I Need Sleep!
Howdy folks, I figured I would ask here for help among the experts.
My 8-month old cardigan, Jackson, is a very good boy - most of the time. He does very well in his crate and seems fairly happy in there. He goes in when I leave for work about 8 a.m., comes out when I am home for lunch, stays in the crate during the afternoon, then comes out when I get home at 5:00.
In the evening we usually have at least one good long walk, and some play time and trick learning. He is taking the puppy class at Pet Smart and doing very well.
And the problem ... he goes in the crate in the evening anywhere from 10-11:00 ... after a last walk to do whatever business needs doing (he is always very quick to potty and has had very few problems with it). Some nights he will be quiet until 6 a.m., but he is developing a very annoying tendancy to wake at 3, or 4:30, or 5 ... and even 2:30 this morning ... and start whining, yipping and a little barking.
I live in an apartment that has good solid thick walls, but just letting him "bark it out" is not a good option for me. One person suggested that I go in an give him a good "shush" ... and if he doesn't shush ... give him a squirt with a water bottle. Haven't gotten the bottle yet. My solution this morning was to "shush" him, and when that didn't work I just laid on the couch in the room and he settled right down and didn't do anything until he finally got back up about 5:30.
But this 3 or 4 a.m. business needs to come to a stop. Daddy gets grumpy that time of morning!
So ... I am looking for suggestions on what to do about this. I am worried that he might be getting just a little to obsesive with me. When I leave the room to fetch or do anything, he usually sits near the gate watching for me to come back. I am not really as worried about that as I am the early rising part.
5:30 or 6:00 would be fine ... 6:30 would be great. But 3 a.m. is getting old really quick!
Thanks
RkD
Sleepless on the coast :)
My 8-month old cardigan, Jackson, is a very good boy - most of the time. He does very well in his crate and seems fairly happy in there. He goes in when I leave for work about 8 a.m., comes out when I am home for lunch, stays in the crate during the afternoon, then comes out when I get home at 5:00.
In the evening we usually have at least one good long walk, and some play time and trick learning. He is taking the puppy class at Pet Smart and doing very well.
And the problem ... he goes in the crate in the evening anywhere from 10-11:00 ... after a last walk to do whatever business needs doing (he is always very quick to potty and has had very few problems with it). Some nights he will be quiet until 6 a.m., but he is developing a very annoying tendancy to wake at 3, or 4:30, or 5 ... and even 2:30 this morning ... and start whining, yipping and a little barking.
I live in an apartment that has good solid thick walls, but just letting him "bark it out" is not a good option for me. One person suggested that I go in an give him a good "shush" ... and if he doesn't shush ... give him a squirt with a water bottle. Haven't gotten the bottle yet. My solution this morning was to "shush" him, and when that didn't work I just laid on the couch in the room and he settled right down and didn't do anything until he finally got back up about 5:30.
But this 3 or 4 a.m. business needs to come to a stop. Daddy gets grumpy that time of morning!
So ... I am looking for suggestions on what to do about this. I am worried that he might be getting just a little to obsesive with me. When I leave the room to fetch or do anything, he usually sits near the gate watching for me to come back. I am not really as worried about that as I am the early rising part.
5:30 or 6:00 would be fine ... 6:30 would be great. But 3 a.m. is getting old really quick!
Thanks
RkD
Sleepless on the coast :)
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Boo Buchheit on
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I would not use a spray bottle on him in his crate, it needs to stay a positive place for him and I would think that would not be the case. Is he trust worthy to leave out of the crate part of the day? He probably sleeps all the while his is crated in the daytime and might not be sleepy at night. Being 8 months old he no longer needs as much sleep as he did as a little puppy. Is his crate in the room where you sleep? Sometimes this helps. On the rare occasion that mine wake up during the night it is a potty emergency, I take them out and then right back to bed until morning. If he doesn't need to potty when he wakes up I would think he would not fuss for long.
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Permalink Reply by Richard Davis on
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I guess I should try the blanket idea. And, I think Jackson would be OK outside the crate in the afternoons. So long as he has any of his several favorite chew toys I don't think he will bother anything of importance. Of course, he might turn off the radio (which is set to NPR to keep him company) and switch on the TV!
I also think he probably would sleep more easily through the night if I put the crate in the bedroom, but I feel like that would be caving in to the behavior ...
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Permalink Reply by Alice on
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Where is his crate set up? It sounded like it was in another room and if that is the case, perhaps you should try placing it in your bedroom. He probably does fine when you are not home because he knows you are not there but at night he knows you're there and wants to be near you. Remember, dogs have a pack mentality and typically do not like being alone. My situation is very similar to yours. We live in an apartment, work 8am-5pm and have a male Cardi who is 9 months old. We crate trained him from the beginning (8 weeks old) and he does great. The crate is set up in our bedroom on my side of the bed where he can see and hear me and I can see him. Even if he doesn't seem tired, if I put him in his crate then go lay down in bed, he'll watch me and once he sees that we're going to sleep, he'll do the same. He doesn't make a sound until I get up in the morning so he's good from about 11pm to 7:30am. When he was younger if he did whine I would just make some kind of movement and he would stop. I think he just needed to know we were there. Good luck with Jackson! :)
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Yes, the crate is in something more like the living room area. You bring up a good point.
I wouldn't really mind the crate being in the bedroom, but when my girlfriend (Jackson's co-owner) visits, I don't think she will quite so happy with that. On the other hand ... I want sleep. :)
I am curious what are the most common locations for crates. Do most folks have them in the bedroom or in another room?
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Permalink Reply by Jude, Lily and Louise on
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I have always put the crate in my bedroom. However, I agree that he is most likely just not sleepy. It sounds like he is not getting enough exercise. Remember, Corgis are herding dogs. They are high energy and need lots of exercise. My dog gets a long walk and playtime every morning and every evening. I think leaving him out part of the day is a good idea. If he is awake, he wants to be with you. Good luck.
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Permalink Reply by Sunni A. on
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We keep it in the living room, and have never moved it to our bedroom for any reason, barking, whining, etc etc. We also live in an apartment.
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Permalink Reply by Spartan on
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I live in an apartment also, and I know what you mean about not getting the neighbors upset from the barking especially in the early mornings. I haven't had the problem of Spartan doing to much whinning but, I would try maybe leaving him out at night instead of in his crate if he just isn't whinning to goto the bathroom.
I have Spartans crate in my bedroom because he seems to be more comfortable being with me. There have been times when I didn't put him in his crate at night and he did very well just sleeping in his bed on the floor.
I take Spartan to the off leash dog park almost everyday and he gets out alot of energy. You could also try that when you come home from work. Well, I hope this helps. Jackson is soo cute btw.
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8 months is pretty teenagery. Is he neutered? (I'm assuming he is). Do you give him any cool toys in the crate? Like a flavored non-shred bone, or a microwavable, warm cuddle-toy? Could he maybe be going crazy in the silence, and needs a radio and/or light nearby? We keep Eddy's crate right in front of an open window so he can hear the birds and cars all night, and a talk-radio station on.
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Permalink Reply by Stephanie on
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I live in a condo. Bear has two crates, one downstairs in the living room and one upstairs in the bedroom. Most nights I put him in the bedroom crate and he goes down. If he wakes up during the night, I hop up, throw on a robe and take him out, then put him in the downstairs crate.
The downside of the bedroom crate...once that alarm goes off at 5am, there is NO hitting the snooze...once he's up, he's up.
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Permalink Reply by John Wolff on
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I can't even remember when the dogs weren't on the bed. I think we kept each dog in their crate until a certain age, can't remember what. Gwynn's nighttime crate (she has 2) is in the bedroom closet. She goes to her crate (door always open) after we fall asleep, gets back on the bed in the early morning. Al sleeps on the foot of the bed. He slept in his crate as a puppy.
The bedroom is a den, actually.
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Permalink Reply by Sam on
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Sounds like this boy spends many hours in the crate and really doesnt have a "great" outlet for exercise. It is difficult having pups in an apartment when one works full time. Do you have an area that is secure that you could let him run, play ball, frisbee? An area where he can go and interact with respectful dogs? Truly two walks daily are not enough for a young active dog. It may be time to give him some freedom at night. My experience has been that my pups are generally more likely to be clean at night before the day. Good luck.
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Permalink Reply by Destiny/Mini on
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i have used the radio or tv for Mini...seems to help with her feeling lonely. she'll wimper once in awhile but not like she used too. Her crate is facing the tv so she goes to bed watching animal planet. volume on #2 that is enough for her to hear "something" Goodluck!
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