Robin and I were over in Kennesaw yesterday enjoying a quiet and leisurely lunch. The local cafe we visit makes a really good egg salad sandwich that is well worth the drive from Dawsonville. Well, as we were about halfway through our yummy sandwiches, the person at the next table leaned back and said, “I don’t mean to intrude, but I see from your shirts that you are dog trainers”. We said “Yes” and asked if he had any doggie questions. We told him that we love dogs and are always willing to help dog owners.
He responded by telling us that he had just brought home a German Wirehaired Pointer puppy. He had traveled to North Carolina for it and had just arrived home a few days ago. He continued by telling us that his puppy is doing reasonably well so far. The biggest problem that he is currently dealing with is his puppy’s waking up several times during the night.
As with any puppy, when he wakes up, he wants to make sure that everyone else in the house is also awake. He knew that it may be a bit early to start “hard core training”, but wondered if we had any ‘words of wisdom” that could get him and the rest of his family through the night with a good night’s sleep…
We told him that we recently had this very same issue with a new Home Dog Training client that had just brought home a twelve-week-old Rottweiler puppy. The puppy, Jason, would wake up after two to three hours of being asleep in his crate. He would repeat this from the time they turned off the TV at night until the sun poked into their bedroom window in the morning. Sometimes Jason simply wanted to get out of the crate and wander around the bedroom. Other times he wanted to go out the front door for a “sniff of fresh, night air”.
We had our client explain Jason’s daily routine and all their interactions with him until they put him “to sleep at night”. After analyzing what we were told, we determined that the Rottweiler puppy still contained a great deal of pent-up energy when he was put in his crate at night. He simply wasn’t tired enough to hit that “deep sleep” that takes them (and us) through the night. We suggested a two-pronged solution to assure that Jason would be tired and truly ready for his crate and a night-long beddy-bye time.
- Remove the Excitement and Hyper-Energy from Your Puppy
The most important thing we told our clients they must do is to take Jason outside in the early evening and have some really, over the top play time. We suggested some activities such as throwing the Frisbee or playing fetch with a tennis ball. They could also toss treats in “hard to get but gettable places” for Jason to find and devour. If there are neighbor kids still out, have them come over and actively interact with Jason. The goal is to drain Jason’s adrenaline and just make him dead tired. What our clients are doing is to make him exhausted and really wanting to plop down for a long snooze. This will greatly increase the possibility of having Jason calmly sleep through the night. (One small caveat: All this excitement may make Jason want to potty. Make sure you give him enough time to pee and poop before you come back inside.)
- Give Your Puppy Bach Flowers Rescue Remedy
This is a holistic, herbal relaxant that has been around for a very long time. It consists of flower pedals that, in combination, will calm Jason (as well as people) down. We recommended that they place several drops of the Bach Flowers liquid on Jason’s tongue an hour before bedtime. Giving Jason these drops on his tongue is the same as if we had a nice, warm, glass of Ovaltine (Remember Ovaltine? I love Ovaltine!). It will help to relax Jason and encourage a long, peaceful, and quiet sleep period.
By doing these two, simple procedures, Jason’s parents were able to have their little puppy sleep through the night. It really is great when the simple answers work the best!
Our “lunch acquaintance” told us that he loved these ideas. He was going to get Bach Flowers before he went home and was going to try our suggestions that evening.
Please call or text us at (770) 718-7704 if you need any dog training help. You can also email us at [email protected]. We are blessed to have been your local dog training experts for over eighteen years. We have trained over 6,000 wonderful dogs and excellent families and are ready to help you.
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