Without sleep we are worthless! Puppies can be very complex at night, which could cause a bunch of frustration for pup and humans both. Here are some helpful tips and principles that will make your adjustment the first few nights manageable and successful.
Isn't Crate Training Abusive?
Some new puppy owners have a romantic idea that when they bring their pup home, they'll have them sleep on the puppy bed next to their bed; and the pup will learn to sleep on its own and never have any issues at night. I wish that were the case!! They don't. And they won't. Lol.
This is where Crate-training will be helpful. But isn't that cruel? Isn't that boxing in the pup to restrain it from the freedom it needs? Nope! It sure isn't. In fact, crate-training is extremely helpful for the pup (and its humans), as we explain below.
Why Crate Train a Pup?
There are several reasons we highly recommend crate-training your pup...
Protection & Safety. Pups are creatures that need protection. It is built into their DNA and can be seen by their choices for sleeping. When they want to rest they gravitate toward enclosures that make them feel safe -- grills with covers, under chairs, in boxes, etc. They instinctively know they need protection while they rest.
Sleep Training. Keeping them contained at night prevents them from walking away from their bed and having 'accidents.' To the pup, this is not an accident at all. They need to pee or poop, and if given the freedom to, they will go in the middle of the night. And they will go anywhere. Lol. Crate-training helps them know and stay in their sleeping space, which will help them NOT go potty at night. Why? Because pups generally don't pee or poop in their sleeping area.
Away Training. Some families may be out of the house for an extended period of time (work, school, church, errands), and the pup needs to be contained for a number of hours. Otherwise, allowing a pup to run free in the house or backyard could lead to bigger issues -- accidents, chewed up furniture or rugs, incidental plant removal in the garden, to name a few.
Potty at Night?
How do I know when my dog needs to go potty in the middle of the night? A good rule of thumb is... a pup will need to go potty at a month-age interval. So, a pup at 3 months old will need to go potty every 3 hours. Here's how this might look...
3 months old = every 3 hours
4 months old = every 4 hours
5 months old = every 5 hours
You may need to set an alarm, or your pup may whine to let you know. But when the time is right, just take your pup out to potty. In order to ensure your pup goes back to sleep... remain quiet, speak softly, keep lights low, and return the pup to his/her bed immediately after potty.
Zac George's Dog Training Revolution
We love Zac George's positive training methods. We have worked with our dogs on some his principles, and it is consistent with AKC obedience training advice too. Here is Zac Georg's video on Crate Training...
Kommentit