Puppies First Night – What to Expect
If you are getting a young puppy and it is her first night in your house, there are a few things that might happen. These will eventually stop but for the first few nights your new puppy might behave like this:
- Whining or barking late at night
- Not going to sleep straight away
- Being restless
Etc. Even though it is hard, try to ignore these behaviours and they will go away after a few nights. Whilst your new puppy may be doing some noisy things, there are a few strategies that can help with them.
Whining and barking – Whining and barking is quite common for a dog’s first few nights at your house. There are a few reasons your puppy to bark:
| Why is my dog barking? | How to deal with or prevent this? |
| It is your puppy’s first night sleeping at your house. The puppy might be scared and unsure, she might be used to sleeping with her mum’s comfort and protection. | If you’re sure that the reason your dog is barking is just because she is unsure and unsettled, then ignore her and let her figure out that she needs to go to sleep. If you give your puppy attention at this moment, this might become a behavioural habit to bark at night because she will think she gets your attention. |
| Your puppy needs to go outside to do her business. | Always take your dog outside and check she does something before you take her to bed. This way, she will not need to wake you up in the middle of the night to go outside. |
| Your dog just doesn’t want to go to sleep and still has a lot of energy. | Follow the instructions for ‘Being Restless’ below. |
Being restless – If your dog just won’t go to sleep at night and has a lot of energy at bedtime, there is one easy way to prevent this. Before you bring your dog to bed at night, have a play around. Get out some toys and wear your puppy out.
As another option, you could take your dog on a walk to get some energy out. The benefits of the walk will be that your dog gets some exercise and isn’t as energetic at bedtime, your dog has lots of interesting things to sniff and she won’t get as excited before going to sleep; unlike when playing with the toys your puppy could get really hyped.
Sleeping Conditions
You want your dog to have great sleeping conditions so you both do not get disturbed late at night. Think about comfort, the area it is in, temperature etc.
These are some things you will have to consider:
- Is the sleeping area comfy for your dog? (comfort)
- If your dog likes being around you, will your dog sleep near you? (area)
- Is it too bright for your dog when sleeping? (area)
- Are there too many distractions in the area? (area)
- Is the room too hot? (area)
You will have to know how you want your dog to sleep, is she going to be allocated a spot on the floor that has a comfy dog bed or is your dog going to be in your bed with you?
Sleeping in a crate – The best way to start off would be to get a crate and put a comfy dog bed in it. To your dog, this should feel like a safe and secure place where they can rest for the evening. More benefits of this would be that your dog will not get up in the night and go around the room weeing or chewing on things.
Sleeping in a dog bed on the floor – As another option, you can have your dog sleeping in a bed on the floor. Make sure the dog bed is comfy and have it in a clear space that won’t have many distractions to your dog. You could have this in a location near you so that your dog feels more safe.
Sleeping in your bed – Having your dog sleeping in your bed would mean a few things to consider. Your bed should be big enough for the two of you and there wouldn’t be the risk of her falling off in the night or injuring herself in any other ways (although this is unlikely). You may have to change the bed sheets regularly as they would become dirty and might start to smell after a while. Look at getting a waterproof mattress and/or doona protector in case your dog has any accidents. Would your dog go straight to sleep or get up and move around in the night?
Alternatives – If the options above do not suit your needs, there are other alternatives. You could have your dog in your bed and in a crate. Have her in your bed for half an hour so you can have a cuddle and then put her into the crate to sleep. The only negatives of this would be that if your dog gets so comfortable in your bed, then you would have to get up and carry her into her crate to sleep for the night.
The good things about this option would be:
- You get to have her in your bed, cuddling you before you go to sleep
- Unlike having her in your bed for the whole night, you wouldn’t have to worry about your dog getting up and wondering around when asleep
You could also mix up other alternatives, but when wanting your dog in your bed for the night this option is most recommended.
Considering – A big part of not having your dog in a pen to sleep is considering if she will get up and chew things at night. If your dog is in an area with loads of objects and not a clean floor then she will probably do this. The area your dog will be sleeping in should be kept very clean to prevent chances of them chewing at anything.
This is something very important to think about if your dog will be sleeping in your bed, on the floor or with an alternative method.
Comfort:
Comfort is an essential need for making sure your dog goes to bed happily. Dogs have many different requirements so try and make the sleeping space very comfy for your dog. Sometimes a dog will find hard/ wooden floors uncomfortable so consider providing a soft surface.
Some ideas to make an area more comfortable may include:
- Pillows
- Blankets
- Dog beds (You can buy specific beds for dogs)
- Possibly having her on your bed.
Area:
Wherever and however she is sleeping, make sure it is in a good area to give the best sleep for your dog. Look at the lighting, temperature and any distractions in the area. You would want a dark room for your dog to rest in. If for any reason you cannot have the room dark, it would be okay to have a dim night light in the room but try to keep it fairly dark for her.
Make sure the temperature is not uncomfortable for your dog. It shouldn’t be too hot or too cold in the room where she is sleeping. Likewise to these points, there shouldn’t be any distractions in the room that get your dog hyped up. The sleeping room for your dog should be a calm and comfortable area that she enjoys.
Routines
Sometimes, dogs can get very excited and playful when it is meant to be their bedtime. You might also have trouble getting your dog to go to bed. To prevent this, routines are a great way to get your dog sleeping each night.
Try to set a specific time each night that you and your dog will go to bed. When it comes to your set time, take her to bed. Keep repeating the bedtime routine time and your dog should learn when it is time to sleep and not play.
Routines are a very useful thing to maintain when owning a dog and especially when starting off. The routines in bedtime will help your dog know that at the specific set time, it is not playtime.