We have a 15-week-old male Brussels Griffon. He has a playpen with his little crate inside. During the day, he’s great — he happily goes into the crate on his own to nap or hang out with a Kong or toy. He’ll take 2–3 hour naps in there multiple times a day.
He’s an active pup. We live downtown, so he goes on short walks, and we also do:
1x weekly puppy social 1x private training session 1x group training session
We both WFH. Everyday we play fetch, do puzzle feeders or training games, and sometimes he just chills on our lap with a no-hide chew. In the evening, after his zoomies, he’ll often put himself to bed or crash with us on the sofa. Bedtime is usually between 7–10pm, depending on how the previous night went.
He’s eating, drinking, and going potty regularly although imperfectly on the latter. I think we’re doing all the right things while also trying to live normal human lives.
But… after about 3–4 hours of sleep, he wakes up in his covered crate (with white noise on) and decides it’s PARTY TIME. Even if he goes potty, he’s fully awake and ready to play.
Here’s what I’ve tried:
Quick potty break, back in crate → cries Let him sit with me with a chewy, then back in crate → cries Let him fall asleep on the sofa, move him to crate → cries Frozen Kong in the crate → eats it, then cries Meal in the crate → finishes, then cries Bring him to bed → climbs on our faces (no one sleeps 😅)
No “cry it out method” suggestions please. Otherwise mods will delete this and I won’t get any useful advice.
What do I do?! I’m losing it during those 2–4am hours, (honestly I don’t even know what time it is but it is 3-4 hours after he goes down for the night) — I know he’s still a baby, but I’d love advice from anyone who’s been through this and survived.
submitted by /u/Sad-Step-3708
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