Getting older puppy to bed at night is a nightmare

[ClaireandTed]

Please someone tell me this is normal and will end!

Getting my ten month old puppy to sleep at night is a major task taking hours, she is waaaayyyyy worse than my child ever was.

We know she's exhausted as she sleeps in each morning till ten am so there's no point giving her a later bedtime. She sleeps in our bedroom.

From about six pm she becomes destructive, difficult, whiny etc. She always has a nice long evening walk at about seven pm, is home by eight pm, she then usually goes and sits in the garden but soon starts barking at stuff so we bring her in, then we let her out as the garden is her favourite place, she barks again, etc etc. Eventually, around nine, after we've had.dinner while trying to stop her being a nightmare, we take her upstairs.

When upstairs we lie on the bed to try to calm her down. She barks at the bedroom door, scrapes at the floor, pants, is a total pain. We occasionally let her downstairs just in case she needs the loo again but she never does.

We've tried everything, wind down routines, things to chew (they hype her up more), even puppy massage and nothing works. Eventually she just gives up and collapses around ten o'clock but we are totally fed up.

Surely we won't have to spend every evening for the rest of our lives battling like this?

And yes - she gets lots and lots of exercise, stimulation, training, toys, cuddles,attention, the lot.

I just want to know if she will grow out of it eventually 🤞🤞

Thanks! Yes we will definitely do less garden in the evening and a much earlier walk.

I'll think about getting her to sleep elsewhere....just worry it will create extra problems like her barking in the middle of the night etc. But definitely something to consider x

From about 7pm DDog just snoozes on and off wherever she likes in the house. she’s got a dog bed by the back door and one in the living room and she just potters about. When we go up to read/get ready for bed she comes up and has a cuddle in our bed and then she gets taken downstairs for a final wee, then voluntarily gets in her crate in the dining room and that’s it till morning. We’ve kept the crate to make it easier when she goes and stays at grandma’s as it means she’s self contained overnight and doesn’t get into mischief and it’s a familiar sleep space for her. We do leave a nightlight on for her which is probably overkill - I don’t think dogs are scared of the dark 🤣

Treat evening like you would a toddler, walk no later than 6.00pm, let out for a wee on lead so no wandering at bedtime, then in crate with a blanket over & ignore, any loud protest just put a hand in on their back with command bedtime. You may have to use cry it out method but the protests will get further apart. They sound just like a toddler who is overtired & needs quiet time.

Same here!!

OP I think you need to leave your dog a bit more during the day. How do you do anything if he's only left for 15 mins!!

I hope you find something that works, our spaniel just goes to his crate when he is tired!!

I have a 2 yo pug who sleeps in our bed, he never settled in a crate after 6 months and then in the middle of the night would just sneak in with us. Our 7 mo large breed dog we tried to settle upstairs with us but he basically behaved how you have described, he is much happier in the big space downstairs. He's 32kg now but even from about 4/5 months I think he felt claustrophobic and too hot upstairs.

I am a bit soft also and I am still sleeping on the sofa. I need to get a grip and leave him, he's not even that fussed about me being there and is sleeping till 630/7 so can manage without going out for a wee. To be fair to me he has not been well recently and was up every couple of hours so I think it's become habit that I've stayed down with him.

In the evenings we try to ensure that after 8pm they don't play etc. They both tend to snooze downstairs from about 830/9. If we are up and about rather than chilling then they are worse. They play fight loads when over stimulated so often in the evenings or when people come in the house but we ignore and they settle quickly then.

I leave her for around two hours but always manage to time it so she is ready for a long sleep so she goes in her crate happily and generally sleeps most of the time I'm gone. I definitely need to start getting her in her crate when she's not so tired...will think of a special treat she can have for those times.

Hmm that's interesting, yeah I don't know if she feels claustrophobic in our bedroom, once she settles she is happy until about ten the next morning and often refuses to get up! She loves lying on her back on our bed.

I'll have to think about seeing if she'll settle downstairs all night. During the heatwave she did sleep in the hall downstairs a couple of times.

our dog slept in downstairs bathroom, then in kitchen from first night we had her. very hard to resist going in the first night, but never an issue after that. in fact, she'd take herself to bed in basket under kitchen table when she'd had enough

Our pup did eventually settle and would sleep through the night but the stress beforehand was awful, our trainer stayed overnight to look after him when we were away and she said he was visibly stressed and she felt it was clear he didn't want to be there, she went straight downstairs and he settled immediately so we have done that ever since.

It's not ideal that I'm sleeping on the sofa with 1 dog and DH sleeps in our bed with the other

Surely you need to make her get up earlier than 10am so she will settle earlier in the evening? Can't you make her get up when the family is getting up? Might help a little and maybe giving her a walk earlier in the day? Good luck 😊

I also have a 10 month old. She is a Staffie XL Bully. I can't really identify with your routine at all but I appreciate we are all different. My girl was an absolute pain in the arse when younger. Destructive, hyperactive, chewing everything in sight and jumping on everyone. Things have settled alot lately thankfully. She is up with me in the mornings at 7 in the week.
She will lie in later until I get up at weekends. She is starting to really enjoy sleeping and snoozing which I bloody fantastic! She is usually out for a good walk and run around by 9.30. Rest of the day is spent at home playing in garden with and without me. Usually a walk late afternoon. Evenings are spent snoozing and cuddling up to me on the sofa. She follows me up to bed when I go and sleeps next to me peacefully all night. She isn't lavished with attention and stimulation but I assume she is getting enough because she seems very happy and content. She is incredibly affectionate too.

Sounds like hard work.
Let her be, keep all doors open and she finds her own spot - which might not necessarily be your bedroom.

I haven't read the whole thread, but my first thought is that I would try not walking in the evening. Dogs can get overstimulated, especially puppies. It's so important for them to learn to 'settle'. My five month old gets a bit nutty in the evenings and I crate my six year old dog so he can't go too mad. If I let him it enables the crazy and he would go on and on.

You may have said but I would also try letting them sleep elsewhere eg. Downstairs or in a crate maybe. My boy happily trots into his at nighttime and admittedly I only get to stay in bed til bout 6am but the toddler gets me up by then if the dogs don't anyway.

Ha we try! We encourage her downstairs when we get up during the week at seven - she just goes to sleep downstairs! Even if we offer a walk she is not interested. She loves her lie ins 🙂