Daily Schedules & Sleeping

[DSimmon]

Let's see. We have a crate for Ein. She was 16 weeks old last weekend, will be 17 weeks old this Saturday the 4th. We got her when she was 8 weeks old.

We have a schedule for her.
Wake up at 6, go outside, feed her.
Wife and I alternate playing with her while we get ready.
Crate her around 7:30.
Wife comes home around 11:45 for lunch, gets her outside, and plays with her.
Puts her down around 12:30.
She get's home from work around 4:45, gets her out.
Plays with her, feeds her around 5.
Puts her down at 6, which is around when I get home.
Get her up around 7, go outside and spend the evening playing.
Put her down at 9:30/10 for the night.

The first week, we got up every couple of hours to let her out over night.
The next week we got up once during the night around 3 or 4 am.
The next couple weeks we got up once around 4 or 5am.
Up until last Saturday we didn't get up at all during the night. She slept until the alarm went off.

Starting this past weekend she started getting up at 4:30/5 am and scratching in the tray of her kennel and whining a bit. We take her out, and she doesn't really need to go. Try to feed her, and she doesn't eat. She's not actually interested in her food until 6:40 or 7a.

Does anyone have any advice as to what we can do to get back to the sleeping all through the night? Are we doing anything wrong with the schedule?

Thanks!

[Corgis4me]

Originally Posted by DSimmon

Let's see. We have a crate for Ein. She was 16 weeks old last weekend, will be 17 weeks old this Saturday the 4th. We got her when she was 8 weeks old.

We have a schedule for her.
Wake up at 6, go outside, feed her.
Wife and I alternate playing with her while we get ready.
Crate her around 7:30.
Wife comes home around 11:45 for lunch, gets her outside, and plays with her.
Puts her down around 12:30.
She get's home from work around 4:45, gets her out.
Plays with her, feeds her around 5.
Puts her down at 6, which is around when I get home.
Get her up around 7, go outside and spend the evening playing.
Put her down at 9:30/10 for the night.

The first week, we got up every couple of hours to let her out over night.
The next week we got up once during the night around 3 or 4 am.
The next couple weeks we got up once around 4 or 5am.
Up until last Saturday we didn't get up at all during the night. She slept until the alarm went off.

Starting this past weekend she started getting up at 4:30/5 am and scratching in the tray of her kennel and whining a bit. We take her out, and she doesn't really need to go. Try to feed her, and she doesn't eat. She's not actually interested in her food until 6:40 or 7a.

Does anyone have any advice as to what we can do to get back to the sleeping all through the night? Are we doing anything wrong with the schedule?

Thanks!

So you would prefer for her to get up around 6 a.m.?

Is she for some reason drinking more water before bedtime - do you let her drink right up to bedtime.

She's spending at least 8 hours during the daytime being crated while you work so she's probably sleeping most that time, Plus the actual nite time hours - is there a reason why she is being put down at 6 p.m. again - to nap or so that your wife can get things done without having to watch her.

[DSimmon]

Getting up around 6 would be optimal. Not getting up at 4:30 I think is the main goal. I'm not sure what's changed in the past four/five days that she's started getting up earlier, but if she woke up with us with the alarm I think all parties would be happier (especially those that aren't covered in fur).

She is drinking water in the evenings due to being outside and playing, but we're usually in by 8, and have always cut her off from drinking at 9. Then are up for another half to a whole hour before bed.

At first we kept her up from 4:45p/5p to bed time, but found she got really bloodshot eyes, droopy ears, and would get uncontrollably unruly (biting, nipping, barking, etc). If we put her down between 6 and 7, that's when the wife and I would eat, get a few things done around the house, and she would have some quiet time in her kennel, and not be bad before bedtime. I don't believe she ever slept during this time, but would just lay down in kennel and have some quiet time. We felt like we were poking her to keep her up until bed time otherwise.

[molly14]

I can totally relate to wanting to get up with the alarm instead of whining and woofing. Since we got Molly I have found little reason to set an alarm (i still do just incase). She wakes me up well before my 5:45 alarm, so I rush to get dressed and take her out. Even now that I am home for the summer she is making sure I am still up and alert before 6. Even if I put her to bed later then usual (which is 10) she will have me up before 6. If she had a really exciting time the night before (like in puppy class or a long walk where we bump into a playmate) or if she is feeling down after vaccines, I may get to sleep in later.

Molly has recently had a change in behavior that I have been inquiring about on this site. My thread is under behavior issues called "change in behavior". They bring up some good points, and I have made a few adjustments the past few nights. I am hoping they will work.

Good luck getting your rest.

Jessica

[gogogiraffes]

The half hour for the water may not be enough time for it to go through her. I'm going to assume that she does go out before bed as well.

I'm sure if you go to the thread Jessica (Molly14) started you'll see a lot of stuff

[DSimmon]

Thanks for the heads up on the other other thread, I just gave it a scan through.

I didn't even think about teething. We have one of those freezer toys, but she hasn't been interested with it in the past. I'll wet it down tonight and throw it in, and see if she cares. Have given a couple ice cubes in the past, and see if those are still as much fun.

Will also try removing the water earlier in the evening. We are taking her out right before bed, and she always goes. When she pees, if she runs towards the door, it usually means she's done, if she sniffs around a bit afterwards, it usually means there's a number 2 encore performance. I play it by ear based on her behaviour and what she's done earlier in the day for how long I give her outside prior to bed.

[Corgis4me]

Have you tried for a few days to just ignore her at 4:30 in the morning? would she potty in her crate if you did?, you mentioned that she doesn't seem to really need to go when you take her out.

And where is the crate, in your bedroom or somewhere else?

I agree with the other person regarding the water also and would remove it sooner.

She may just need more activity during the day to tire her out more for night.

[glencorgi]

She may just need more activity during the day to tire her out more for night.

I think that is highly likely. She needs a little playtime between your meal/her evening nap and last potty trip and your bedtime.

Debbie

[DSimmon]

We have tried ignoring her. And it's not that she will potty in her crate, it's more that she tends to scratch in the plastic liner. Not easy to sleep with.

Yes, we have her crate in our bedroom. We used to have it in the living room, so she was in the middle of things, and could get used to our routine and whatnot. But when she was in there in the weekends during the day (to keep the same routine as the workdays), she wouldn't ever sleep, just sit there and watch us, and get really grumpy, then collapse to the carpet when we let her out. She wouldn't sleep there either, just keep squirming around making sure she could see everything that was going on.

Anyway, something I picked up from the other thread, or somewhere else on the forum, don't remember now, was to soak a rope bone in chicken broth and freeze it. We have started doing that, and she loves them. She has also started to loose teeth. Two dead center on the bottom and one on the top.

We have also started removing her water bowl at 8:30 rather than 9. That has been helping. This weekend I started to feel like a new person. Had no idea what that extra 60-90 minutes of sleep in the morning was doing for me.

So I don't think we're completely out of the woods yet, but we have the correct path I believe.

[Louwants]

Oh I can guarantee you're not out of the woods yet......you have what we call the "teenage years" coming up. ENJOY!!!!! LOL!

[Booski59]

We get up every day at 3am to 4 am so your Corgi would be okay here, LOL. Now that Randy is older the boys usually sleep through the night until 4am (lately I am having to get them up cause we stay up later in summer). Ein is about Randy's age so 8 or 9 hours crated should work, however she does spend an awful lot of time in her crate so maybe she is tired of being in there. I would not think that you would need to crate her on the weekend when you are home just to stick to a routine...just my opinion. Mine only sleep in their crates at night, but I am lucky to have a dog safe place for them all day while I work. Do you let her have a chewy and a toy in her crate at night? Especially during teething a chewy helps.

[DSimmon]

On the weekends, we put her in her crate at the normal time, but we let her out early. She'll usually only be in it for an hour or so (instead of the normal 3 or 4).

And we do give her toys in her crate.

[Corgis4me]

Originally Posted by DSimmon

We have tried ignoring her. And it's not that she will potty in her crate, it's more that she tends to scratch in the plastic liner. Not easy to sleep with..

The thing is she's in her crate 4 hours in the morning, has a break at lunch time and then back in for another 4 hours; then during the evening it sounds like she gets about another hour in there; then bedtime around 10 until 5 or 6 would be another 8 hours. It just sounds like a lot to me and she's probably not happy with all that crate time and also, she probably needs more exercise in the evening to then tire her out to sleep better.