How to train a puppy to sleep at night?

Why does a dog sleep poorly?

Typically, dogs need an average of about 12-14 hours a day to get enough sleep. Large breeds, such as St. Bernards, do not wake up during the night. They can sleep soundly even during the day. Yorkshire terriers also love to nap. If the house is warm and quiet, the dog goes to its bed. Daytime naps can last from 20 minutes to a couple of hours. More active pets, in particular the Jack Russell Terrier, prefer to rest in fits and starts. Their sleep is short, but more frequent.

The dog is resting

It happens that the puppy stays awake at night, whines, howls, and wakes up the owners. The most common reasons for this behavior are a sedentary lifestyle, when the dog is not walked much during the day or is not taken outside at all, as well as stress. Pets' sleep may be disturbed when there is frost or a sharp rise in air temperature.

Weather

Dogs are sensitive to weather changes. If your pet can't sleep, he may be feeling a thunderstorm coming. It is believed that animals sense air vibrations, so they react to thunder before humans can hear them. Dogs' behavior changes when blood pressure drops, which usually occurs before precipitation.

Stress

If a puppy is taken away from his family, he will first miss his brothers, sisters and mother. The pet will walk around the house looking for them, may refuse to eat, and whine. For example, French bulldogs are sensitive to separation from their family; it is difficult for them to be alone. But dogs tend to adapt quickly if they are given due attention, taken care of, and educated.

There is nothing wrong with the dog feeling homesick for the first week or two. There is no need to put pressure on him, it is better to show understanding and patience. If he whines in the evening, ignore him and spend a lot of time with him during the daytime.

The dog is whining

Note! It is not recommended to separate the puppy from its mother before 2 months. Experienced breeders will never give a pet to new owners until it is 8 weeks old.

Here we will talk about how to train your puppy to sleep at night.

Taking home a puppy is akin to bringing a newborn baby home from the hospital.
He has yet to be taught literally everything in order to be introduced into our big and sometimes cruel world. The puppy does not know where the toilet is in your house, he does not know how to obey your orders. And, as with a nursing baby, your and your pet's sleep schedules can vary greatly. How to make your puppy learn to sleep peacefully throughout the night? At what age should a puppy be to start training? From eight weeks of age onwards, puppies begin to adapt to the schedules and flow of life of the people with whom they live. The optimal age should be considered the age of twelve weeks, when puppies are usually transferred from breeders to new owners. This is a certain turning point when training can become most effective until the puppies are completely accustomed to their new home.

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Feeding and drinking regimen. The puppy should be fed three hours before his expected bedtime to give him time to digest the food and go to the toilet. Feeding your puppy later automatically means that he will have to be taken to the toilet in the middle of the night.

Also, the puppy should be taught to drink a maximum of two hours before bedtime. It is even advisable to develop the habit of not drinking a lot before bed; it is better to pee once and then not get up again.

Getting ready to go to bed. Methodically teach your puppy to do all his chores before bed, each time rewarding him for the learned hygiene procedures. Gradually let him understand every night before bed: baby, this is your last chance! You'll have to wait until the morning! Now or just in the morning!

Don’t be alarmed, puppies quickly get used to this way of asking the question and are great at learning to defecate before bed. They understand everything!

A tired puppy is a sleepy puppy! We hope you understand perfectly well: if the puppy is cheerful and full of energy before bed, it is unlikely that you will be able to put him to sleep peacefully. If possible, use the evening time for active games that require a lot of energy and walks. Let your puppy unleash all his strength!

Where you sleep matters. The place you choose for your puppy to sleep and rest should evoke only positive emotions in him. It should be warm, comfortable and close to those parts of the house that the puppy likes. It is allowed to place next to the small pet some thing or toy that is dear to him. You can leave the radio on at minimum volume. Before going to bed, try to pet and calm your baby!

It is important that your pet’s sleeping place does not have any additional functions, such as a place for punishment for disobedience. This situation will lead to additional stress. The kid will definitely decide that he is being punished.

No need to whine! During the first week of your puppy being at home, he may start crying or whining pitifully before going to bed. This happens because the baby has a hard time being separated from the family and is used to sleeping with his mother and brothers and sisters. The main advice: do not get along with your pet, do not try to replace his mother: you risk teaching a dangerous pattern of behavior into a small puppy for life.

If your puppy cries or whines, leave him alone anyway. Allow a reasonable amount of time, long enough for him to calm down without your help. If crying continues for a long time, give the command “No” and do not condone such behavior under any circumstances. Try to somehow distract his attention, stay nearby, but do not cajole the puppy: otherwise he will remember that only crying and whining can achieve certain results.

Do you know how long dogs sleep? We all know that the average time for healthy sleep for a person is 8 hours. Is there such an indicator of sleep duration for animals? Let's figure this out.

The amount of time a pet spends in the power of Morpheus depends on many factors. A dog is a social animal. It completely adapts to the daily routine of its owner. As a rule, an adult animal will sleep as long as its owner sleeps. Although some little tails (for example, like our “shin-bottomed” Dzhekushka) do everything in order to wake up everyone in the household in the morning. You can read how he does this in the article:.

Even very little time is devoted to bowel movements as the dam stimulates the newborn puppy to eliminate. A newborn Chihuahua will sleep anywhere from 20 to 23 hours a day. They usually just wake up to see the nurse and this happens about every 2 hours.

A Chihuahua puppy's long-term sleeping habits will begin to change noticeably around the 3-week mark. At this time, the puppy learns to walk, the eyes are fully open, and the ability to hear is functional. This is a time of great curiosity and exploration as the puppy may be traveling from the dam.

On average, an adult animal sleeps about 12-15 hours a day. But this indicator is individual for animals and depends on many factors.

It would seem natural that you need to sleep at night. However, a tiny creature, who is several months old, does not know this yet, does not know when it is night, when it is day, what is possible and what is not. Be patient and analyze your new friend's behavior.

If in your home:

The puppy whines at night;
Wanders around and makes noise with objects;
Trying to get into your room or bed;

- The reasons for such behavior may be different.

Perhaps the puppy was torn away from his mother too early, and at night he is trying to find her and provide himself with a safe place to stay. In this case, whining is typical, or even the puppy barks at night, trying to call his mother. To solve this problem, arrange a soft and warm place for your pet to sleep, with bumpers and pillows, so that he feels safe and has somewhere to hide. In some cases, you can even place a warm heating pad wrapped in a soft blanket in the bed to recreate the full presence of the mother.
The baby could confuse day and night. This means that he was allowed to sleep throughout the daylight hours, and he was full of strength and energy at night. It is in this case that the four-legged miracle will wander, mischief and look for adventures. To avoid such confusion, show the differences between day and night with your activity. During the day and especially in the evening, play actively with your pet, wake him up if necessary, go for a walk with him, invite him to run, jump, do everything you can so that by night he only has the strength to sleep. An important point, make sure that the puppy went to the toilet before going to bed, otherwise everything would be in vain and the baby will wake up and call the owner, or in the morning you will have a little surprise from a tired friend.
Something may be bothering your pet. A sharp noise, constant rustling, the whistling of the wind in a through window, all this can lead to the puppy waking up the owner at night and calling him for help, showing his vigilance. In this case, you cannot scold or punish your pet; you should praise him, and during the day you can eliminate the cause of the dog’s anxiety and ensure a restful sleep for everyone.
If your puppy is a born guard, then it is vital for him to be able to walk around the entire protected area and check all household members even at night. In this case, closed interior doors become the cause of barking, grinding and all sorts of attempts to get into an inaccessible corner. Try to leave your puppy free access to all rooms, including the bedroom. Most likely, after checking the sleep of all family members, the dog will calm down and go to sleep.
The dog's activity can also be explained by the restless sleep of the owner or household members. The puppy hears someone waking up and runs to play with the awake family member. In this case, it is important that everyone who wakes up at night to drink, go to the toilet, check the car or for other minute matters does not pay attention to the puppy, but does only what they woke up for. So the dog will soon understand that at night any adventures of people are not connected with him, and there is no need to get up. In principle, complete ignorance, no need to call the puppy’s name, stroke it, lean towards it, or at least somehow show your interest. If you need to move it out of your way, do it lightly with your foot, or step over it. You stretch out your hands to him and that’s it, he will decide that they saw him, heard him, are ready to caress him and will no longer sleep peacefully.
If a pet is lonely, it may also not sleep at night. This reason can only be eliminated by your active position. During the day, do not spare your emotions, pet the puppy, play with him and spend more time. At night, you can place your pet’s bed near the bed and extend your hand to it, so it will feel your presence at night. Over time, you will be able to move the couch further and further from the bed to your permanent place of stay.

We suggest you read: How to name a Pekingese (boy or girl): list of names
Thus, the recipe for a healthy night's sleep for a puppy and its owners is simple: love and treat your new four-legged friend with all the attention and care, and he will more than compensate you for it!

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One of the most important reasons is that he misses his mother. Until recently, he slept under her warm side and did not worry about anything. And now he has to sleep alone on a cold mat. No matter how cruel it may sound, it will pass. Usually after 4-6 days the baby gets used to the new environment - this is normal.
Sometimes your puppy may whine because his stomach hurts. This can be caused by overeating. If, after weaning from mother’s milk, you immediately started feeding him “adult” food, the baby’s body might not be ready for this. The transition from milk to solid foods should be gradual. And if you have separated your baby from breast milk, feed him cow's milk from a nipple for the first time.
Sometimes a puppy cries because he is scared. Avoid harsh sounds at night, talk to him gently, calm him down.

Resting place for a puppy

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The puppy's place for sleeping should be something he likes. He will not want to spend time in it if it causes negative emotions. You should not send your puppy to his corner to rest as a punishment.

How to painlessly put your puppy to sleep in his designated place:

Place the pet's rug or house so that it is not disturbed by a draft or the light of a lamp or street lamp. For small dogs - Yorkies and Chihuahuas, you can take a lounger. They come in different shapes and sizes, with and without sides.
Create convenience and comfort. The dog should be warm and soft.
You shouldn’t forbid your dog to take his favorite toys with him.

Perhaps the pet does not like the chosen place. If it is located in the corridor, and the dog is eager to go to the master bedroom, you can arrange a corner for him in the room where the owner rests.

How does bed training work?

It is ideal to start training in childhood. After a hearty meal and active play, the puppy will begin to look for a place to sleep, as soon as you notice this, put him on the bed and say “place”. Of course, the little prankster will run away, but you must be persistent and repeat your actions several times. Pet the baby and calm him down.

You need to remember that the dog's area should be his personal space. This is where your pet should spend time resting, and you should not use the bed for any other purpose.

If you need to train an adult dog, it will be easier to do this with an animal that understands the “place” command.

You can also use various treats to attract your pet. Under no circumstances should training be carried out using violence. If the animal categorically refuses to sleep in the designated place, perhaps you have chosen the wrong place, or he does not like the design or material of the product.

Before bed rituals

What to do if your puppy doesn’t let you sleep at night:

Walk your pet daily, including before bed. The dog must get tired and spend the accumulated energy, only then will its rest be complete.
Feed the dog for the last time 3 hours before going to bed, give water two hours before.
Make sure the puppy goes to the toilet. Otherwise his sleep will be disturbed.
If an animal begins to whine, attracting the owner’s attention, you should not encourage this by feeling sorry for him. This kind of thing needs to be stopped immediately. If the pet receives affection from the owner, he will want to return to similar behavior next time. It's best to ignore the whining. You can use a deny command.

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The dog quickly gets used to the regime if the owner adheres to it.

Note! The pet usually goes to bed with the owner. When nothing bothers him, he is well-fed, healthy, and has spent the day actively, then his rest will be long. A tired dog will sit on a separate rug and relax.

the change of night and day

In general, until the age of 4 months, a puppy can spend up to 16 hours a day sleeping. Another question is when do these hours pass for him? Very often, the baby sleeps during the day without his hind legs, and when it gets dark, he shows unprecedented activity.

What to do in this case? Waking a dog's child during the day. This is especially true in the evening. Do not even let the animal nap after 18.00. Play with him, walk him, feed him, distract him. In a word, do whatever you want, but don’t let the baby fall asleep. Then, by the time the puppy goes to sleep at night, he will be so exhausted and tired that he will only sleep at night. He will definitely have no time for adventures.

Advice. Be sure to make sure your puppy goes to the toilet before going to bed. Or he will wake up in the middle of the night to relieve his natural needs, and then walks and games with the owner are just a stone's throw away.

What positions do dogs sleep in?

Pets prefer to sleep in different positions: on their stomach, back or side. Street animals usually curl up. This way the heat stays longer and the dog doesn’t freeze, and it also takes little time to get up on its paws. Stray dogs usually do not feel safe, so they do not take relaxed positions.

On the stomach

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Watchdogs love to sleep on their stomachs. If they hear a suspicious noise or rustle, they will rise up in a second to take action. Such dogs are always on the alert, ready to stand up for the owner and protect property.

On the side

Lying on your side is not very comfortable. But in this position the animal can fall asleep soundly. Often, owners notice how the pet twitches its paws, as if running away from being chased. The muscles in this position are not completely relaxed; the dog will instantly wake up if he senses something is wrong.

On the back

In the supine position, the dog is as relaxed as possible. Only pets who feel completely safe sleep this way. They know that they are not in danger and their owner will protect them at any time.

Note! Dogs lie on their backs during hot weather. This way, heat leaves the surface of the body faster; on the belly, the fur is usually not as long and thick as in other places.

Where to place a dog bed in an apartment

A dog bed is a place where a dog should feel safe. The dog's place should be located so that, on the one hand, it is a secluded corner of the apartment, away from the paths of frequent movement of household members. At the same time, most dogs feel uncomfortable if they cannot observe what is happening in the apartment, so position the bed so as to provide the pet with the necessary visibility. To ensure that your pet does not suffer from drafts, the dog bed should be located at a height of approximately 8 cm from the floor. Under no circumstances should you place the dog’s “place” near radiators, electrical appliances, at the front door or next to the balcony. To avoid the dog “occupying” sofas and armchairs, it is sometimes necessary to place a dog bed in each room.

Ways to adjust biorhythms

Anyone who decides to get a dog must understand that the daily routine will have to be adjusted to the animal. You need to walk your pet in the morning and evening; it’s good if he spends at least half an hour outside. Active animals require dog games, physical activity, and training every day. Do not forget about proper nutrition, which is also carried out according to a schedule. Only if all the rules are followed will the dog have a sound and healthy sleep; he will not wake up his owners by barking and whining.

How to put a dog to sleep, what to do to establish the animal’s routine:

Do not leave your pet alone for a long time. If he sees his owner only in the evenings, then he strives to spend more time with him, flirting and forgetting about sleep.
Go to bed at the same time as your pet. When the owner is awake, the dog will not want to go to his place. If you sit up until the morning several times, it will be difficult to switch your dog to a different mode.
Play actively with the dog during the day, preferably in the fresh air. People who prefer to lead a quiet lifestyle and do not like walking are not recommended to have active pets.