Getting up earlier!
by Sonja & Tim
ORIGINAL MESSAGE:
Tim was potty trained as a puppy, but after our summer vacation on a Spanish island he only wanted to do his "business" on the street. So we got used to walking him four times a day. During the night we set up his puppy john just in case .. During the past 2 months he is not using the pads during the night anymore. Instead he wakes us up at around 6.45am, which is o.k., because we have to get up anyway. Lately though, every morning he wakes us up a little earlier (at the moment at 6.00am) and demands his stroll on the street. I guess it is the nice weather and the bright mornings. Still I know, that one day we will walk him at 5.00am if I do not stop this new behaviour. Did anyone of you experience the same thing with their dog? What can I do to get him back to his regular "hours" (by the way, walking him later at night, did not help at all). Thanxx!

DISCUSSION:

Sonja, how old is Tim? I take it he is a dog rather than a puppy. If so, and at the risk of sounding cruel, I would make him wait. If you're up at 6:00 now, wait till 6:15, then 6:30, etc. as the days pass, until he's back to YOUR schedule. If he has accidents waiting this extra 15 minutes, you might want to get him checked at the vet.
Marie