Pet Corner: How to get puppies and young dogs to sleep through the night

Two of the puppies in Dogs Trust's care. Dogs Trust ‘Generation Pup’ study reveals puppies sleep less at night time than older dogs and 86% of dogs, given the option choose to sleep close to their owners.

We all know puppies snooze a lot, but a lot of this happens during the day and not necessarily when you’d appreciate it most — while you’re sleeping at night.

With more and more Irish people becoming dog owners in the past year, many have been struggling with how to get an energetic puppy or younger dog to go to bed at night and stay there without howling the house down.

Dogs Trust’s recent survey, Generation Pup, followed the lives and behaviours of dogs as they grew up and investigated how dogs’ sleeping habits change in their first year of life.

The findings confirmed that while puppies aged 16 weeks sleep significantly longer than older dogs during the day, they sleep for less time than older dogs at night. By comparison, once a dog reaches a year old, they are much more likely to sleep for longer at night — matching their owner’s sleep patterns.

Speaking of a dog owner’s sleep, despite our best efforts, many of us become more likely to share our beds with our madra as they age. The percentage of people who let their pooch sleep in their bed increased from 13% at 16 weeks, to 27% at 12 months.

Dogs Trust’s top tips to tire out your pup:

• Include walkies, playtimes, and short, fun training sessions within your puppy’s daily routine so they’ve enjoyed using their brains and bodies and have plenty to dream about.
• Create a cosy comfortable den for your puppy away from the busier areas of the home so they have somewhere lovely to relax undisturbed.
• Evening routines can help prepare your puppy for a good night’s sleep, and if you tend to do the same types of activities your puppy will learn what to expect.
• Help your puppy out by reducing anything that is catching their attention, so closing the curtains and settling down yourself can help them ‘switch off’.
• When pups are growing tired, they might suddenly appear to be very energetic and dash about the home, an activity that is often called ‘zoomies’. They may also become agitated or restless and might even start to bark or mouth owners by grabbing their owner’s hands or clothing with their teeth. It can be helpful to know this because often owners think their sudden burst of energy means they need more exercise when they really need 40 winks.

Puppies are born into, and generally sleep, in family groups — so they need to learn to enjoy being in a cosy bed all by themselves. This can take a little time, but you can help them by staying close by and ready to respond if they appear distressed.

Puppy owners can sign up for the ongoing Generation Pup study at www.DogsTrust.ie/GenerationPup