Dog Help--Waking up at 4-5 AM

[elletr13]

My husband and I took in this stray dog that wandered across our yard almost 2 weeks ago (Y'all, this is dog number FIVE we've rescued and attempted to return home...we're 3/5 on returning to rightful owners). He's a giant 80lb sweet baby. He's clearly someone's pet--healthy coat, short nails, spotless teeth. He wasn't wearing a collar and wasn't chipped. We've posted all over the major social media outlets, emailed a dozen or so area vets and filed found reports with local shelters. We've hung 30+ signs in the area. Nothing. No one is looking for him, no one recognizes him. I can't believe it. He's also not fixed.

So he's been hanging out with us and things are going just fine. He gets along with our dog. I don't know that we're going to keep him (mostly because of the logistics of having 2 dogs, not because of the dog himself), but if we need to rehome him, my first attempt will be to my parents, who just lost our lab in May. 

Anyways, he's been doing fine. House trained and well-behaved. Very little destruction for a young (I think he's 2, max) lab! The only issue is that he has been waking up the last few nights around 4-5 AM and will NOT go lay down and go back to sleep. He sleeps on one of our dog beds next to our dog. He'll pace around the room and whine/cry. We've let him out for the bathroom and he doesn't seem to need to go. My husband managed to get him down for another hour this morning when he got up at 4:15...we still had to put him in the yard around 5:30 so we could get a little more sleep! He doesn't seem to be in pain and when we're all up and awake, he's totally fine. I will say that given the current heat wave in Memphis, we haven't been exercising the dogs like we should. It is just too hot for them.

Any suggestions? Here's a puppy picture to thank you for your time....can you believe no one is looking for him? I'd be beside myself.

[juliachild]

My dogs wake us up at 6 every morning to get fed. He may be used to an early feeding schedule.

[FastHands]

Poor poohbear. I wonder if he's just used to that schedule from wherever he was before? That's my first guess, anyway.

[elletr13]

Jul 27, 2015 12:35:23 GMT -5 juliachild said:

My dogs wake us up at 6 every morning to get fed. He may be used to an early feeding schedule.

That is possible. The first few days we had him, though, we didn't have this issue? Although he is VERY food motivated. I open the food bin and he goes bananas.

[FastHands]

Jul 27, 2015 12:36:54 GMT -5 elletr13 said:

Jul 27, 2015 12:35:23 GMT -5 juliachild said:

My dogs wake us up at 6 every morning to get fed. He may be used to an early feeding schedule.

That is possible. The first few days we had him, though, we didn't have this issue? Although he is VERY food motivated. I open the food bin and he goes bananas.

It's possible the stress of being out on his own and then in a new environment just wiped the poor kid out.

[prettyinpearls]

I agree, it could be a feeding schedule. My dog will wake me up at 5:00 like clockwork on the weekends to be fed and let out because that's what time I get up during the week. If she doesn't wake me up, H's asshole cat will rattle our wood blinds or flip the light switch to turn the ceiling fan off so I'll get up. He's kind of a jerk.

Beautiful boy you have there, I can't believe nobody is missing him!

[elletr13]

Thanks--we'll try feeding him a little and see if that calms him.

2nd question...any opinions on how long we should wait before rehoming? I want to take him to the vet to get fully checked (he looks healthy, but just to make sure). I also don't want to spend the money to have him fixed, have the owner appear in a month or so and they're pissed we had him neutered.

[Deleted]

Jul 27, 2015 12:35:23 GMT -5 juliachild said:

My dogs wake us up at 6 every morning to get fed. He may be used to an early feeding schedule.

Ditto. one of my dogs acts like he hasn't ever eaten in his entire life by 6 in the morning. Asshole. Time unfortunately hasn't made it better, even moving his dinner time. ETA: although if we feed him, he will go back to bed. 

What a cutie though! I love black labs. <3

[VeryViolet]

Jul 27, 2015 12:48:53 GMT -5 elletr13 said:

Thanks--we'll try feeding him a little and see if that calms him.

2nd question...any opinions on how long we should wait before rehoming? I want to take him to the vet to get fully checked (he looks healthy, but just to make sure). I also don't want to spend the money to have him fixed, have the owner appear in a month or so and they're pissed we had him neutered.

Look into area low cost neuter clinics. A lot of places have them for dogs that were adopted (I know this is a little different but I am sure it still applies).

I am a dick but as long as it wasn't illegal I would rather have a neutered dog and pissed owner than an unfixed dog going back to a house with an owner who isn't responsible enough to neuter or you know look really hard for their dog. 

[elletr13]

I emailed a dozen or so vets when we first found him to see if they recognized him. There is a discount spay/neuter group we used on the last dog we found (we had her vetted before we placed her with a rescue). I was more concerned about any legal issues should the owner show up, so I'll check that. I have no issue paying for it. I'm really hoping my dad takes him! Even though he'd be 6 hours away, we could still see him.

This morning he got up at 4:30 and we just let him out of the bedroom. That seemed to satisfy him...we didn't hear a peep until my alarm went off. We noticed when he was waking up, he'd lay by the door, so we thought maybe he is just used to wandering the house at night.

[hamster]

We found that our dog generally just gets uncomfortable when he sleeps in one spot for x amount of hours. Eliminating the crate really helped, but he will sleep in for a long time if you let him up on the bed around 5. You should just do that

[elletr13]

Jul 28, 2015 13:39:03 GMT -5 hamster said:

We found that our dog generally just gets uncomfortable when he sleeps in one spot for x amount of hours. Eliminating the crate really helped, but he will sleep in for a long time if you let him up on the bed around 5. You should just do that

Omg, then our 60 lb lab/pit mix would have to join too. That's almost 150 lbs of dog...a whole other person, ha!