Last page

E-mail received at dog fun on 18/01/01.

Next page

My question for you is in regards to the time at which my dobe wakes up in to morning. I let him out right before I go to bed and I know he can go for a long time throughout the night. However--he always gets up at 5:45 a.m. to get me to let him out. He doesn't really have to go, he just thinks that it's time to get up. I don't want to get up this early everyday. What can I do to make him sleep in later every morning? He's 10 months old and is sufficiently potty trained.

Thanks in advance.

Jade's reply.

Early Dobe, Thank you for your e-mail about your Doberman. Firstly I would say that at Ten months old he will still be full of energy, but over the next few months he should start to appreciate his bed more and more. Having said that you want to try and get some immediate results and so I would suggest;

Firstly, I believe that this is probably just a routine that your dog has got into waking up at 5.45 and with a few days of breaking the routine you might be able to alter it for the better. For a few days you should make a great effort to wear your dog out in the evening. If you sit together watching TV etc. and your dog has the chance to have a rest or even a sleep, this will obviously give him more energy for the night and he will be more inclined to wake up bright eyed and ready to start the day at 5.45. Don't let your dog settle during the evening (or all day if possible) work on keeping him on the go all the way up to his bed time, possibly take him for a couple of extra walks. I know that it is not always possible to spend all your time entertaining your dog but do the best you can. Over a few days this will set the scene for the second bit of advice.

Your dog is probably training you. He will believe that 5.45 is wake up time and that he must wake you, as this is what always happens. You must make him un-learn this. One of the simplest ways is to ignore him. If he calls you and you jump up and go to him you are rewarding his actions (the barking or howling) Tell yourself that you are not going to go straight to him if he calls you, try altering your response times, Five minutes or Ten minutes. By doing this you are starting to break up the routine. You should start to set the rules not your dog. If you are strong about this, and can put up with the noise he will make for a few days, hopefully he will start to learn that you are the boss and he won't gain anything by howling (you wont go to him) so he will sleep in for longer. This will be a battle of wills I am afraid. Don't however expect him to sleep in until 10.00, you should aim for 7.30. to 8.00 for a start. The one problem is that he could get caught short once or twice and if this does happen you will not have to punish him. VERY IMPORTANT, you must always be aware that your dog could really need you for some reason, if he is not well, for example and this is the big problem. You should however be able to judge the difference between a howl just to let him out and a howl to say that he is in distress (the time of night will also be a good clue) You must be aware that he could really need you and will have to be the judge of this yourself.

I know that this advice is only common sense stuff, but if you concentrate on keeping him as tired as you can, breaking up his routine and not being instantly on call to him this should start to help. You are going through exactly the same thing as I put my owners through at that age but I soon got out of the habit. Even today at over Three years old I have Three or Four barks on a Sunday morning at about 8.30 but if my owners don't come to me I will settle down again and sleep for another hour or so!

I hope that this will help you and your dog, stick at it and you will work it out. Good luck and all the best,

Jade the Doberman.

As with the rest of Dog Fun we are only offering advice, we have learned a lot through our own experience and would like to further that knowledge with your help. If you have any good tips or advice that would help dog owners drop us a line to jade@dogfun.co.uk and we will display your advice and give you credit for your help!