Pooch and Mutt's expert trainer, Jon, is here to explore the best night-time routine for your puppy.
When it comes to winding your puppy down for a good night's sleep, getting them away from their toys and calming down is certainly easier said than done. Whilst puppies thrive on a good routine, it's advised to stick to a specially designed night-time approach to encourage sound sleeping for both you and your pup.
What's the best night-time routine for your puppy?
- Your puppy's night-time routine doesn’t start last thing at night, we need to be preparing a couple of hours before bed.
- The last meal of the day for puppy needs to be at least 2 hours before bedtime. This gives the puppy a chance to have an empty bowel overnight. If you want to do some training in the evening after work, then consider using a toy instead of food.
- Physical activity will not only wear your puppy out but also have them ready to go to the toilet afterwards, so be sure to include this as you wind down to the end of the day.
- Make sure your puppy has a comfortable and ambient place to sleep, preferably a crate or pen. It may help if you put a blanket over the crate or part of the pen.
- Once in their crate, your puppy may cry, but you have to resist going to them. They need to learn to self soothe and go to sleep on their own. Most puppies will give up and settle down in the first hour and that will get better incrementally.
- You don’t need to set an alarm to go and let your puppy out in the middle of the night. Your puppy will let you know if they need the toilet at night. You can use a baby monitor if that gives you peace of mind.
- However, if you need to get up and let your puppy out to toilet at night, make sure that is all business - no cuddles, love, affection or play as they will know exactly what to do to get your attention.
- In the morning you need to let your puppy straight out to the toilet. It’s a useful tip to make sure the crate or pen is near the door to that area.
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