How to train a dog to sleep through the night: Let Your Beloved Pet Share a Peaceful Night with You
I. Reasons Why Dogs Have Trouble Sleeping at Night and Solutions
There can be multiple reasons why dogs have difficulty sleeping at night.
1. Feeling Anxious in a New Home
Many puppies that have just arrived at a new home are not familiar with the new environment and tend to lack a sense of security, thus having trouble falling asleep at night. For example, they may feel nervous and fearful due to the strange smells, sounds, and sights around them. In such situations, dogs may exhibit restless behaviors, such as constantly pacing around, barking, or hiding in corners. It is recommended that pet owners create a warm and cozy sleeping environment for their dogs and put some familiar items of the dogs in it, like old toys or blankets, which can help relieve the dogs’ anxiety and enable them to fall asleep more easily.
2. Lack of Exercise During the Day and Excessive Energy
If a dog doesn’t get enough exercise during the day, it may be too energetic to fall asleep at night. For medium-sized and large-sized dogs in particular, it is essential to ensure sufficient exercise. During the day, pet owners can take their dogs out for more exercise to exhaust their physical strength. For instance, they can take the dogs for walks or runs in the park or play some interactive games like fetching games. Moreover, it’s advisable to take the dogs out for a short walk again before going to bed. This way, it can not only consume the dogs’ energy but also help them relieve themselves, and the dogs will probably sleep soundly at night.
3. Improper Feeding Time
The feeding time of dogs has a great impact on their sleep quality. If the dinner time is too late, the dog may not have fully digested the food when it goes to sleep, which will lead to gastrointestinal discomfort and affect sleep. Additionally, eating too much at night will also increase the burden on the gastrointestinal tract, resulting in indigestion and further affecting sleep. On the contrary, if the dog feels hungry at night, it will also have difficulty falling asleep. Therefore, pet owners should arrange the feeding time of their dogs reasonably and try to ensure that the dogs can have dinner earlier and not be given too many snacks before going to bed.
4. Failure to Defecate Before Bedtime
If a dog hasn’t defecated before going to bed, it may have trouble falling asleep at night because it needs to go to the toilet. So, pet owners can take the dogs out to the toilet a little earlier in the evening to make sure that the dogs have taken care of their physiological needs before going to bed. Meanwhile, for some younger dogs or those that haven’t developed good defecation habits yet, pet owners can provide appropriate toilet facilities indoors so that the dogs can relieve themselves conveniently when needed at night.
5. Uncomfortable Sleeping Environment
An uncomfortable sleeping environment can also cause dogs to have trouble sleeping at night.
For example, if the position of the dog bed is not appropriate, such as being placed near the door, the dog may be awakened when the owner gets up and opens the door in the middle of the night. Besides, factors like the temperature, light, and noise of the sleeping environment can also affect the dog’s sleep. Dogs don’t like to sleep under bright lights because light can affect the secretion of melatonin, which is a hormone that promotes sleep. So, when the dog is sleeping, pet owners should turn off the lights, including those of the TV, computer, tablet, and smartphone screens, to create a quiet, comfortable, and dark sleeping environment for the dog. At the same time, pet owners can provide a comfortable kennel for the dog and arrange its sleeping space with comfortable blankets and towels. They can also put one of their own clothes in the dog’s kennel to make the dog feel their presence and increase its sense of security.
6. Special Auxiliary Methods
(1) Giving Milk or Goat Milk Powder to the Dog:
Milk contains tryptophan, which is helpful for sleep. However, it is necessary to pay attention to whether the dog is lactose intolerant and not give it too much before going to bed. Owners can try boiling milk for the dog as a snack. But if the dog has diarrhea or vomits after drinking milk, it’s best to consult a veterinarian and switch to goat milk powder instead.
(2) Massage Therapy:
Gently stroke the dog’s fur from its head to its tail to relieve anxiety. Massage can effectively relieve the dog’s anxiety and help it fall asleep more calmly.
(3) Using Melatonin or Sedatives:
For dogs with severe insomnia, they can be used after consulting a veterinarian, but attention should be paid to the dosage. If the dog’s anxiety is relatively serious, the veterinarian will also prescribe some sedatives or prescription drugs to relieve the dog’s stress and help it fall asleep more easily. If a dog has long-term insomnia, disease factors need to be considered and it should be taken to the pet hospital for examination in time, because some elderly dogs may also have trouble sleeping due to diseases, such as joint pain, urinary tract infections, hyperthyroidism, and so on.
II. Coping Strategies for Different Situations
1. Dogs in a New Environment
Puppies that have just arrived at a new home are often unfamiliar with the new environment and tend to feel anxious and fearful, which will further affect their sleep at night. To help them adapt to the new environment better, we can take the following measures. Firstly, place the dog bed in the owner’s bedroom or somewhere where the puppy can see the owner. Doing so can make the puppy feel the owner’s presence and thus reduce its anxiety and fear. When the puppy wakes up in the new environment and sees the owner nearby, it will feel at ease and be more likely to fall asleep again. Secondly, cover the outside of the cage with a piece of cloth. This can not only create a relatively closed and quiet space for the puppy but also make it feel safer. The cover of the cloth can reduce external interference and make it easier for the puppy to relax. Thirdly, putting the owner’s clothes in the dog’s kennel is also a good method. The owner’s clothes have a familiar smell, which is a comfort for the puppy. When the puppy smells the owner’s smell, it will feel that the owner is by its side and thus increase its sense of security. In addition, soft mats can be laid for the puppy. Soft mats can make the puppy feel comfortable, as if it were back in its mother’s arms. A comfortable sleeping environment helps the puppy relax and fall asleep better.
2 Barking Dogs
（1）. When a dog barks, we can make some sounds or take out toys or snacks to distract its attention. For example, gently knock on a small bell or take out the dog’s favorite toys to attract its attention. At the same time, use gestures or a serious tone to stop its barking. When the dog stops barking, give it small snacks as rewards and praise it in time to let it understand that it will get benefits by being quiet.
（2）. Letting the dog do more exercise to consume its physical strength is one of the effective ways to solve the barking problem. You can take the dog out for a walk and let it run and explore outdoors to its heart’s content. Or play games with the dog at home, such as fetching games, hide-and-seek, etc. Through exercise, the dog’s physical strength is consumed, and it will be easier for it to fall asleep at night and the possibility of barking will be reduced.
（3）. It is also a strategy for the owner to deliberately ignore the dog. When the dog barks to get attention, if the owner responds immediately, the dog will think that barking is an effective behavior. Therefore, the owner should learn to deliberately ignore the dog to let it know that barking won’t get attention. After several attempts, the dog will understand that barking is useless and thus reduce the number of times it barks.
（4）. Preparing ‘midnight snacks‘ and toys before going to bed can attract the dog’s attention.
For some dogs that are prone to feeling hungry, some small snacks can be put before going to bed, such as dog food biscuits or dried chicken. Meanwhile, prepare some toys, such as chew toys, plush toys, etc., so that the dog has something to do before going to bed. For dogs with separation anxiety, old clothes with the owner’s smell can be put in the kennel. This can make the dog feel the owner’s presence, relieve its separation anxiety, and thus reduce barking.
III. Judging Whether a Dog Has Slept Well
Whether a dog has slept well can be judged from the following aspects:
1. Look at the Mental State:
Good and High Level of Excitement If a dog has had enough sleep, it usually shows a good mental state and a relatively high level of excitement after waking up. It will play vigorously, explore the surrounding environment actively, and respond positively to the owner’s commands.
2. Look at the Behavioral Performance:
Absent-mindedness, Slipping Through Small Spaces, and Many Small Movements A dog that has slept well has relatively stable behavioral performance and high concentration. It won’t be frequently absent-minded or make small movements like slipping through small spaces when playing or following commands. For example, during training, a dog that has slept well will concentrate on following the owner’s instructions and complete various actions. However, a dog that hasn’t had enough sleep may be frequently distracted during the training process, look around, or keep scratching or licking its paws.
3. Look at the Physical State:
Bright and Alert Eyes, Quick Response After a dog has slept well, its eyes are usually bright and alert, and it has a quick response. When there is a sound or movement around, it can quickly react, such as turning its head to check or pricking up its ears to listen. For example, when hearing the doorbell ring, a dog that has slept well will immediately become alert and get ready to welcome guests. While a dog that hasn’t slept well may have dull eyes, slow response, and even show no reaction to the surrounding sounds.
4. Observe the Feces:
Well-formed and Soft If there are no above problems, it means that the dog has slept well. If there are problems, it is necessary to find out the reasons and solve them to ensure that the dog has good sleep quality.