Let’s talk about morning routines – have one, but be adaptable

Pinot and I’s current morning routine happened because of an accident. 

I woke up and checked the time. I jolted up in my bed, it was 6:15am. 

Had Pinot actually slept for 7 hours? 

Then I noticed the crate door was ajar and panicked. 

Where was she? Was my white carpet still white? How did she get the crate open?

She was sound asleep on her teddy bear. The teddy bear that is at least 2x the size of her and whose legs are her favorite nap spot.

I quickly (and quietly) did a once over of my room. I was met with much relief that my carpet was in fact still white.

Her owl, which she usually used as a pillow in her crate, was next to my bed. My heart swelled; she had left her crate, brought her friend, and slept next to me before moving to her bear.

At first, Pinot slept from 11pm to 5am with no interruptions. Then she started waking up at 4am and each hour after that until I was ready to start the day. 

I got very acquainted with our sprinkler system during these pre-dawn bathroom trips.

A puppy needs a schedule to thrive. Or so says every training video, article, and discussion board. Determined to be a good dog Mama, I created a clear schedule for our entire day. And we stuck to it. For about a month.

And it worked, except for the mornings. Mornings were ruff. 

I’d wake to her cries, take her out, put her back in her crate. And repeat until it was daylight outside. After that last trip to the backyard, I’d bring her back upstairs and put her in the crate one last time so I could get dressed. Then we’d go downstairs for breakfast and our morning walk.

But by that last time, Pinot would be tired of the crate and ready to start the day. She’d cry and cry while I got ready for the day. 

I couldn’t let her ‘cry it out’ because I would be done getting ready before she’d be done and hiding in my closet until she settled was causing us both more agitation than necessary.

But then I accidently didn’t close the crate and learned that Pinot could last the night. 

She just wanted some mobility. And her bear, she really wanted her bear. 

She needed a new crate. A 36-inch crate is big, like fill the entire space between my nightstand and the side of my room big. But bear fit inside. For about two weeks.

But those two weeks were long enough for Pinot to learn that she didn’t need to wake up until 6am. A good first step in making mornings more enjoyable.

The agitation of being re-crated so I could get ready was solved when Pinot learned to jump. I also began letting her leave her crate at 6am to sleep more freely in my room (AKA on bear).

By around 6:30am I am greeted by two paws, her Doby ears, and those chocolate love-filled eyes in my face. I help her on my bed (even though she can make the jump herself, she still asks for my permission and assistance). She becomes the little spoon, tucking her body into mine and using my bicep as a pillow, until my face is covered with ‘Good Morning’ kisses around 7:15am.

I open to curtains, give her the teething binkie, and go get ready for the day. I brush my teeth and she stares at the world while getting her first chews of the day.

Yes, we have a routine, but our morning routine adapts (a lot).