Early riser dog

ladyholly

Savvy_Sue Thank you for your reply. Unfortunately he doesnt really play except tuggy which would involve me,  a filled Kong is a great idea but we have 3 dogs and what one has they all have. This would be ok but our Jack Russell is on heart medication which has to be given an hour before food so she couldnt have a kong. As all 3 sleep near each other it would be impossible to sneak it to the 2 big ones and leave her out. It is hard enough for them to have breakfast but she must wait. (fortunately she doesnt get up early very often).

I have tracked the timing to when the little one started her medication which she has with a bit of meat paste and the other 2 get a tiny bit on my finger. I have stopped this this morning and am now giving her tablet while the others eat their breakfast.so are occupied. We will see how that and the extra walk works out over the next few days.

ladyholly

Hooray I managed the extra walk with falling over this morning and took the two big ones as one was missing out. Littly goes out regularly anyway as she is on diuretics and wont toilet in the garden. Fortunately because of her heart & kidney failure she doesnt go very far.

sheramber

At 11 he could be showing signs of early dementia, when they become disorientated. 

Is it dark where he sleeps? the light mornings may be wakening him.

ladyholly

Thanks. I dont think he is dementing. His cognition appears to be as always. At 5.30am it is still dark. The street lights where we live stay on all night so that doesn't change.
The last couple of mornings I have dressed and come downstairs and left the back door open but not fed or walked him until 7ish. He lies in the kitchen and just waits for me. I am hoping that he will twig that there is no benefit to getting up. I am dreading the clocks going forward.
Unfortunately my husband is not patient of early waking so I can't stay in bed and ignore him. 

family355

We adopted a rescue dog after Easter lockdown last year, she was 5 years old and we were unsure of her routine. She decided to sleep downstairs even though she could get upstairs. She would either wake during the night and bounce around the house for an hour or wake very early. We tried various things, lights on/off, closing bedroom door, putting her bed upstairs, letting her sleep on the bed, changing walks/meal times. In the end we closed her in the livingroom on her bed with access to water, turned the light off and she now sleeps through. I appreciate you've had yours longer but I hope it maybe something simple too

ladyholly

The thing is this is a change of behaviour. I have made a vets appointment for tomorrow to check there is nothing physical and then we may well try shutting him downstairs. My main concern with that is he will bark and whine and we live in a terraced house. I am sure my neighbours don't want waking coz I certainly don't.