How Do I Turn Off My Greyhound Alarm Clock?

[Guest lemon]

Tosh is settling in nicely but is apparently still on track time- waking up at 5 am. When he wakes up he’ll whine and sometimes make a noise almost like a roo. My wake-up time is 6 am so I’d like to find a way to keep him quiet until I wake up. Below is any information that might be useful:

 

When he wakes up he will either whine or roo which for the most part I just ignore. Often he’ll whine for awhile and might then settle down only to begin whining again in a little bit. Sometimes I’ll tell him “that’s enough” and he’ll stop for a bit before starting again.

 

He sleeps in the living room by choice with the door to my room open so he can come in anytime he wants, he has a bed in both places. He really does not seem to like being in the bedroom. When he first came I kept him in my room at night with an x-pen blocking the door and he would lay before the door wanting to go out. He would eventually sleep but the moment he woke up he’d want to go out into the living room and whine. However even if I let him go there he would still whine. During the day he stays in the living room area, if I go to the bedroom he may follow me to the doorway or come in but then will turn around and go back to the living room. My apartment is really small so even when we’re in separate rooms we’re not too far apart.

 

His last out is around 10 pm right before he goes to bed. In the morning he does not rush outside to use the bathroom. When I open the door to the yard he will walk out, stand on the patio sniff the air then turn around and come in. He much prefers to go to the bathroom on walks and I suspect he saves it so he can mark up the neighborhood .

 

When I wake up and go into the living room he will do zoomies for a few minutes and then I throw on clothes and we go for our morning walk which he loves and gets really really excited about.

 

I'm wondering if I should start keeping him in my room again at night to rule out whining in the morning because he is alone and just keep ignoring him but would like some advice from those who have been there done that. I love the little guy but I love him even more when I get a full 8 hours of sleep! Thanks!

[Brandiandwe]

It has taken nearly two years to reset my greyhound alarm clock. I'd try keeping the house dark with good blinds, making sure that your alarm is off, and sticking it out. Is he hungry when he gets up?

[Zoomies]

Jess has been much the same with the morning whining, although her internal alarm clock wakes her around 6am when my preferred wake up time is more like 7am. I have tried giving her a snack before she goes to bed but not sure that has helped much as she looooves her food and is always looking for the next meal even if she ate only 5 minutes ago (I think she's learnt the behaviour of our labrador!). Telling her to quieten down only works briefly, like Tosh.

 

Jess also sleeps in a separate room to us (with our other dog) but if she can hear us stirring (rolling over too loudly, breathing changes, etc), then the whining starts. We've found shutting our bedroom door so she can't hear us as well has helped. We do have a camera with sound on it set up in the dogs' bedroom though so we can listen out if either dog needs us in the night (I am a very light sleeper so any slight dog noise and I'm wide awake!). Things have improved a bit and I think her wake up time is getting a little later, it does take some time though. Also, Jess is a real talker anyway and will whine to communicate or just because sometimes. Is Tosh a whiner at other times? Might be something that will hopefully lessen but never really totally disappear.

[Brandiandwe]

Paige is also quite vocal. I'd forgotten that. What she's also started doing is whining, shoving her nose in my face then launching onto the bed for snuggles, play fighting and morning smooches. I can usually stay in bed for another 15 - 20 minutes, but I cant go back to sleep.

[GeorgeofNE]

Hahahahahahah!

Good luck.

 

George was a 4 AM ON THE DOT dog when I got him. I managed to get him reset to 5 AM, and that's it. Six years. Even on Saturday. I surrender!

[Guest lemon]

Apparently these alarm clocks are not very easy to turn off. I suppose the joke will be on him because once the school year starts I’ll be waking up at 4:30 and getting him up, I guess I may just have to have a school schedule during the summer too.

 

To respond to some questions:

 

I don’t think he’s hungry in the morning, the first thing we do is go on a walk and then he waits at least half an hour for his breakfast. He has never whined or bothered me for food and often won’t even get up from his bed until I’m half way done preparing it. He also gets a treat at bedtime.

 

He does tend to be a whiner in certain situations and I’m sure his whining in the morning is his way of telling me something, I just can’t figure out what it is. I've thought of setting up a camera to record what he is doing when he gets up and whines to maybe get some clues to what's going on inside his head.

 

I have only had him a short amount of time so I’m sure part of it is that he is still settling in. Of course he may just be another George and it may be hopeless Thanks for all the replies, talking about it and getting others experiences definitely helps!

[Guest girlsgotgrey]

I've been working on the same issue with Tracker. He usually wakes up at 6 AM, but I would like to push it back to 7. He whines every morning even if he does not need to go potty and regardless if I ignore him or not. I know he is not thrilled about being crated at night, but I have a cat to worry about. Maybe because we have had him for three weeks I could let him stay out and keep the cat in the basement. The only thing I have done that works is laying on the couch next to his crate and then he is quiet so I can continue sleeping there until 7. I don't want to make a habit of being on the couch to keep him quiet though.

[Guest Doggone]

I've had to reset Autumn's wake up time, but in the OPPOSITE direction! When she first came to me, March 1st, her initial routine was to sleep until 9-10 am! That didn't work for me at all . Not only am I a "morning" person, but being in Texas, I knew that hot weather was right around the corner and if she wanted to go on walks, they would have to be done very early in the mornings, before the brutal heat set in.

Luckily, she likes her walks, so I've gotten her to reluctantly accommodate my routine: I wake up @ 5:30-6, have my coffee and a light breakfast and by that time (usually before 7), she has ambled out of bed and joined me in the dining room (of course, laying down and catching some extra ZZZZZZs) until I put on my walking shoes.

Once we're back, she'll go back to sleep for a few more hours.........the girl needs her beauty sleep .

 

One thing she hasn't changed is her eating schedule: she never wakes up hungry! It doesn't matter when I put her food out, she'll only eat when she's ready.......usually not before midday, and sometimes even later. Since all of her "systems" (ahem ) seem to be functioning fine, and it doesn't interfere with my schedule, I let her determine her mealtimes.

 

All in all, it's been a fine compromise on both our parts.

[Guest Waterdog66]

His last out is around 10 pm right before he goes to bed. In the morning he does not rush outside to use the bathroom. When I open the door to the yard he will walk out, stand on the patio sniff the air then turn around and come in. He much prefers to go to the bathroom on walks and I suspect he saves it so he can mark up the neighborhood .

 

You have a bathroom for your greyhound outside? (Sorry, could not resist.... )

 

When Audrey gets up and wakes me up, she REALLY HAS TO GO. it may take her a bit of sniffing around before she will relieve herself, I measure how bad she had to go by how full her bladder is; not necessarily her sense of urgency on the walk. She is still getting used to going potty on leash so it takes her a bit of time to work into it. She has woken up as early as 4:30a and as late as 10a; depending on how tired she is.

 

I get up at 4:30a most days so her earliest time up is not a problem.

 

Based on advice on another thread: I moved her last out to about an hour after dinner and she usually zonks out right after. Depending on her fatigue level, she may or may not go upstairs to bed when we do. (Most often she does)

 

I wonder if he is up that early because he needs to go?

[Batmom]

If you don't use an alarm clock (other than your sweet houndie), get one.

 

Set it for 4:50 for 3-5 days. Until the alarm goes off at 4:50, IGNORE any whining.

 

Then set it for 5:05 for 3-5 days. Then 5:15. Then .... You get the idea.

 

 

 

You want to first set the alarm for a time when you're pretty sure it will actually wake him up, too -- when he hasn't started whining yet. This can be painful. Very painful. But, after several days you're no worse off than you were, and in several more days you should be getting a little more sleep ..... Good luck!

[Guest lemon]

Thanks for all the replies, I learn so much on this forum!

 

@girlsgotgrey – I too did the sleep on the couch the first night because I was worried it was too hot in the bedroom (I have since bought my dog a window air conditioner unit, the things we do!). And I too was like I’m not doing this for long. I know there are some good threads about greys and cats on here which might help with that aspect.

 

@doggone- I’m glad that he at least isn’t sleeping in too late, I don’t envy anyone who must rouse a greyhound that just wants to sleep, I’ve noticed many have selective hearing.

 

@waterdog66- Personally I don’t like sharing my bathroom so I made sure to have one in my backyard for Tosh. I modeled it after an outhouse with dirt flooring and four wooden sides though I will soon be putting down grass carpeting to turn it into a luxury commode .

 

At first I thought he might be whining because he needed to go outside but he apparently has a bladder like a tank. It’s possible that he doesn’t have to go so badly that he’ll go in the backyard but is anxious to go on his walk to relieve himself.

 

@batmom- I will admit I read the thread about training to an alarm clock and the thought of waking up so early did seem oh so painful. If I can’t figure out his whining in the next day or two I’ll go ahead and start alarm training him. Also, I was wondering if it would still be effective even if he sleeps in the living room? My place is so small I’m sure he could hear my alarm from there so I would think so but am not sure.

[FluffyDuff]

How would you train your greyhound to sleep in until 9-10am, for people who work 2nd shift? That almost sounds like an impossible feat!!!

[Batmom]

He'll be able to hear the alarm .

 

If you take the dog out late enough and consistently ignore whining etc., he or she will get used to getting up at 9 or 10am. I think the problem for most folks -- understandably -- is figuring out when a new dog really has to go outside vs. just wants to get up, and ignoring any barking, whining, etc. in the latter situation.

[Guest FastDogsOwnMe]

My Greyhound will sleep until I get up (unless it's unusually late, then she'll stretch and reposition herself in the bed, but she won't jump down or whine. My two year old Whippet, on the other hand, is up and running around the room the minute he suspects I am awake, even if I want to zone back out. If I touch my phone (to see the time) no matter how quietly I do it, he's up. If I ignore him, he'll jump back on the bed and lay down again. It's annoying. My other Whippet would sleep until noon and always would even as a puppy. So, I sympathize, but I don't have any good advice! Mine all sleep with me in bed with my door shut.

[WalterWallerson]

I'm a teacher so I have a naturally early schedule. Walter typically gets up with me most mornings. Some mornings he needs to help me stop hitting the snooze button, and sometimes I have to wake him up (with so many kisses!!!) On weekends, I don't get to sleep past 8. Frequently he will whine around 630 because that would be "late" for my alarm clock, so I think his intention is "omg mom you're going to be late!" but a firm "NO" almost always works. Some times a firm "NO, GO LAY DOWN" in my sternest sleepy voice works. Not always, sometimes he really has to pee regardless of how late I took him out the night before.

 

Fun fact: None of this happens on rainy or cloudy days. It's almost like he couldn't care less about getting up and doing anything because its cloudy/rainy.

 

I just wanted to edit to say that he absolutely knows the difference between "alarm clock" days and "non alarm clock" days. All "non alarm clock days" are automatically days that he & I should spend doing dog things that he likes.

Edited July 18, 2013 by WalterWallerson

[Guest lemon]

So apparently he just turned himself off . Maybe he's decided to enjoy his retirement by sleeping in.

[Guest Sourbuzz]

^{Your dog is whining because he's telling you he wants to go for a walk. You said you let him out and he doesn't immediately go to the bathroom. If he had to go, trust me, he would go as soon as you open that door. Also, are you keeping the door open giving him the option to come back in? Are you standing there watching him? He might just say "well if she's going to let me back in, I'll just do that and wait to go when we go on our walk". If you want him to go to the bathroom outside make sure he knows thats what you want. Let him out. Do not let him back in until he goes. Start to use word commands "go potty" "bathroom" and use it every time. Be patient. They love to take their time. I know its the morning too and there isn't much time but unforunately he needs to learn so it might take time. Maybe wake up just 10 minutes earlier?}

 

^{As far as the whining goes, ignore it. Don't look at him, don't acknowledge it. Wait until he lays down or is completely settled. Then praise. By not acknowledging the whining you're saying "unacceptable" and by praising when he's relaxed you're saying "acceptable". Greyhounds need lots of praise so pet him and let him know that's what you want. (obviously this can't be done while you're sleeping so take advantage of it at other times when you're awake) You also said he sleeps in the living room "by choice" however he seems to whine both in the living room and in the bedroom. How did he "choose" the living room? You'll have to just keep ignoring and he will start to stop whining. it could take time; every dog is different. But the biggest thing is to be consistent and clear. As soon as you get up and let him out from him whining, you're back to square one! He got ya!}

 

<sup>Our boy sleeps with us in his own bed on the floor next to our bed. Before he would wake up at 3:30, walk around, maybe whine a bit then lay back down. An hour later, same thing. We completely ignored him, tried not to move. He's now up at around 5:30 and we're up at 6 so this isn't too bad. We are using the alarm so he knows that's the time but he still anticipates it. He gets really really excited when the alarm goes off so be careful. He's spent a lot of time anticipating that alarm clock so when it goes off, he will too. Ours actually barked at us because he was so excited. I gave him a quick touch on the neck with a sharp "no" and that was the last time he did it. We make sure also not to give him any attention while we're in bed so he knows not to constantly come to our bed and try to wake us up.

We're still in the learning phase with this as well but we plan to have him waking up once that alarm goes off. Not at 5:30 as he builds anticipation for it. We've also learned that he doesn't need to go to the bathroom, but knows its time to eat (so similar to yours wanting to go for a walk). There's nothing we can do about that. They are animals of instinct. We can, however, modify how we want them to ask us. They'll do whatever we want them to do, we just have to be clear. Dogs are amazingly loyal in that way, so take advantage of it!

Good luck!</sup>

[fsugrad]

Here you go, this worked for us. I now have until 6:15 or 6:30 before they wake me, 7 days a week. Luckily I am able to feed them and we go right back to sleep after they eat on Sat and Sun.

 

http://forum.greytalk.com/index.php/topic/295037-partying-at-530-am-how-to-make-it-stop/?hl=dakota

[XTRAWLD]

We've reset both boys alarm clocks, and actually with ease.

 

Try working on increments of 15 mins at a time. When they start whining, compromise and let them out 15 mins later. Try that for a week. Repeat based off your new time.

 

Now the only time we have difficulty with sleeping in is time change, but they are actually really good with understanding we don't always rise with the sun!

 

And I forgot to add, they know when it's Friday and the meaning of Friday. Their whole attitude changes, and they know that the weekend (which is a different routine) is soon on the way!

Edited July 25, 2013 by XTRAWLD

[Guest lemon]

Thanks for all the advice, Tosh has actually stopped whining in the morning. Realizing his whining was not I need to pee but rather I want to walk helped a lot because I was able to just ignore him when he did start whining. I also made sure to let my alarm clock go off for a bit so he would learn that alarm clock going off is what = me getting up (I must say I have never gotten up when the alarm goes off before getting a dog- he's a good influence). The ironic thing is that now that we have this solved I probably need to start transitioning him onto my school schedule where I wake up at 4:30 am. I'd say it's payback time but I have a feeling he will be nothing short of happy that we get to go on or walk earlier .