Why does my dog wait for me to wake up?

If your dog waits for you to wake up, this post will show you likely reasons why and what you can do about them.

So, why does my dog wait for me to wake up? Likely reasons why your dog waits for you to wake up are that it is hungry, it wants to pee or poo, or separation anxiety.

There are a number of possible reasons why your dog waits for you to wake up and it might be due to a combination of them. However, there are some things you can do about it and there are things you can consider to help in figuring out the main cause.

Why does my dog wait for me to wake up?

Below are some options you have when dealing with the behavior.

Hunger

If your dog waits for you to wake up in the morning, the cause is most likely to be that it is waiting for you to feed it. This would be more likely if it immediately wants you to feed it when you first see it and if it does not give you as much attention after.

It wants something from you

The cause might also be that it wants something else from you such as to be walked or for you to let it outside to pee or poo.

Separation anxiety

It could also be the case that your dog has some separation anxiety. This would be more likely if it does not sleep in the same room as you and if it tends to start getting anxious when you are leaving it to go to bed.

Something else causing it to be anxious

It could also be the case that something else has been causing it to be anxious such as a problem with the room it stays in or another pet that it does not like being around.

Things to consider

Below are some things to consider to help figure out the main reason why your dog has been doing it.

If your dog has always waited for you to wake up

If your dog has not always waited for you to wake up, it would help to consider what else happened when your dog first started doing it. If it started doing it suddenly, it could be due to things such as a change in the time you get up or because you started making it stay in a different room.

What is different when your dog does not wait for you to wake up

If your dog does not always wait for you to wake up, it would also help to consider what is different when it does it. For example, if it only does it on the weekend, it is likely that your dog is expecting you to get up and feed it at the same time you do during the week.

What to do about your dog waiting for you to wake up

Below are some things you can do about it.

Feed it sooner

If your dog has been doing it on the weekend, one option would be to quickly feed it at around the same time you normally do during the week so that it can eat at the same time it is expecting to.

Limit reasons why it might be anxious

It would also help to limit reasons why it might be anxious when it is without you. Ways to do so could include making sure to let it outside to pee or poo before bed, and to make sure the room it stays in is not too loud, bright and that there is a spot for it to lie down in.

Let it do it

If it seems like your dog is doing it because it is waiting for you to feed it, another option would be to continue letting it wait and to feed it when you would normally get up.