New dog wakes me up

So, I've got a new dog from the SPCA, 7 year old rott/husky mix, had a
really really good home last time, was in the shelter for a month. He's
great but for one issue... I can't sleep with him. Period. I have
insomnia and I can't sleep a wink unless I'm in a totally dark, totally
quiet room by myself.

I work at home so because of my insomnia I stay up late and sleep in
late, but my dog whines and scratches at my door earlier and earlier
each morning to come into my room, where he spends most of his day
because I also spend most of my day here. This is completely
unacceptable as a situation and I need to find a way to curb this
behavior. I'd like to be able to hang out with him in my room during the
day, I just have to kick him out at night. Should I start limiting the

\"The Tactician\" Luke Michaels...

I can't do it, I've tried, having insomnia... the conditions under which
I can sleep are very very picky and specific and I just can't sleep with
an animal in the room.

Kathleen...

You're going to be in serious trouble if you ever get married.

Can you sleep *without* an animal in the room?

How bad is your general sleep quality? There are specific problems that
can create sleep disorders and they are for the most part treatable. If
you're having serious sleep issues I would strongly advise mentioning it
to your doctor. Sleep is a huge quality of life issue.

Paula...

I would second that. I have several friends and acquaintances who
found out after going to sleep centers that what they thought was
light sleeping or insomnia was something very treatable. Some sleep
disorders can actually be life threatening. Better to get a good
workup from people who really know sleep disorders than risk even the
poor quality of life that insomnia causes.

As far as the dog goes, is there someone else in the house, in a
different room, who could sleep with the dog? The dog is going to
want to spend as much time with you as possible, especially sleep
time. Sometimes dogs are happy to sleep out of the bedroom, but most
often not. The more tired the dog is, the longer it will sleep at
night, if that helps.

shore...

Boy, I'll say.

I've always had serious sleep problems. At six years old I
had a prescription for sleeping pills, which was pretty much
unheard-of in 1962. When I travel I pick hotels in which I
know I can turn the fan on manually, to provide white noise
to mask other noises, and I take OTC sleep medications.

However, at home I sleep with seven dogs in my bedroom, with
varying numbers[*] actually on the bed with me, and it's not
a sleep problem. It wasn't always thus, but I find it
reassuring/calming to have the dogs around me and they've
actually become a sleep aid rather than a sleep hindrance.
Individual results may vary, of course, but I wouldn't
surrender to the inevitability dog-induced sleeplessness
without giving it a really, really good try.

[*] Having a somewhat empirical bent I've been testing the
hypothesis, "You can't have too many dogs on the bed." The
hypothesis turns out to be false: 6 dogs is definitely too
many, 5 dogs is manageable if the space is managed well (and
you can't rely on dogs to be good at jigsaw puzzles), but 4
dogs is just fine on a queen-sized bed.

amount of time he spends in here? Should I ignore him in the morning
when he scratches and whines?

showdogbark...

I have insomnia also. The best time to sleep is at night as you will be
following the natural light darkness internal clock for sleep. Either
change your habits or take the dog back, or let him in your room and
suffer the consequences, it is not fair to get a dog and expect it to
lead a life foreign to them. Like sleeping in the day and being up at
night, if you had wanted that you should have gotten a Mirema dog since
it is awake at nights.

showdogbark...

Maremmas are nocturnal because they were bred to protect animals like
sheep and chickens, and lamas recently to protect the animals form
predators. Who come and eat the animals. They have reduced the sheep

Mary Healey...

Proof, please. Of Maremmas being nocturnal, that is, not that they're

showdogbark...

"We use a Maremma to protect our sheep, goats, and free range
broilers. Guard dogs don't need much as far as shelter, they should
have at least an insulated dog house big enough for them to fit in,
although our dog spends most of its time sleeping outside in the rain
and snow and goes inside the barn went it is warm. Most guard dogs
will be fairly inactive
during the day time but you will see them guard /patrol all night. "
Taken from a breeder typical of a breeder of Maremma dogs. I googled

Mary Healey...

And who would that be, and how do I verify this?

Y'know, for someone who demands proof of the littlest things, you really
have an annoying tendency to quote unnamed and unknown sources.

Would this quote come from http://www.7mfarm.com/Dog%2Dhealth.html ?
And did you edit the quote without noting same?

The exact quote from that site is:
"We use a Maremma and an Anatolian Shepherd to protect our sheep, goats,
and free range broilers. etc.."

So, why didn't you mention the nocturnal qualities of the Anatolian?

Maremma dogs needs for sleep and came up with lots of breeders who said

Mary Healey...

Name six, or post the web addresses, please.

Handsome Jack Morrison...

You folks should know better.

ShowDogBuffoon is from Kootenay(!), where the average IQ is .097
Canadian.

Maremmas do just fine at night (unless, of course, the Maremmas in
Kootenay descend from the hyena and not the wolf), they even sleep
soundly at night.

"When a Maremma is allowed to sleep close to his humans during the
night, he may snooze so deeply that the trumpets of Jericho would not
bring him to his paws."

http://www.maremma-sheepdogs.co.uk/dogs/articles/answers.html

Some light sleeper, EH?

Maremmas probably adapt to what is expected of them. If there ain't
nothing to guard, etc., they probably adapt to their human's sleep
patterns as easily as any other dog would (well, except for those
Kootenay "Mareemas," who are descended from hyenas).

We have several ranches around here who have Maremmas. They're
wonderful dogs, but I'd never recommend to anyone that they make them
live indoors, or even that they make good pets (and certainly not for
the average family). About the *last* dog the OP, (the insomniac)
should ever consider is a Maremma (unless he's into spinning yarn).

What he probably needs to do is to work more on treating his insomnia,
or try getting the dog used to being alone a crate in the next room.
Depending on the dog, that could be pretty easy to do, or very hard.

Joke: Did you hear about the dyslexic insomniac agnostic? He used to
lie awake all night wondering if there really was a dog.

Sorry!

Sometimes I just can't help myself...

similar stuff.
I almost bought one once and I was in touch with the Maremma
association who warned me about their nocturnal habits.
My son worked in forestry where he would come across the sheep being
used to clean up the growth in between the trees and so the use of
brushing has been reduced, observed the Maremma dogs work and their
nighttime habits. Phone any Maremma breeder and they will tell you
about this peculiar trait. I spoke with at least ten breeders when I
was thinking of getting one, who all said the same thing about their
sleep.
Like most creatures I am pretty sure they can adapt, however it is not
natural to them. They sleep with the sheep in the day, and the sheep
think that the dog is also a sheep and then at night they guard.

showdogbark...

Show Dog Bark

livestock guardian dogs. Why Maremmas in particular, and not LGD in
general?

Mary Healey...

What's this when it's at home?

cut block deaths to almost zero. They work with the Border Collies who
work the sheep in the day and sleep at night and the Maremmas are awake
at night and keep the predators away.
Show Dog Bark

elegy...

eh, i used to work nights and sleep days. the dogs never caused a
problem, even when it came time to switch back over to a "normal"
schedule when i changed jobs. as long as they get enough exercise when
i'm awake, they're good about settling down when i go through the
"going to bed" motions.

Janet B...

Dogs adapt to owner time schedules. Are you speaking of the Maremma,
a sheep guardian breed? Hard to tell with your unique "knowledge" of
dogs.

Paula...

My dogs sleep a lot of the day. Are dogs different from humans in
their sleep blocks? Humans pretty much do the up for a block of time

Mary Healey...

I confess that the extent of my knowledge is the abstract of the cited
article and personal observation. But it doesn't surprise me in the least
that dogs sleep 10 or more hours a day; my dogs snooze through the night,
and nap during the day (in between bouts of scaring away trespassers,
snarfing up mulberries, swearing at small wildlife, and interacting with
me).

and then sleep for a block of time thing but most dogs seem to do off
and on sleeping throughout the day and night more.

Mary Healey...

Naps are wasted on dogs and the young.

Show Dog Bark