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How can I stop my 5-month-old puppy from waking me up so early?

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Labrador Retriever | Female | unspayed | 4 months and 26 days old | 25 lbs

My dog is 5 months and no matter what time I take her outside to pee she is up at 545am on the dot everyday. How can I get her to not get up so early? She starts bouncing on the side of my bed to get me up and if I don't she starts chasing the cat or getting into things. If I crate her she screams very loudly. Any ideas?

1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

Jennifer Summerfield, DVM CPDT-KA

Answered By Jennifer Summerfield, DVM CPDT-KA

Veterinarian, Certified Dog Trainer

Published on May 3rd, 2017

I'm sorry to hear that you're having this problem with Sadie! Unfortunately, puppies are very similar to babies in this respect - they often wake up early. There is often no way around this other than waiting for her to get older. The good news is, most adult dogs are happy to sleep later and will eventually adjust to your daily schedule - so be patient with her for now :)

One thing that you could try is crating her in your bedroom, beside your bed - I'm not sure where you have attempted to crate her before, so I apologize if you've already done this. This generally prevents excessive whining or barking in the crate, because you are right beside her - so she shouldn't be lonely or upset. But, being in the crate will prevent her from being able to wander around, chase the cat, or find other things to do when she wakes up - so this is a good way of teaching puppies to lay quietly until it's time to get up, even if she is already awake.
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