Issues with New Dog

RolandFlagg

Last year was tough. I work from home and during lockdown whilst my partner went out to work all I had for company was my old Lab. He was lovely, but in November his cancer, which he had been treated for before came back. He had other issues also, so we had to make that decision no dog owner wants.

After a just over a month we decided to get another dog. We found a 9 month Springador on a rehoming website. His owner said they couldn't keep him due to work commitments and he was jumping up at their young child. The dog was use to sleeping in a crate overnight.
So we've had him 3 months, and he's just had his first birthday. He's coming along, but the big issue is he's getting us up really early, often before 4am by crying and scratching the bottom of his crate.

We've tried putting him to bed at different times, but he still wants to be up early. Mostly he just want to go outside and have balls thrown for him (he's ball obsessed).
At the moment, the crate is in the living room. He's out of it all day except if I go to the shop/have a shower. He gets lots of exercise.

I would love to un-crate train him, but I'm not sure where to start. I don't mind where he sleeps, in the living room, in the bedroom, just as long as he let's us sleep in a bit longer.
Any suggestions please as it's getting really stressful. Thanks.

P.S Not sure if it makes a difference but he hasn't been neutered. He doesn't try to eh...do anything, but he's very "in your face" (instead of sitting next to you, he will stand on you) and tends to grab your wrist when he wants attention.  Not sure if neutering would make him a bit more mild mannered, and maybe help with his sleep patterns?

KxMx

Sitting/ standing on you is a classic springer trait.
Definitely go for neutering, it can't hurt.

tacpot12

I also have a problem with a crated dog waking early. I have tried everything I can think of, but the only thing that works is to tell them off when they wake too early. I have a rule that anything before six am is 'bad'. I might flex this if I had have an early night as it is possible that they might need the toilet. I tend to go to bed at 11pm, so the dog has to spend 7 hours locked up, which is quite a long time, but he is destructive when he is bored and not supervised, so I can't leave him out overnight. 

My feeling is that neutering won't do anything about his early waking, but will help with other behavioural issues.  

FaceHead

Unneutered springers are often mental. Agree that you should neuter yours pronto. 

They are rabbit catching machines, so are going to want to be active in the morning and evening when the rabbits are out too. If no rabbit is available, they'll settle for a ball. 

Neutering, exercise, training and age will help and you seem to be doing it right. A young springer would be a huge change of pace from an old Lab, so I expect that your springador will be quite a difference. 

Penguin_

My lab slept in the crate, in the dining room which is next to the living room, & I used to pop him in & watch tv in the living room. He would wake anytime & cry loudly in the morning.  One night he whined quite a lot so I thought he wasn't tired & let him out & he followed me back into the living room. He had a little play then 'fluffed up' the rug & fell asleep. I closed the living room door when I went to bed, making sure there wasn't anything he could get to, & I came down in the morning & he was sleeping on the sofa when I came down in the morning. 

Could you see if he settles with you in the living room in the evening?

sheramber

When he wakes early getup and let him out into the garden.Donot speak to him at all. Ignore him. When he comes back in his bed and say ‘bedtime’andgo back to bed. Alternatively, when he comes back in , still ignore him. Go and sit in the lounge and read a magazine, a book , watch tv. Wait until he gets bored and settled down. Put him on his bed  and leave him. You need to show him that it is boring not a fun time. 

Does he have a quiet time before he goes to bed so he is relaxed and can settle.
you may want to try putting his crate in the bedroom to see if he will settle there.
Try covering the crate with Blanket to block out early light. That can also be a signal it is not time to get up. 

He has been uprooted from what he knew and will need time to adjust to anew home, new people and a new routine. You need to set new ground rules. 
A 1 year old springer is very different to an elderly lab. 

wannabe_a_saver

Let him sleep in your room, that's far more natural than being separated from his family in a cage.  He'll probably settle into something closer to your routine (although he's a young dog so you'd be daft to expect lie ins!) and he'll certainly be happier.  

Get him neutered too, it won't stop him from being a young playful, active dog (and you shouldn't want it to, why did you get a springer cross pup if you didn't want a young playful active dog?) but its the right thing to do regardless. 

CL21

We bought a lab - after years of springers - and had exactly the same problem, up at 4am every day. She hated the crate and also absolutely hates being by herself so now she sleeps in my bedroom just in a dog bed and I haven’t been up at 4am since. I didn’t do any training with mine, just took her straight out the crate and into a bed with no drama at all 

Apintplease

I take it the dog is part springer?

That explains the early waking and the standing on you, rather then sitting nicely beside you

Spaniels want to be part and parcel of you

Neutering won't make any difference to those traits, in fact it could make him more clingy

I always think that when training a dog, its best not to let them fail. So learn the dog and work out what makes life easiest for you without the constant battle into trying to get them to change a built in behaviour.

Neither of my old spaniels slept in the crate past their first few destructive months. Once they were trusted not to chew or mess in the house, the crates went, and the bed in the bedroom came in. Oh I had to train the OH not to use the floor as a wardrobe at the same time mind  Yes we still got woken for a while at silly o'clock but let them on the bed and after 10 mins of them trying their best to engage in play, they would settle down. I did take them out for toilet - on lead, no chat - so not playtime that time of day

Right now Im going through it all again, this time a toy breed - a pug. Oh a pug is a lap dog and wants to sleep all day says all the resources , well someone forgot to tell Buddy Hes a Tazmainian Devil with a cute face He was so tiny we took him into bed with us and he sleeps on the OH's neck most of the night. Great as an 8 week old, hes 11 weeks now and bedtime doest come so quick for him. So I let him settle from his Zoomies up on the sofa beside me till hes out cold, then put him in his bed. We get 8 hours this way Even if he does wake early ( before 7 ) taking him straight out and straight back in - no playing - he will settle again

MalMonroe

I am a great fan of Graeme Hall. Why not watch his programmes because they really could help you. Channel 5, Tuesdays.

When dogs display unwanted behaviour, Graeme always has great success with a firm 'no' command. Sometimes he suggests that owners put up a hand while saying NO firmly - but not aggressively. And keep on saying 'no' until the dog stops unwanted behaviour. When they do stop (but not before), always give lots of praise. It really works and he very rarely needs to use any treats. Obviously you have to put time and effort into the training and maybe in your case, lose a bit of sleep but that's happening already anyway. Same approach for when he stands on you. Just stand up and say NO and when he stops attempting to climb on you, praise and more praise. 

I hate the use of dog crates because if people want to own dogs, then surely they want to take the time and trouble to train them, instead of just shutting them away in prisons. I'd never seen people using dog crates until I visited some friends in the States about thirty years ago. I hated the way they shut their dog in a crate every night in the basement. He was let out early in the morning but still, he was a very obedient and well trained german shepherd and didn't need to be locked away. I don't get the point. But then the idea seemed to make its way over here, as American ideas always do. Shame. (Our friendship ended after my visit, mostly because of their attitude towards animals.)

You could also try him with a few toys other than balls, give him a bit of variety. And of course, daily walks to make sure he gets fresh air to aid sleep. 

I'm an absolute softy though, with all animals and unfortunately they do have a tendency to walk all over me but I don't care. We have a cat and I'm the only one who's bossed around by her, for some reason.

I love CL21's idea. Ditch the crate. 

unforeseen

KxMx said:

Sitting/ standing on you is a classic springer trait.
Definitely go for neutering, it can't hurt.

I bet the dog would disagree with that 😂