Is your puppy unable to sleep through the night? Here are some useful tips.
If you are thinking of adopting a puppy, it is likely that you are struck by an infinity of doubts. Don’t worry: it’s perfectly normal. This period of a dog’s life, in fact, is one of the most delicate and it is our task to be able to orient the animal and help it overcome its fears. In this article, we offer some tips to help your puppy sleep through the night.
Keep the puppy close to you
Dogs are social animals and, as a result, they prefer all family members to be together, especially during moments dedicated to rest. If we add the fact that the dog we have just adopted is still a puppy, the need for attachment is felt even more if possible.
Don’t let your puppy sleep alone all night. He will not be happy and will suffer, to the point that he could suffer trauma. If you do not want the dog to get on your bed, place its kennel next to your bed so that you can reach the animal with one hand.
Smell exercises to help your puppy sleep
Exercise (going out for a run, walking, playing with the ball) makes you tired, but at the same time produces eustress or positive stress. This type of stress is not at all negative, but it is similar to what we feel when we are about to embark on a journey that we have dreamed of for years: we would be nervous for a reason that is not negative, but which still prevents us from sleeping peacefully.
The same thing happens to a dog: physical activity can tire him, but at the same time activates different sleep-fighting hormones in the animal. What really exhausts a dog are the activities that exercise his sense of smell .
An idea could be to hide some food in a room of the house, having previously taught the dog the order: “Search”. If we are in the summer, we can introduce small pieces of appetizing food into a basin containing water, so that it can look for them.
On the other hand, the market offers us the possibility to buy a large number of useful toys to induce the dog to search for food using the sense of smell . In addition, games of this type help the animal to learn to manage frustration and are therefore ideal activities to encourage the development of good education in the dog.
A quiet place to help your puppy sleep
For both us and our dog, tranquility must reign in the place dedicated to rest. We must therefore keep away from noise and avoid sleeping with the television on or in the presence of bright lights.
Also, some dogs are afraid of the dark . In these situations, they can suffer from stress or anxiety. To help your puppy sleep through the night, you can turn on a small light with warm tones or low intensity, to allow the dog to see something without compromising his circadian rhythm.
Try to adapt to the dog’s natural circadian rhythm
The circadian rhythm is a set of physical, chemical and behavioral mechanisms that cause us to carry out our daily activities according to a certain rhythm. In the dog’s case, his hormone levels tell him that he must be active at sunrise and sunset. These are the best times to dedicate ourselves to playing games with our puppy.
They also represent the most suitable hours to give him food, an occasion in which we can avoid offering him food in a simple bowl: the ideal is to make getting them a challenge . For example, put his food in several plastic cups and then stack these cups. It is a fun way to eat.
Another example would be placing food in a box filled with old rags and newspaper. The dog will need some time to search for his food, he will feel more satisfied and will have overcome the frustration by realizing when the food is finished.
Our best weapon: patience
The puppy has just arrived at our house, and there are many changes that are causing him stress and fear. Ultimately, he is only a puppy, and we must accept the fact that he will cry and moan, forcing us to sleep less during the first month, until he has fully adapted.
