I need help! =(

So I have a 10 month old cockalier puppy. Hes a mix between Cavileer King charles spaniel & cocker spaniel. We've had him since he was 3 months old and he's never had such issues before. For the past month & a half he hasn't been sleeping very well. He will wake me up & CRY/WHINE anytime between the times of 1am to 6 am. So I started walking him on a regular for an hour or more everyday. That seemed to help the situation USUALLY. But sometimes he only gets a 30 minute walk & will wake me up. I'm extremely tired & so upset about it. Sometimes I just don't have the time to walk him for more than an hour everyday. Usually I do, but for the days that I don't.. what am I supposed to do?

A few things to know:
-He hasn't been fixed yet. I just haven't been able to save up the money to do it yet. I know that sounds so bad, but I just haven't been able to yet. Soon it will be done. But until then I WANT SOME SLEEP! Do many boy puppies not sleep very well at night when they aren't fixed?

-He also shows no uncomfortableness during the day & has no problems taking mini naps here and there

-He will not wake up & cry when he sleeps in his crate. He only seems to do it when he's out of his crate & sleeping in the bedroom.

Please let me know any information that can help me. It will be greatly appreciated. I plan on taking him to the vet to get him fixed when I have the $, but until then I need to save any extra cash that I have for the neutering.

It could be anything from discomfort due to pain to boredom. Neutering him probably would not make any difference, although it is highly recommended at this age. Since he sleeps well in his crate, why not simply put him in there until he is a bit older. My last dog was most comfortable in confined spaces like a crate. That was how he was brought up. When do you put him out to potty before bed? Just before or a while before? Maybe he needs to tinkle in the middle of the night?

If he doesn't wake up & cry when he is in the crate can you try putting him in there to sleep when you don't have the time to walk him sufficiently?

Also where I live they have coupons for free or almost free spaying & neutering check
For low income people check with the Animal rescue league if you are low income.

Type free spay and neutering and your location
In the search engine and it should give you the details if it is available near you.

Ask Labman he's the 'expert' I'm outa here.

After all . He has been around dogs...

I have had several unfettered males, and at that age, I never had any problems with them sleeping through the night. Many days they never had that much excise either just being out on a tether a little for relief. I always do crate my dogs at night. If you want a dog and a house in the morning you have to with young Labs.

For most behavior problems, the best thing is a good check up at the vet. The problem could be more than hormones. You can't train a physical problem away. And yes, I hope you do find the money to get hem neutered before he goes berserk sometime when a female upwind comes in season. There is no underestimating what he will do to get loose is such a case.

I continue to appalled the way inexperience people insist on suggesting others take up their poor practices. A 5 month old Lab should never be run with a bicycle. It puts too much stress on their developing joints. You should discourage running and jumping as much as you can. Jagstarr, you are abusing you dog.

I am not abusing my dog! Until you have seen my animal and know who I am...

It would be wise to keep your insults to yourself.

To think I am abusing my dog is fighting words in my eyes.

So you know... my other dog, also aYellow Lab, is my EARS because I am deaf. He is trained to hear for me. My Lab pup is going to take his place soon, which will be the most bittersweet day of my life!

I am recinding my posts. Labman knows everything.

Take care - God Bless

I have to agree with the exercise part I rarely even walked any of my dogs and they would sleep through the night. They have their exercise in the yard. I keep the room dark and have a radio on for background, but then my dog sleeps on my feet which probably helps them with a sense of security.

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Originally Posted by Jagstarrr

first you need to exercise that pup a lot more. He needs to be able to run and run. He's not sleeping through the night because he is not tired. Most dogs get stressed and hyper at night if they are not properly exercised during the day. I have a 5 month old Lab. I walk him every morning, noon and night. I also take him to a Dog park where he can run off his stress. Maybe run him along side a bicycle every night. You'll find a world of difference. Hire someone to poop him out. If you can't give him the exercise he needs you are in for some long night.

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Running Guard Dog Exercise, Dog Exercise, Puppy Exerciser, Exercise with bike, walking, pacing, jogging to complete dogs health. Not sure if this product would live up to its claim but.. if you insist on having your dog next to a moving bike, this seems to offer some protection.
Too much exercise is as bad as not enough. I am sure a vet could give you tips on how much is needed.

Most dog owners don't have any idea how little they know about dogs. I certainly didn't before I started raising puppies for a large dog guide school 18 puppies ago. They have seen thousands of X-Rays of dogs at a year old. And then followed the dogs all their life, many of them living a much more strenuous life than most pets. Even their rejects can live long lives as pets. With their careful breeding, keeping the growing puppies lean, early switch to adult chow, and cautious exercise, they have very few rejects any more. Even if you don't have anything to compare your dogs to, tempting a 5 month old Lab to keep up to a bicycle is abuse.

As for my dogs' condition, my vet raves about how good of shape my puppies are in. He see very few dogs as well bred and cared for. I live too far from the school to take my puppies there for routine care as most of the 300-400 puppies a year are. It so happens since I started taking dogs there, my vet has developed a national following for his work in treating dogs with joint problems. Neither he, the dog guide school, or the trained volunteers that evaluate my puppies every month have ever mentioned my dogs need more exercise.

When I was lower on the learning curve, I was told my puppy was too fat some times and to feed it less. I was never told it needed more exercise. More recently, my puppies are used as examples for newer people in the group.

My 14 year old is still able to walk a couple of miles. They are slow, plenty of time to sniff and squat walks. Since cold weather has set in, I have cut out the swims. When I take her out in public, many people are surprised such a lively dog is 14 year sold.

While everybody agrees a tired puppy is a good puppy, exercise is over used as a training tool.

I'm not sure if you misread or misunderstood what I said, but I do exercise him. He's only in his crate for 3 to 5 hours a day while I'm at work... And I walk him during the day for 30 minutes & 30min to an hour in the night. So total more than an hour a day. Its just that sometimes I only have time to walk him for about 30 minutes. This isn't very often, just sometimes. I don't have the money to hire someone to poop him out. Please understand that I didn't get my dog just to "have" him, like you suggested to labman. Anyway, was just asking for some ideas is all. I'm trying to save up for the neutering and the vet visit. Christmas time & bills are happening right at the same time. It's just sometimes very hard.

I think Labman was referring to Jagstarrs reply.

Hyper, not sure where you are but in Ohio/Northern Kentucky area, I have applications to apply for discounted spay/neuter laser or scapel. If you are in the area I would be happy to forward the link to you. If not, check with your local rescues, shelters or vets they may know of some programs that provide low cost services or coupons. The one I know of has no income requirements however some do.

Oh my gosh... I have a cockalier too. They are the BEST dogs in the world. I think that the answer to your problems is to neuter your dog. Maybe you should teach your dog how to run on the treadmill, that will let him burn off excess energy without tiring yourself out.

As for Jagstarrr's comment, of course people get dogs just to "have" them. Why else would people get dogs if not to have them. People get dogs to enjoy the company of a pet. I do not believe that Hyper went out and got this dog just to say she had one. Am I right Hyper?

It sounds as if Hyper is doing the best she can by her dog by exercising him when she is not working. Saying that she should hire a dog walker when she already said she does not have the money at this time to neuter him is ridiculous.

Have fun with your Cockalier! We should get ours together for some play time at some point.

Hypermelis01, as I said, I am afraid there is something wrong with your dog. It is not going away by itself. While any dog would enjoy more walks, and I favor neutering as much as anybody, neither one will take care of the problem. I don't think any of have the time to spend with out dogs we would like. One compensation for giving up my dogs after they are a year old, is that I can have them with me much more of the time. I am old and crotchety, and may not go if I can't take my dog.

A month and a half is a little on the long side for it to be a female in season up wind. That sort of thing often has a big effect on an unneutered dog. Bushg knows more about finding low cost spay/neuter programs than I do. My puppies mostly don't cost me a cent. The dog guide school veterinarian staff does them after they start their training. I just have the hassles of intact dogs for their first year. I did pay to have the 2 puppies I raised for another program. I have to pay for their one year X-Ray too. But at least I get to see them.

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Originally Posted by labman

Hypermelis01, as I said, I am afraid there is something wrong with your dog. It is not going away by itself. While any dog would enjoy more walks,

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From the way I took it it is the owner not the dog that doesn't want more 'walks'
I think I am missing what the dogs symptoms are that something may be wrong other than he needs to learn to sleep through the night?

Hyper, try to engage him in a game of fetch before bedtime, it is a lot easier to throw a toy than walking.. esp. if you throw it in places hard for him to find... that way he use energy searching for it.. I play this with my hyper dog.
Also see that he doesn't take long naps in the evening. Be sure to take him out to potty right before bedtime.

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Originally Posted by N0help4u

From the way I took it it is the owner not the dog that doesn't want more 'walks'
I think I am missing what the dogs symptoms are that something may be wrong other than he needs to learn to sleep through the night?

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Everything Hypermelis01 has posted points to a dog with a physical problem. While I am all for more walks and other exercise not straining joints, I have said more than once, you can't train away a physical problem. I am not even sure a sustained, vigorous game of fetch is good for young joints.

I have had just a few 10 month old puppies. I regularly talk to other people that have had a number of 10 month olds. Waking up in the middle of the night is gone by 3 months. There was a good reason why an 8-9 month old dog suddenly started it.

I will be getting him fixed and to the vets as soon as I can. I do have to remind everyone that he doesn't do this every night. He's done it a handful amount of times, maybe 5 times. So it isn't all the time. And to 'NOhelp4you' I DO want to walk him!! I DO walk him!! So can you stop talking about the damn exercise? We have already stated that exercise is important, but it may not be the problem. He USUALLY gets enough exercise for his age/breed.

Some of you make this more dramatic then it needs to be.

You may be right. Five times in 45 nights? Maybe it is just something happening outside. Before I learned how to keep them from crying, my new puppies used to set the neighbors' dog to barking. I don't know if anybody connected the dogs barking to my puppy crying.