Not everyone is built to be a morning person. Whether you sleep early or you just need a little bit more shut-eye for the night, anyone can need to sleep past sunrise. However, adorable as they may be, dogs may disrupt your early mornings. It’s not easy to stay in bed when tiny paws are scratching against the door.
There are several reasons why your dog might do this. If it’s unusual for them to do, then you might need to make sure that they’re doing okay internally. Take them to the vet to find out if it’s a physical health issue. If there isn’t anything wrong, you may need to do the following to help them calm down.
Include Regular Exercise for your Dog
Dogs need a proper amount of exercise to get rid of the energy pent up in their system. A game of fetch or letting them run around free in a dog park or your backyard may tire them out enough that they sleep in with you every night.
Set a Later Feeding Time Schedule
Dogs, on average, only eat twice a day, which is the recommended frequency to feed them. That means their last meal has to last them from night to morning. If you’re feeding them too early, they will most likely wake you up out of hunger.
Set a much later feeding schedule to prevent them from waking up hungry at five in the morning.
Let them Use the Bathroom Before Bed
A dog’s bladder needs to be empty before they go to bed. If it isn’t, they may wake you in the middle of the night to request that you bring them outside, or they can just pee themselves. Neither situation is desirable and doesn’t paint a picture of a responsible pet owner.
No matter how late it is, find time to get the leash and take them out for some late-night bathroom breaks. If they’ve been having some issues because of their frequent bathroom breaks, then you’ll need to take them to the vet to see what the problem may be.
Create a relaxing Sleep Space for them
If your dog sleeps in the bedroom with you, you need to create a space where they feel comfortable and safe to sleep no matter what time it is. If you don’t want them to wake you, you may not want them sleeping on the foot of the bed. But if you can’t help but let them, then maybe you need to get used to them shifting every now and then.
Conclusion
Dogs are generally very active creatures, so having them be early risers comes with no surprise at all. Despite this, they can be trained not to get up too early or let you sleep while they stretch their legs. With patience and a trial and error system for you to keep track of, you will be able to get your much-needed eight-hour rest without worrying about your pet.
Every dog can be trained and housebroken with a bit of insight. For more blog articles on how to train your dog, check out the other resources of Dog Obedience Training. Our site is dedicated to providing the most helpful information to train your furry friends. Check out our resources for more useful information.