairs but sometimes sleep comes first.

My dogs never been allowed in bedrooms. Granted she’s only 6 months but I’m always confused by people who say just let them upstairs/in the bedroom. I can’t imagine I’d get any sleep with her in the bedroom. She wouldn’t settle and would be nipping at me all night or getting into mischief, emptying the washing basket.

She also wakes up early. I have slept past 6:30am since getting her 4 months ago. I’ve just accepted that’s the way it’ll be.

I’ve even tried going back to sleep on the sofa but she won’t have that. So I go to the kitchen and have a coffee, where she’ll curl up and go back to sleep 🙄 but if I try to leave the room or lay down myself she’s up again.

I'd move his evening meal later and his morning meal later to trick his internal clock

This is the first time I've heard of people not letting their dogs upstairs (not a dog owner myself, still looking).
The bed/bedroom, I understand - but not allowing your pet to go upstairs at all seems really strange to me. Your choice, of course.

In terms of the shedding, is it really that huge of a concern for you? If your pet is lonely alone & downstairs, it seems much kinder to just let them up & deal with the hair.

Your dog is sleeping too much in the day. How about getting a dog walker?

I have a lab, he tore his cruciate at age 5 and I was told no more stairs. (He was allowed prior). Has a huge operation to repair it. He HAD to sleep downstairs as a result and it’s just as well as six years on he’s torn the other knee and is too old for an op. It would be much harder for an elderly dog to get used to sleeping downstairs.

I used to get up at 6 and walk mine an hour, walk him 30 mins at lunch /he had a dog walker a few times a week, then another after -work walk and then an evening walk or play in the garden.

My dog is now 11 and he wakes us up at 3/4am for a wee every night and then wakes us again at 7am for breakfast . He’s a bloody nuisance but we love him. Dogs can be hard work, like children!

@Scaredypup

My dogs never been allowed in bedrooms. Granted she’s only 6 months but I’m always confused by people who say just let them upstairs/in the bedroom. I can’t imagine I’d get any sleep with her in the bedroom. She wouldn’t settle and would be nipping at me all night or getting into mischief, emptying the washing basket.

She also wakes up early. I have slept past 6:30am since getting her 4 months ago. I’ve just accepted that’s the way it’ll be.

Honestly, ours has been in our room since 12 weeks (when we got him) and he's never disturbed us during the night.

He just settles down and sleeps. The only time he's woken us up is when he needs the toilet or on the odd occasion when he's felt sick. It surprised me massively but I think it really helped with his toileting too - he never once had a night-time accident.

Aaah a lockdown dog that you now can't be bothered with.
Don't worry OP, there are millions like you, so you're not alone.
You'll rehome the dog eventually, saying you did all you could (but you didnt really and you know it) so you may as well get on and do it now.
You're welcome 🥱

he is a black lab and sheds hair everywhere so it is not possible for us to have him upstairs
It is, you'll just have hairs everywhere.

DCat sleeps where he likes. The fur everywhere is part of the package

Could you maybe foster other dogs to keep him company?

At least when the clocks go forward in a few weeks itll be 7am!

We (DH) take our dog for a quick walk around the block right before bed. Just so he gets all his wees and poos out, he doesnt go a lot in the garden but when we are out out he wees on everything. It must empty him out because he rarely barks before we are up. Literally only 5 mins.

Well this thread is bringing out the best in people The OP does not deserve some of the comments on here.

6 doesn't seem unreasonable , I get up at 630, surely most are up by 7? Can you go to bed earlier ? It's like having a child, you have to adapt I think ?
I draw the line at before 6!

@ImplementingTheDennisSystem

Aaah a lockdown dog that you now can't be bothered with. Don't worry OP, there are millions like you, so you're not alone. You'll rehome the dog eventually, saying you did all you could (but you didnt really and you know it) so you may as well get on and do it now. You're welcome 🥱

Totally uncalled for

A good brush with a furmonator will reduce the shedding, then I'd just let him upstairs.

DDog slept on our bed and would have slept till noon if we did.

However, my DF's dogs did not sleep upstairs, but still slept through. He didn't always have more than one, but he would give them a late night walk every night. About 30 mins or so.

Maybe if your dog sleeps all day he needs a nighttime walk?

Dogs are NOT pack animals

They are, absolutely. They've adapted post-domestication and often see humans as their pack. They're not animals who enjoy being alone, but often owners choose to pretend that they do since it makes our conscience feel better.

@WhatATimeToBeAlive

*When I’ve asked where the dog/dogs will be sleeping, most people tell me downstairs. It was an exaggeration of me to say it was uncommon, it’s LESS common, but not uncommon. This was in response to all of the pp’s acting like it was somehow bizarre and unreasonable for the op not wanting a big, hairy dog in her bed."

Yeah, we all say that when we get a dog! Doesn't stay that way though!

Exactly. It’s a lovely ambition but as you’re learning OP most dogs like to be with their people. If you’re happy getting up early that’s fine but you clearly aren’t. You’ve gotten some good ideas on here and maybe one will work but it’s not easy to overcome the pack instinct. I suspect you may end up having to choose between early mornings or dog hair upstairs. We would pick the latter as we are NOT morning people but it’s a personal choice. When we had a lab I was able to stay on top of the hair with a combination of frequent brushing with a good de-shedding brush and a robot vac running daily.

We started off with our cavapoo not allowed upstairs. Then not on the bed. Now he sleeps between our and my kids two beds rotating through the night to make sure everyone is safe and in the right place ! But then our dog doesn’t shed or smell. If you are not going to let the dog upstairs then you will need to suck the barking up.

I think 6 is a reasonable enough time for a dog to wake up. Mine wakes up at 6/6.30 and I take him downstairs for breakfast and a quick wee, then I go back to bed and he comes with me and lies on the bed with me until I'm ready to get up.

Dogs are not pack animals they do not live in packs ever anywhere. Dogs do not need to be in a pack to survive. In the wild they hunt alone and not in packs.

They are social animals. The can work together for mutual gain but do not have to be in a pack to survive.

My conscience is fine

Use a crate?