# Waking me up at 4am every day! Help!



## lauramichelle

Ranger has been waking me up at 4am every day for over a month now! 

We moved his crate to the living room out of our bedroom...and that solved the night time restlessness he had...he didnt like seeing the cat on my bed at night. But at 4am...he's wide awake....scratching at his metal crate and barking. I usually just stumble out of bed and let him outside and he stays out until I wake up.

I dont think he has to go pee that bad....because he'll sit on the porch as soon as I let him out and not go strait down to the grass.

How do I handle this? Problem is....his crate is loud.....and my house is open....so his noise wakes my kids up. I do have french doors to the living room I can try shutting. I also just bought him a plastic crate for traveling in ....so I might put in him that one since it makes less noise for awhile.

I have tried tiring him out at night....walks and fetch. It will keep him alseep till 5am, but no later. I leave him a chew toy in his crate...but he ignores it....and its his favorite chew toy.

Maybe if I put him back in my room in the plastic crate (the clanking of the metal crate drove my Dh nuts so he kicked him out to the living room!).....that way I can tell him to be quiet without having to get up.

Unfortunately, I am leaving for vacation today, and my MIL is keeping Ranger for me. Poor her. Maybe she can break him of it.....her dogs sleep until whenever she gets up....so maybe they'll set an example for him! I told her he does this, and told her it was fine with me if she ignored him and made him stay in his crate till time to get up.


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## darga19

> Originally Posted By: laura929I usually just stumble out of bed and let him outside and he stays out until I wake up.


There's your problem right there!









Ignore him. By you jumping up and letting him go have fun outside, he's learning that all he has to do is be loud and obnoxious and he gets out of his crate and outside to fun land!!

It may take a couple days to break the habit, but he has to learn that banging around in his crate and barking will get him absolutely nowhere.


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## lauramichelle

I figured that was the only solution









Now I just have to endure the noise for a few days! Maybe if I get him a crate pad it'll dampen the noise some....his towels get balled up and then he's clanking on the metal....and so far he has not tried to eat his bedding at all.


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## littledmc17

When B was a pup he would wake me up at 4 too 
I would take him out he would do his business
then I would lay down on couch and snuggle with him or he would play with Missy and I would fall back to sleep

as he got older the longer he could hold it I got to sleep in
now he wakes me up any where between 6 (my usualy time I get up for work) 7:30


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## Minnieski

Yup, he just knows you'll let him out, so he makes a racket until you do. Definitely get a crate pad - they help tremendously with the noise. Also, if he's bothered by the kitty on your bed you could try covering the crate with a sheet so he can see it. Our pup actually settled down a lot faster once we put a sheet over 3 sides of her crate and made it more den-like. Good luck!


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## ldw6559

I get this @ about 5am. Griffin is 5 months now and it gets later as he grows older. I don't crate him and never have, I still think he may just have to go do his business even if he doesn't run to the grass like the house is on fire. How old is Ranger?


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## lauramichelle

Ranger is 14.5 weeks old. But like last night, I didnt go to bed until 1am. So I took him out to potty at 1 before putting him in his crate. He still woke me up at 4am. I know he can hold it at least 6 hours...since he has before when had to leave during the day. If I put him to bed at 10pm, he still wakes me up at 4am. If I go to bed at 2am, he still wakes me up at 4am!

What is it about 4am I wonder? It doesnt start getting light out until 5:15. I wonder if my neighbor leaves for work about that time...I know he works really early in the morning...maybe he hears him leaving out across the street?


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## lylol

Yup... cover the crate, ignore the early wake up call... if you feel he really needs to go, then leash him, take him out, let him pee, then put him back in the crate and go back to bed. He needs to learn that his racket is not his ticket out. At this young age, it wont take him long to understand that you caught on to his tactics and are back in charge. Puppies... they are SO clever arent they!!


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## Elaine

Just because your puppy can hold it, doesn't mean he wants to. Your neighbor may very well be waking him up and then he needs to potty. At this age, I would get up, let him out, and then put him back in his crate. I think leaving him out there may be making this a play time opportunity instead of just a quite potty time.


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## littledmc17

Yes I agree and don't leave him out by himself he is a baby still


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## APBTLove

J is doing this, not crazy loud and obnoxious.. He's only been in his crate for 4 days, and only two without Sparkles... He whines a tiny bit before he goes to sleep, then at what I would guess is about 5am, but I do NOT ever give in, and he hushes up after a minute and I can hear him playing with his pressed chicken flavor bone (Which he gets ONLY when he's in the crate). I then get up at about 6:30 and carry him outside, partly so he won't pee on my rug because he's GOT TO GO, and mostly because I am upstairs and he can't go down yet. 

And I cannot help but add, do not ever, ever leave a pup outside for any length of time unattended... 
Being poisoned.
Possibly getting attacked by a dog/cat/raccoon/owl ect. (even in a yard with a tall fence)
Chewing like puppies do and getting something stuck, then choking.
If you have anything he can climb on, he could jump off or fall trying to get on and possibly break something. 
Eating something that could block his intestines or poison him (as MANY plants can).
And being stolen, if one of your neighbors or even a passerby (4 am is the BEST time to rob someone, most people get up about 5am to go to work, and are asleep by 3am) sees you putting him out alone, a pure bred GSD puppy would easily disappear, and who knows what will happen then. Microchips and tattoo's, ID tags, you get it, mean NOTHING if he's never lost or brought to a vet, no chip or tattoo will be checked, and tags are very easy to throw away. He'd make a lovely gift for someone's little kid or girlfriend. I have known people who do just this to avoid high-priced puppies... Of course I reported them when they bragged to me about stealing the chi puppy from a little girl, and giving it to their own son for his birthday. 
Things that can happen to a puppy all alone in a yard in the wee hours of the morning are innumerable. I am not trying to flame you in any way, I've just seen what can happen, and the thought of leaving my own pup out in broad daylight freaks me out.


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