Any tips for getting puppy to sleep longer

[Mary]

My 4 month old pup is waking up at anywhere from 3:00 to 4:30. But lately, it is more like waking up around 3. We take her out to potty and put her back in crate and she will only settle in for about 15 minutes and then she fusses and just will not settle. She ramps up the distress until we are clearly wide awake and many many minutes like half an hour and longer have gone by. She gets put to bed about 9 pm. We cannot possibly stay up any later. We are not getting enough sleep. She is falling asleep on her own about 8 pm before she gets put in crate. I believe she is getting enough enrichment and play etc. all of her meals are given in kongs, kibble balls, finding food games , etc. she has a couple training episodes a day, she plays outside, goes on sniff walks. We take her on short walks. One days she has puppy play and class she doesn’t seem to sleep longer and that playing and class really makes her tired as evidenced by her being overtired that night. She never has slept past say 5am. Even when I had to wake up and take her out at midnight ,she would only go back in crate once more time before she had had enough.  Any tips? Or do we just need her to get a little older? Also, how much walking exercise do you think is ok for her? She is a lab. I have read the 5 minute per month guideline but I see and know people who do more with their sporting breed dogs.

[Adrienne]

Hi Mary,

I can imagine how frustrating it must feel to have a puppy waking up that early and not wanting to go back to sleep! I have been there several times and the good news is that this tends to be a temporary problem. Fortunately, as the pup develops better bladder/bowel control, and therefore needs less potty breaks, there will be less disruptions in the sleep.

Just like human babies, pups may have a hard time falling asleep after awakening. And just as with human babies, us humans are often quite sleep deprived the first weeks or months we have them!

Here is what's likely happening: exposure to light likely disrupts your pup's patterns of sleep causing difficulty in falling asleep after waking up. On top of that, just the act of getting up and moving disrupts the sleep cycle. The heart rate will quicken and nervous system will become more active, both circumstances that are known for not being conducive to sleep. Not to mention that, exposure to anything that may catch your pup's attention as she's taken out to potty (like seeing toys or night-time critters), can be so stimulating that your pup struggles going right back to sleep. 

So here are a few tips that come to mind: 

-Try anticipating your pup. If you are a light sleeper and you know your pup moves around the crate when she needs to potty, take her out before she has a chance of whining. You want to keep her as much in a sleepy state as possible when you take her out. 

-Try taking your puppy out to potty without turning the lights on. You can keep night lights throughout the hallway to help you see. Of course, if you are worried about tripping, or have stairs, avoid this and possibly use a flashlight instead.

-When you take your puppy out to potty in the night, act matter of fact. No excited talking or play allowed. Just take her out, let her potty and then straight back inside.

-Avoid exposure to stimulating sights and sounds. Keep her toys out of sight and avoid taking your puppy to potty close to where there may be night-time critters or rabbit droppings.

-Keep the room your pup sleeps in dark. Use heavy curtains, blackout shades, or place a blanket over your pup's crate to avoid any light (even from the moon) from entering the room. Any lights may act as a powerful cue that tells your pup's brain that it's time to wake up.

-Keep some white noise on. White noise (TV or radio on) can help so the puppy doesn't feel lonely or wakes up to external noises. The white noise sounds may keep the pup from hearing birds, the heating coming on or neighbors driving early to work which may act as a wake-up call.

-Provide your young puppy with a Snuggle Puppy behavioral aid. This stuffed animal not only provides warmth but also produces a ticking sound that mimics mother dog's heartbeat, helping young pups feel comfy and more relaxed.

-Keep your puppy awake and prevent too much napping in the evening. Just as it happens with us, your pup's pressure to sleep builds up every waking hour. The longer your pup is awake, the stronger the drive to sleep becomes. You can therefore distract your puppy with some training, brain games (or maybe even a car ride) so that she no longer naps too much in the evenings. Avoid over the top play though close to bedtime as that may have the opposite effect.

-Keep your puppy on leash when you take her to potty in the yard. This is to avoid your puppy having too much fun, running amok around in the yard, possibly trying to chase night-time critters. Exercise may activate the alerting mechanism in the brain, making it more difficult for your pup to fall asleep.

-Ask your vet if limiting water intake can help. Some puppy owners have success limiting water a few hours in the evening prior to bedtime to reduce the number of trips outside. 

-Some pups come to associate being taken out of the crate and peeing outside with breakfast. To break this possible association, in the morning, avoid serving your pup breakfast right away after going potty in the yard to prevent your pup from chaining together "wake up and pee with FOOD!!" therefore leading to a puppy who wakes up early in hopes of peeing and then expecting breakfast.

About the exercise, I am no longer very fond of these general 5 minute per month rules as there are many factors to consider. For instance, the type of exercise, the surface where the puppy is exercised, the breed, whether the pup comes from a breeder who breeds for field work or just for companionship etc. At 4 months, you pup's growth plates haven't closed yet, so we need to be careful in avoiding any type of high-impact activities or prolonged exercise on hard surfaces such as repeatedly jumping to catch a frisbee, jogging on concrete and hurdling over obstacles at full speed and with leg twisting movements. I think your best bet would be to ask your vet based on your pup's conformation, but you can never really go wrong in providing mental stimulation (brain games! puzzle games and clicker training) which often turns out being more tiring itself as well. 

I hope this helps,

Let me know if you have any other questions,

Best,

Adrienne

 

 

[Mary]

Thanks! We already do most of the above already, sounds like we just need to give it more time to sort itself out. 

[Adrienne]

You are very welcome! Let me know if you need any further assistance. 

Best,

Adrienne