Shhhh! Puppy Sleeping–Finally!
Is your puppy sleeping through the night yet? Remember your excitement when you decided to get a puppy! Researching the breed, picking it out, bringing it home. Then you got your new puppy…sleeping much lately? With all the loss of sleep, you might as well have a child! Which begs the ultimate question, when will my puppy sleep through the night?
Just like babies, most puppies can’t sleep through the night the first few days–or, possibly, weeks of coming to a new home. Much of whether it takes a few days or a few weeks for your puppy to settle in is up to you. If you use proper techniques and training, your puppy will be sleeping through the night before you know it!
About six years ago, I brought Wrigley, my Golden Retriever, home at 8 weeks of age. At the “golden” advice of his breeder, I dutifully put him in his wire crate with comfy bedding and a toy and went upstairs to bed. Did he whine? Oh yeah, but only for about 10 minutes and he was out like a light. My breeder told me in no uncertain terms that if I gave in to my sweet puppy’s whining and ran to his rescue with cuddles and treats, I’d regret it for weeks to come. I value my sleep too much for that, so after about four nights of ignoring 10-15 minutes of puppy whining, he began sleeping through the night like a champ (not including one or two nightly potty breaks until he was about 12 weeks old)!
Here are a few tips to help your puppy sleep through the night:
Restrict your puppy’s water intake 2 hours prior to bedtime. Your puppy just doesn’t have a large enough bladder to hold very much water for an extended period of time until about 12-13 weeks of age. If you allow the puppy to drink freely throughout the night, it will go the bathroom throughout the night, keeping you up.
Ignore the crying. Like most puppies, he will probably whine and cry during the night. For the first few nights for sure. It can mean few things, 1) time to potty, 2) time to play, or 3) they are lonely. It’s hard to know the difference at first. If your puppy is brand new and just left his litter mates, it’s likely that he’s lonely. It may be difficult, but it’s best to start your puppy out sleeping where you intend for him to sleep permanently–and I recommend it not be in your bedroom. If you let the puppy sleep in your bedroom in the beginning, it’ll be difficult to move him to another room later on. There’s a wonderful product called “Snuggle Puppy” that is actually heated and will help your puppy feel as if he’s still with his littermates until he settles into his new home. Once you get your puppy into a routine, the reason for this whining will cease.
You can train your puppy to sleep. If your puppy wants to play, and you come give him attention every time he whines, then the puppy has just trained you. You will have to put your foot down and ignore the puppies whining, that way it will learn to calm itself down and learn that nighttime is sleep time.
The whining may mean that it’s time for a potty break. Your puppy will need nightly potty breaks until he’s around 12-14 weeks old. In the beginning, it’s wise to set your alarm to take him out every couple of hours. You’ll eventually learn his potty patterns and can adjust how often you get up to take him out accordingly. And if you have a partner in your puppy raising, you can alternate “potty duty”, so you can get some sleep.
When you get up to take your puppy to potty, make sure he knows it’s all business and no play. No cuddling and little talk except to say “go potty”, or whatever command you decide to use, and “back to bed”. No rough-housing or playing afterward, it’s right back to bed.
As with any training, it’s important to be firm and consistent. With these steps, you and your puppy will be sleeping through the night in no time flat!
