When it comes bedtime most people will choose to have their dogs sleep in a place away from them in confinement area such as the kitchen. Not rushing this and keeping to a routine can help puppies learn to feel really safe whilst making sure all their needs are taken care of in time for bed.
I use a simple 3 step routine to keep things just right and help get your puppy off to the land of nod
1. Train
Doing just 5 or 10 minutes of low level training is much more taxing for your puppy than 20 minutes of physical exercise. It keeps the heart rate down, the arousal low but gets the brains working. Practice your impulse control for low level exercises such as sits, downs or stays.
2. Toilet
After all that work, it's time to let puppy out for the toilet. If your dog is still learning to toilet outside appropriately, make sure you go out to referee the action; if you didn't see it, it didn't happen! Pop them on a lead and get comfortable yourself by wearing a coat or using an umbrella. Even take a snack, it may take a while. Walk slow steps and allow puppy to go for both a no.1 and a no.2 if needed.
3. Teeth
By the time a puppy reaches you (8 weeks), their milk or baby teeth are all through and adult teeth will begin to push out. Between 6 - 7 months they will have a new shiny set of 42 teeth (less for some hairless breeds) which is an incredibly fast development. Providing safe and suitable chews can help jaw and teeth development, relieve painful pressure or soreness and give them something to do. A Kong tied up low in their crate or bed and filled a tasty food is perfect for this.
Need help?
I use this same routine for all my puppies and dogs comfortable with being left alone. If you find your dog is having difficulty settling down independently even with all their needs having been met, you might benefit from some support so feel free to get in touch or email me today.
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