Lack of sleep

pogface

pogface

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I have just spent the night getting up down to our 6 month lab. This is starting to become a nightly thing and I'm struggling with the lack of sleep.

In the last couple of weeks he wants to come into our room from about 1am onwards... Before this he was sleeping through the night, getting up at about 6. I don't know what's happened! He whines and scratches at the door. I get up, put him back in his bed, then go back to bed. If we leave the door open hes on the bed in a shot, which isnt ideal as hes getting rather big. This goes on all night.

We live in a ground floor flat so can't keep him 'downstairs' and our bedroom is fairly close to his bed because of the layout of the flat. I am concerned about the noise waking the neighbours.

He has never slept on the bed at night, he did come on the bed in the mornings, some weekends, but not for weeks now as he is getting huge.

Do I crate him? Is he too old? Give him something to occupy his brain? A chew or something? Persist with getting up and putting him back?

Any ideas welcome please help a very tired, now slightly emotional pogface :( x
 
He is demanding your attention and you are giving it to him. Even a telling off is attention to a dog. Best piece of advice I can give is to ignore him.

Literally, completely ignore him for a couple of weeks. Get up and do what you would usually do, so if that is to let him out the back, do it by just opening the back door and letting him without looking at him or talking to him at all. If you go for a walk first thing, ignore any behaviour from him, just get the lead, keep quiet and put the lead on without speaking or looking at him...no eye contact, obviously you have to look where to hook the lead :-)

Keep doing this, all day. A the moment, you are pretty much his slave. No amount of explaining to him will work as he doesn't speak human. No amount of telling off will work as he is only doing what he has been allowed to do.

Just start to pretend as if he isn't even there. He is likely to go to quite some lengths to get your attention...will probably throw tantrums, spit toys on your lap, jump on you, bark at you, try and make you play etc...ignore it all. If he tries to jump on the sofa with you, block him with hand or leg and quickly get up and go make a cup of tea or something. Eventually, he will go and lie down. When he does go and lie down, leave him for a good 30 minutes, then call him to you, give him cuddles for a few minutes (only because it will make you feel better) and then send him away again by stopping the cuddles and using your away command. Use it once, then ignore again. You call him for a cuddle in the evening when he is settled and being quiet and you send him away again.

Do this for two weeks and in most cases with most issues, they are gone. It is because these types of behaviour usually stem from their world revolving around us. We create that problem by lavishing attention on them, so they don't think they can cope without us. Ignoring them lets them learn they can be ok without us holding their hand so to speak.

Good luck. I have four dogs and this has not failed me yet.
 
Thank you for advice. I do have a child gate which stops him going into the kitchen, will move it down the corridor I think.

GG - I have ignored him all morning... He's only just gone to lie down! Will certainly try this tactic as he's calmed down completely now.

First ever dog so this is all quite new...

Thanks again for help :)
 
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