Can anyone help?
We have a 7month English Springer Spaniel called Dottie who has a scrabbling problem. She sleeps in the kitchen at night and scrabbles at the door in the morning to be let out. We get up at 6 so she can have her first wee etc but her scrabbling is getting earlier and earlier. As we are upstairs, if we come down to let her out, it feels like we are rewarding her for the scrabbling by doing as she wants ie coming down and letting her out.
I dont want to ignore it really in case she really does need a wee and she has done so well with her house training.
Plus the scrabbling wakes us up by which point we might as well get up anyway.
Any ideas???

Hi Caroline
Have you thought about getting a dog flap as this might solve your problem ( only if your garden is secure)
Carrie

Hi Carrie,
Unfortunately the kitchen leads into either the hall (and hence upstairs) or into the dining room and living room rather than the garden, otherwise it would be a good solution.
Maybe another dog gate at the hall end would work..we've got one at the dining room end as she learnt to push the door open at about 10 weeks!!!
Has anyone else got a scrabbler and tried a dog gate to stop it?

Hi and ooer

My dog actually scrabbles me when he needs out. Sometimes that is 2am or 6am or whatever. I just get up and let him out and then he sleeps til morning?

CG

Copper girl,
When we do go down and let her out, she usually will have a wee, but she gets so excited that that's it for the night. If I let her out, put her back to bed and then go back upstairs, she's scrabbling again as she knows that there is now life upstairs!
I let her out at 5 one morning, she ran round the garden like a banshee, came inside and did the wall of death a few times and didn't actually have a wee until I'd been standing in the garden whispering loudly at her to "be quick!" for about 20 mins.
Maybe we should just accept that she gets up much earlier than we do!
Sorry, I probably sound very negative with everyones advice, but I do really appreciate it!

You're not at all negative, just a doggie owner! - my circumstances are different in that my dog is older (4 yr) and that dare I say it (I'll get a row from some!) he sleeps with me! So when I get up and let him out, we both just go back to bed afterwards and he's quite happy till walkie time at 6am. I'm not sure I could do the pup thing. Pups are very difficult and my mum recently had to return a 7 month pup to the home because he was too much for her to deal with, although she tried really hard with him. If your dog is to live downstairs then I think you just have to ignore him/her and repaint the doors often.

CG

Had you thought about crate training her?

We considered this before we got her and decided against it (just personal choice though I know many people swear by it). Apart from the scrabbling we don't have any other problems with her in the house (apart from her obsession with kitchen towel, tissues and socks) so I would hesitate to change her living/sleeping arrangements.
If there doesn't seem to be another solution then I guess we'll think again though.
Thanks for your input, I hadn't thought of a crate as a solution :)

I would either block her off in an area away from the door or crate her. I am one of those people that swear by crate training but then agian my dogs crate is next to my bed. I find they sleep through the night faster and are more relaxed because they are with us.

Would you not consider letting it sleep in your room? It's possibly excited at seeing you that it doesn't want to be seperated from you again?
My dog sleeps with me *slap* and she won't get up till i do, and i know others who do the same and the dog just gets used to your routine.
A crate at the bottom of your bed or on the landing?

Sarah

You could try a child gate and leave the door open. She may still scrabble, but at least it wont damage your door.

This is a lot like the baby thing, somw will ahve baby in bed with them, some people have cot at bottom of their bed, or in the same room, others have baby in a nursery, and there is no right way as such, but what you are comfotable with.

What is important is consistency, so if pup comes to sleep in your room, be prepared for this to be long term or permanent.