Need Some Tips—Morning Barking Problems

[Oak]

My labradoodle is about six months old now and I've been overwhelmingly happy with him. He's very friendly, smart, and loves people. However, I'm having some trouble with some day-to-day issues.

Every morning at about 6:00 a.m.—or some days even earlier—he wakes up in his crate, realizes where he is, and starts a tirade of what you may call barking-whining-howling. This will go on non-stop for over an hour if allowed.

I've read that you should wait to approach them in their crate until they've stopped barking so you don't reinforce the behavior. Unfortunately, he doesn't stop...at least not until he hears me coming toward him. I'll then bring him outside and he'll just stand there as if it's "stop and smell the roses" time. So...I know he doesn't just urgently have to go potty in the morning as once we get outside it's definitely not on his mind.

I'm not sure what to do anymore and I'm getting pretty frustrated. I've tried to wear him out at night with walks and play time but this doesn't help. Any tips or advice would be greatly appreciated!

[KingstonTodd]

A few questions that might help come up with a solution for you. What is your evening routine like? What time is he crated? For how long? Any activity in the evening? What happens if you do a 5 min pee break in the am and go back in the crate until you want to get up? have you tried covering the crate with a blanket? Is the room dark or is the sun waking him up? Is the crate in your room or elsewhere?

[Oak]

Originally Posted by KingstonTodd

A few questions that might help come up with a solution for you. What is your evening routine like? What time is he crated? For how long? Any activity in the evening? What happens if you do a 5 min pee break in the am and go back in the crate until you want to get up? have you tried covering the crate with a blanket? Is the room dark or is the sun waking him up? Is the crate in your room or elsewhere?

We usually get home from work, bring him for a bit of a walk, feed him, bring him for another walk (a few miles) and try to squeeze some playtime in too. We spend quite a bit of time outdoors and he is usually with us.

He's usually crated between 11-11:30 when we go to bed. We get up on weekdays around 6:30.

I've tried the 5 minute pee break in the morning when he's barking, but after putting him back in the crate he starts up again which leads me to think that it's more about him wanting social time than anything else.

I haven't tried putting a blanket over his crate yet. The room he is in has small windows, but does let the morning light in.

His crate is located elsewhere in the house.

[deepnite10]

i think im one of only a few that does nt believe in crating..

the dog begins to understand his new home and its borders..and after spending what he deems a long time in his crate, he want s out..dogs have a strong instinct to roam and check the borders of his home..and i see the barking as a request to let him do what he was born to do..

instincts are very strong..and when they re fullfiled you ll have a happy dog, not just a satisfied one..and happy dogs are more easily train d ..
in this case, to be more patient..

[KingstonTodd]

Sounds like your routine is great. The next step for me would be to move the crate to the bedroom, if possible, so a "hush hush" verbally would help him stay quiet in the morning. Maybe he is just lonely? Labradoodles are very social dogs.