I make no apologies for revisiting this vital subject! So many of the queries I get can be resolved by simply allowing or encouraging your dog to sleep more!
Dogs need 17 hours of sleep a day to function well.
And this doesn’t mean snatched minutes of shut-eye when nothing is happening for a few moments!
It means proper, deep, uninterrupted sleep, for at least an hour at a time - and, of course, all night!
Teach ‘em young
And this doesn’t just happen without careful management.
In the same way that most responsible parents manage their babies’ and toddlers’ sleep sessions, teaching them that a sleep will cure lots of upsets, we have to teach our puppies how to manage themselves.
This is valuable learning.
We put small children in cots to make sure they can’t race around exhausting themselves when they need to rest.
In the same way, we can use crates or playpens to manage our puppies - who often won’t stop till they’re nailed to the floor!
I honestly don’t know how anyone manages a puppy without a crate or a playpen! I think that without these terrific aids we’re giving ourselves a huge amount of extra work and stress.
If you struggled to manage your youngster over the holiday period, now is the time to double down on teaching him or her how to sleep.
💤 Alone.
💤 Contained.
💤 Without you.
💤 Without distraction.
You’ll be so glad you did!
And for more gems on managing your dog, check out the how-to books here!