sleep schedule question....

[klausy]

Romeo is 3months old and doing GREAT thanks to all of the help we've received from this wonderful site! Romeo sleeps in his crate in the bedroom during the night. If he whimpers we take him outside immediately and then back to the crate as it is usually around 2-3am. Everyday Monday through Friday we are up at 5am preparing for work. Obviously this gets him up and out of his crate. First he goes outside and then we play with him while we're getting ready for work. He then goes back in his crate at 7:30am until noon. The question is: How important is it to stay on this schedule of getting up and moving around at 5am? Can we sleep in on the weekends at all? 8am or so?? Or will this mess up his schedule etc...? My thought is that while we will enjoy the extra sleep time on the weekends, he too might like it, simply knowing that we are there in the bed right by him instead of leaving. Of course, getting up to take him out when he whimpers...but then back to the crate for a few extra hours of ZZzzz time. Does he mind being in the crate? He's very comfortable in there and sleeps well, plus he will be confident that we are still home. Ummm...did I answer my own question here????? ha! Thanks!

[rottmommie]

I guess they are all individuals...but mine sleeps whenever I do...sometimes on the floor next to me...he allowed us to leave him crated until someone got up on weekends when he was young,,but if he heard us stirring it was all over!!! If he has to go out now he will wake us up and let us know. I even work three different shifts and he accepts the change, sometimes 3 differnt shifts in a week!!

[Judi W]

At 12 weeks, my pups have all slept through the night. It might just be that he is stirring in normal sleep/wake periods in the middle of the night and you are taking him out, establishing a habit. I'd be more inclined to drop that period of taking him out and listen for him in the morning. I normally wake at 4:30 or 5:00 am, but if I do manage to sleep in, the dogs usually do too. He'll give you a good bit of hint if he can't wait for you when you're sleeping in. He might fuss in the middle of the night a bit since he's now programed to be taken out, but give it a try.

[pride-and-joy]

Jake (5 mos) has slept throught the night (10PM-6AM) ever since he joined our family at 9 weeks. Occasionally he will wake up around 3AM or 4AM and rustle around in his crate and whine a bit. I have chosen to ignore him rather than jump to aid because I don't want to be at his mercy all night long. On the weekends, I do however drag myself out of bed to let him potty at 6AM and then put him back in the crate for my extra 2hrs of sleep-in time

[klausy]

great! Thank you so much for the info. I will attempt to sleep him through the night tonight. I know firmly believe that he is just "stirring" in his crate. If he goes nuts and really want's out, I'll quiet him down, wait for a quite moment or two and then take him out, but then right back to the crate until later. If this doesn't do well, I'll try to increase his sleep periods by an hour every week or something to break him of this habbit that WE'VE created. thanks again!!

[Doc]

I am moving this thread to Behavior.