Hungry all the time

so I am new to this forum and just need some help! Tuna our 6 yr old pug has started (well probably in the last 6-8 months) whining in the very early mornings to be fed. If we give in and feed her at 6 am the next morning she will wake up at 5am whining to be fed. Some times it starts as early as 3 am and she won't stop whining till she is fed. It is starting to take a toll on our sleep and is waking up our little girl, please can someone share any advice. How can we get her to not whine so early to be fed, I feel like we have tried everything. She sleeps in her kennel which is very comfortable so I know it's not a comfort factor! Pease help before I lose my mind!

I'm afraid I don't have any advice except to say that pugs are so much creatures of habit.  If you do something once you might get away with it but if you do it twice they expect it every time and they never forget.  Maybe eating a little later at night or a snack before bed might help?  Most pugs think they are hungry all the time so it might just be something she's getting used to.  Sorry I can't offer anything more helpful.

Pugs do seem to wake up at the crack of dawn and want to eat immediately! Other breeds will happily sleep in, but all over the world (from what I can tell from friends in Europe, Asia and Australia), pugs wake up at 5 a.m.

If you are sure she is comfortable, and doesn't have to go out, I'd suggest waiting her out. Once she realizes she isn't going to get fed when she whines, she may stop. When do you feed her? Does she only get one meal a day, or do you feed her in the morning and afternoon/evening. Perhaps feeding her a bit later in the evening might help her sleep later in the morning? I know our pug gets fed at 6:30 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. and that seems to be enough. When he wakes up, he wants to go out, pee, and stare at the cars going by. He eats after his walk, so he isn't asking for food first thing in the a.m.  Now, for the afternoon feeding, he'll start nudging my leg, barking at me and trying to herd me into the kitchen starting at about 3:30. He's already (over the past 2 years) moved his afternoon feeding back from 5:00 to 4:00 and it's not going to go any earlier, no matter how cute he looks or how pathetic a face he makes.

One last question - has Tuna's activity level changed at all lately? More walks, more running in the yard, different schedule? If she is getting more exercise, she might be burning more calories and actually feeling hungrier than previously.

They are truly master manipulators! Good luck...hope someone else here has some suggestions for you.

This may sound bad, but we crate our lilo in the morning because of this very reason. Stitch is fine, but lilo will jump of the bed run around the room, then lay on top of you until you get up and feed her. Crating her in the morning has helped us getting much needed sleep.