My Yorkie thinks he is my alarm clock... - YorkieTalk.com Forums

speedyb · 03-21-2012, 10:25 PM

I haven't woken up to an alarm since I got Oliver a month ago... I wake up every morning to his crying and barking.

He sleeps in his crate and does pretty well initially. As my night winds down, his energy decreases and he becomes this blob of tired that will sleep on anything soft. I take him out for one last potty, and then put him in his crate [followed by a treat, as he still doesn't like his crate and I am trying to associate it with good things]. I always leave a chew toy and a soft toy in his crate [along with this bed] with him at night. I then put a sheet over the crate to ensure that it is dark, and he usually goes straight to sleep [sometimes he will cry just a little]. That part he is great with.

Then comes the morning. I usually wake up to his crying around 6am, but some nights it will be 3am or 5am. I take him to go to the bathroom, and if it is really early in the morning, I will try to make him go back to sleep [but he isn't a fan of that].

I know it is possible to get sleep and own a dog. He is 6 months old, and I am fine if this is a "puppy" thing... but I don't want to be doing this for the next few years. How do you all get a good night's sleep?

TraciG · 03-24-2012, 04:17 AM

What time is he going to bed? My dh and I are on shifts - he is a night owl and I am a morning person. Brutus usually goes to bed around 11 pm but is my alarm clock between 5-7 am. The am is great Mon-Fri but I sure would love to sleep in on the weekends. When we first got Brutus I felt like we had a newborn baby, but thankfully it didn't last very long.

plantman · 03-24-2012, 06:05 PM

Just FYI on the crate. I taught mine to love the crate by putting treats under his bed, just everywhere in there so he would have to look for them. It got so he would cry whenever the door was closed, and he couldn't look for his surprises. Teaching go crate was a snap after this.

As for waking up early, besides the obvious potty break, maybe this will help him settle back down. Good luck, it gets better

KazzyK810 · 03-27-2012, 01:12 PM

ZoE is over a year old and she wakes me up EVERY day about 6am.

I'd love to sleep in on my days off work... Luckily, now that she's past that puppy stage, she is much better about quickly snuggling back down again to sleep a little longer, AFTER I've gotten up to let her go do her morning pee, eat breakfast & poop....then it's back to bed we go, and of course by then, I'm wide awake...lol Isn't having a yorkie wonderful?

CouversMom · 03-27-2012, 01:21 PM

You are lucky. My 3.5 and 2-year-old have woken me up to go potty at least one time every night for the past year. It is usually around 2-3 am and I'm lucky if they let me sleep in past 6 am because they want breakfast. I'm starting to wonder if I'll ever get a full nights rest again

I have no advice for you, but I will be watching this thread for ideas!

yorkietalkjilly · 03-27-2012, 02:07 PM

I've just got a couple of suggestions. Yorkies are such personal pets and they hate being alone when they wake as pups. It's their natural inclination to want to call us to them and responding to those calls is working well. Also, he may be whining or barking because he needs to go potty outside or on his pad and taking him out to go potty when he cries has taught him this is the way it works, so he will probably keep it up as long as it is effective for him. Change things up some by withholding liquids longer before you put him in his crate and by not immediately responding to his cries. If you don't make him wait when he cries he will just keep doing it as long as it's working. And he's more determined than you are so unless you are prepared to just lose sleep until he's found out barking and crying nets him nothing, you will have to just put up with it until he's older and can sleep better through the night. As they age, they gradually do being to sleep all the way through the night and you will be able to also!

The only other alternative I can think of is to let him sleep with you or teach him the command of "quiet" and give that command when he cries out. For that to be effective though in one his age, you really have to be a pretty dedicated behavior modification trainer and keep those lessons up daily, so that he's learned to actually modify his behavior in response to your commands.

I hope you find a way that works for you until he grows up more.

roseslevi · 03-27-2012, 02:31 PM

I usually am in bed between 8-9 during the week. I am up at 5 every morning. On the weekends both my pups get up at 5, we go out quickly and then lie back down for awhile. They both sleep in my bed and I do give them their nylabones to chew on to settle them back down. Neither one of mine has ever woken me up in the middle of the night to go out, but they are in my bed with me.

yorkietalkjilly · 03-27-2012, 02:39 PM

Yeah, since Tibbe sleeps with me, we didn't have that problem.

yorkiemom2000 · 03-28-2012, 01:20 PM

I guess I'm pretty lucky - both my pups have their doggie beds on my bed and sleep with me. When my alarm goes off at 6 they don't budge. I'll get up and they'll look at me as if to say "yeah, right....I'm sleeping in". They'll get up about 20 minutes after I'm up looking for breakfast.

CouversMom · 03-29-2012, 09:45 AM

Both of mine sleep with me, but I still get the wake up call around 2-3 every night. Last night, it was later... at 4:40. It's odd. My foster, who is a senior holds it all night... but my two insist on waking up every night to go potty.

sophias mommy · 03-29-2012, 03:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CouversMom

Both of mine sleep with me, but I still get the wake up call around 2-3 every night. Last night, it was later... at 4:40. It's odd. My foster, who is a senior holds it all night... but my two insist on waking up every night to go potty.

You are a saint! I don't know how you do it.

My two go to sleep around 12 or 1, and then sleep in until about 10:30. They get SO mad at me if I have to leave early and take them out before then. I guess it's a good problem to have.

Nancy1999 · 03-29-2012, 04:10 PM

Joey use to be great about sleeping in, I’d just tell him “No”, and he didn’t argue, he went back to sleep. My little foster is another story, he’s doesn’t know what the word “no” means, and he doesn’t bark when he wants me up, he crys, how can I sleep through that? This also, really upsets Joey who comes up from under the covers to investigate and then starts barking. The thing of it is, they want to eat, I gave in and started feeding them at 4:00 AM, but they started getting up at 3:00 then 2:00, and it’s like every 15 minutes they put on this routine, I get them settled and boom the little foster gets up again. I’ve been working this week to train them to sleep till 5:00 and it’s been very hard. He's so persistent. It was easy with one, with two, it’s so much harder, they work as a team. I think I'm going to start using an alarm just because I want that to wake them instead of their own internal clocks, and maybe gradually, I can set it later and later.

CouversMom · 03-30-2012, 07:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sophias mommy

You are a saint! I don't know how you do it.

My two go to sleep around 12 or 1, and then sleep in until about 10:30. They get SO mad at me if I have to leave early and take them out before then. I guess it's a good problem to have.

I wish I had that problem! They actually slept in for the first time in... over a year now. They slept in until 5:50, and I told them no probably 5 times until my alarm finally went off at 6. I'm going to start telling them no more often... It's going to be hard, but I can't wake up 2 times a night for the rest of my life

ziggy925 · 03-30-2012, 12:31 PM

I have't crated Ruger is awhile, but when I did I discovered that throwing a blanket over the crate to keep it dark in the morning worked like a charm. Otherwise he would wake up at any hint of sunlight.

Hey, it worked for the bird.

03-21-2012, 10:25 PM	#1
speedyb Yorkie Talker Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: San Jose, CA, USA Posts: 11	My Yorkie thinks he is my alarm clock... I haven't woken up to an alarm since I got Oliver a month ago... I wake up every morning to his crying and barking. He sleeps in his crate and does pretty well initially. As my night winds down, his energy decreases and he becomes this blob of tired that will sleep on anything soft. I take him out for one last potty, and then put him in his crate [followed by a treat, as he still doesn't like his crate and I am trying to associate it with good things]. I always leave a chew toy and a soft toy in his crate [along with this bed] with him at night. I then put a sheet over the crate to ensure that it is dark, and he usually goes straight to sleep [sometimes he will cry just a little]. That part he is great with. Then comes the morning. I usually wake up to his crying around 6am, but some nights it will be 3am or 5am. I take him to go to the bathroom, and if it is really early in the morning, I will try to make him go back to sleep [but he isn't a fan of that]. I know it is possible to get sleep and own a dog. He is 6 months old, and I am fine if this is a "puppy" thing... but I don't want to be doing this for the next few years. How do you all get a good night's sleep?

03-24-2012, 04:17 AM	#2
TraciG Donating YT Addict Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: Ft. Wayne, IN, USA Posts: 522	What time is he going to bed? My dh and I are on shifts - he is a night owl and I am a morning person. Brutus usually goes to bed around 11 pm but is my alarm clock between 5-7 am. The am is great Mon-Fri but I sure would love to sleep in on the weekends. When we first got Brutus I felt like we had a newborn baby, but thankfully it didn't last very long. __________________ *Brutus is mommas boy!*

03-27-2012, 01:12 PM	#4
KazzyK810 Donating YT 2000 Club Member Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Michigan USA & Sheffield UK Posts: 4,119	ZoE is over a year old and she wakes me up EVERY day about 6am. I'd love to sleep in on my days off work... Luckily, now that she's past that puppy stage, she is much better about quickly snuggling back down again to sleep a little longer, AFTER I've gotten up to let her go do her morning pee, eat breakfast & poop....then it's back to bed we go, and of course by then, I'm wide awake...lol Isn't having a yorkie wonderful? __________________ Karan & ZoE (Chelsea )

03-27-2012, 01:21 PM	#5
CouversMom and Khloe Mae's too! Donating Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Eastern Washington Posts: 14,732	You are lucky. My 3.5 and 2-year-old have woken me up to go potty at least one time every night for the past year. It is usually around 2-3 am and I'm lucky if they let me sleep in past 6 am because they want breakfast. I'm starting to wonder if I'll ever get a full nights rest again I have no advice for you, but I will be watching this thread for ideas! __________________ Michelle- mommy to Couver and Khloe Mae! http://yorkiehavenrescue.com/

03-27-2012, 02:07 PM	#6
yorkietalkjilly ♥ Love My Tibbe! ♥ Donating Member Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: D/FW, Texas Posts: 22,140	I've just got a couple of suggestions. Yorkies are such personal pets and they hate being alone when they wake as pups. It's their natural inclination to want to call us to them and responding to those calls is working well. Also, he may be whining or barking because he needs to go potty outside or on his pad and taking him out to go potty when he cries has taught him this is the way it works, so he will probably keep it up as long as it is effective for him. Change things up some by withholding liquids longer before you put him in his crate and by not immediately responding to his cries. If you don't make him wait when he cries he will just keep doing it as long as it's working. And he's more determined than you are so unless you are prepared to just lose sleep until he's found out barking and crying nets him nothing, you will have to just put up with it until he's older and can sleep better through the night. As they age, they gradually do being to sleep all the way through the night and you will be able to also! The only other alternative I can think of is to let him sleep with you or teach him the command of "quiet" and give that command when he cries out. For that to be effective though in one his age, you really have to be a pretty dedicated behavior modification trainer and keep those lessons up daily, so that he's learned to actually modify his behavior in response to your commands. I hope you find a way that works for you until he grows up more. __________________ Jeanie and Tibbe One must do the best one can. You may get some marks for a very imperfect answer: you will certainly get none for leaving the question alone. C. S. Lewis

03-24-2012, 06:05 PM	#3
plantman Yorkie Yakker Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Dallas, Texas area Posts: 58	Just FYI on the crate. I taught mine to love the crate by putting treats under his bed, just everywhere in there so he would have to look for them. It got so he would cry whenever the door was closed, and he couldn't look for his surprises. Teaching go crate was a snap after this. As for waking up early, besides the obvious potty break, maybe this will help him settle back down. Good luck, it gets better

03-27-2012, 02:31 PM	#7
roseslevi Donating YT 1000 Club Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: E. Falmouth, Mass Posts: 2,102	I usually am in bed between 8-9 during the week. I am up at 5 every morning. On the weekends both my pups get up at 5, we go out quickly and then lie back down for awhile. They both sleep in my bed and I do give them their nylabones to chew on to settle them back down. Neither one of mine has ever woken me up in the middle of the night to go out, but they are in my bed with me. __________________ Rosemarie, Levi and Lily "The purity of a person's heart can be quickly measured by how they regard animals" ~ Anonymous

03-27-2012, 02:39 PM	#8
yorkietalkjilly ♥ Love My Tibbe! ♥ Donating Member Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: D/FW, Texas Posts: 22,140	Yeah, since Tibbe sleeps with me, we didn't have that problem. __________________ Jeanie and Tibbe One must do the best one can. You may get some marks for a very imperfect answer: you will certainly get none for leaving the question alone. C. S. Lewis

03-28-2012, 01:20 PM	#9
yorkiemom2000 Yorkie Yakker Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: Wisconsin Posts: 60	I guess I'm pretty lucky - both my pups have their doggie beds on my bed and sleep with me. When my alarm goes off at 6 they don't budge. I'll get up and they'll look at me as if to say "yeah, right....I'm sleeping in". They'll get up about 20 minutes after I'm up looking for breakfast.

03-29-2012, 09:45 AM	#10
CouversMom and Khloe Mae's too! Donating Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Eastern Washington Posts: 14,732	Both of mine sleep with me, but I still get the wake up call around 2-3 every night. Last night, it was later... at 4:40. It's odd. My foster, who is a senior holds it all night... but my two insist on waking up every night to go potty. __________________ Michelle- mommy to Couver and Khloe Mae! http://yorkiehavenrescue.com/

03-29-2012, 04:10 PM	#12
Nancy1999 I ♥ Joey & Ralphie! Donating Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Arizona Posts: 25,396 Blog Entries: 2	Joey use to be great about sleeping in, I’d just tell him “No”, and he didn’t argue, he went back to sleep. My little foster is another story, he’s doesn’t know what the word “no” means, and he doesn’t bark when he wants me up, he crys, how can I sleep through that? This also, really upsets Joey who comes up from under the covers to investigate and then starts barking. The thing of it is, they want to eat, I gave in and started feeding them at 4:00 AM, but they started getting up at 3:00 then 2:00, and it’s like every 15 minutes they put on this routine, I get them settled and boom the little foster gets up again. I’ve been working this week to train them to sleep till 5:00 and it’s been very hard. He's so persistent. It was easy with one, with two, it’s so much harder, they work as a team. I think I'm going to start using an alarm just because I want that to wake them instead of their own internal clocks, and maybe gradually, I can set it later and later. __________________ NancyJoey Proud members of the CrAzYcLuB and YAP! ** Just Say No to Puppymills – Join YAP! Yorkshire Terrier Club of America – Breeder Referrals

03-30-2012, 12:31 PM	#14
ziggy925 YT 500 Club Member Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Aspen, CO, US Posts: 544	I have't crated Ruger is awhile, but when I did I discovered that throwing a blanket over the crate to keep it dark in the morning worked like a charm. Otherwise he would wake up at any hint of sunlight. Hey, it worked for the bird.