Bringing home a new puppy is one of the most exciting and memorable days you could have. It’s like Christmas and your birthday at the same time! It’s all very new, both to you and your new pup. And while exciting, the first few nights can also be very tough.
Just like a new baby, a new puppy makes it feel impossible to sleep. Your sleep is too important to your health and happiness to compromise, even for a short period of time. With this in mind, let’s answer a few of the most frequently asked questions regarding the first few nights at home with your puppy. This way, you’ll make it through the tough transition as happy, healthy, and well rested as possible.
Should I wake my puppy up to pee at night?
House training your new dog is one of the hardest things you’ll do as a new pet owner. Start it off right by taking him to his outside potty place as soon as you get home. It’s best to take him out right before you’re ready to tuck him in for the night as well.
But what about at night? “Should I wake my puppy up to pee?” you’re asking. Chances are good you won’t have to! During the first few nights that your puppy is at home, you’ll most likely be woken up in the middle of the night for a bathroom break. Be patient! Puppies are still learning and sniffing the yard or outside area you’ve selected for their potty place. He may need to take a lap or two (or five!) before deciding to do his business. This will no doubt be frustrating, be rest assured that this won’t be necessary for long. Puppies grow quickly, and so do their bladders!
How much does a puppy sleep?
To put it plainly- a lot! Puppies tend to sleep 15 to even 20 hours a day. That being said, these aren’t consecutive hours. You should have no trouble getting them to sleep through the night by the time they’re 10 to 12 weeks old, but at first he’ll be up and back asleep in quick succession.
Should my puppy sleep in bed with me?
Several surveys have shown that roughly 60 percent of all dog owners allow their dogs to sleep in their bed with them. You may have brought your new puppy home with visions of him snuggling next to you and spending the night cuddling on your pillow. Then….the reality didn’t quite match up. The major reason medical practitioners don't want you to sleep with your dog is that they may disturb you. In a survey, more than half of pet owners reported that their dogs tend to wake them up every night. This is adult dogs, not even puppies- that number is probably closer to 100 percent!
Dog and human sleep cycles differ and this can affect the quality of sleep. If letting your dog into your bed at night hurts your sleep satisfaction in any way, don’t do it. Maybe it’s more than just their little movements waking you up that you want to avoid. A new mattress can cost anywhere from a few hundred to a few thousand dollars, so it’s an investment. A new puppy is guaranteed to do two things: pee where it shouldn’t and chew on what it shouldn’t. You don’t want either one of these happening on your bed!
Should I have my puppy sleep in a dog bed?
So, your puppy shouldn’t be in bed with you. Where should he be? Everyone likes to have their own space to relax and sleep securely and puppies are no different. Here at City Mattress, we offer several dog beds in our online catalogue, all from top brands like Martha Stewart and SFERRA. Martha Stewart’s Bella Memory Foam Pet Bed is both comfortable and enhances relief for a feeling of safety. Surely this bed would be perfect for your precious new pup, right?
Not quite. Your little guy isn’t yet ready for his very own dog bed. In the beginning, your puppy needs to be sleeping in a crate/kennel as far away outside of your bedroom as possible. Your little guy is not going to understand he should stay in his dog bed yet. He’ll get right out, causing mayhem and destruction in your house during the night. You won’t be able to sleep a wink! Once he is old enough to know what he is and isn’t allowed to do, and hold his bladder all night long, he can be transitioned to a dog bed.
Put a blanket, an old t-shirt of yours, and a couple of safe toys inside his kennel. Let him sniff around, put him inside for just a minute, and make sure he knows it’s his safe place. You can drape a blanket over the kennel to make it darker and more cave-like.
Why is the puppy crying?
Your puppy is in his kennel, you’re in bed, and he’s howling. Have you done something wrong? Should you let him out? No and no! He’s in an unfamiliar place, and he’s probably used to sleeping with his littermates in a big pile. If your best friend in the whole world shuts out the light and leaves you alone, you’re most likely going to cry a little. And that’s exactly what puppies feel. Try to be strong and not give in to this crying. Reassure him by repeating that they can go to sleep and give them time to cry and settle in.
This is all very new to him, but he’ll get used to it quite quickly. Once he has settled into the routine and gotten used to their new environment, he will be able to easily sleep through the night. If his crying and whining is making it impossible for you to fall asleep and stay asleep, we recommend drowning out the noise with a white noise machine. A YogaSleep white noise machine induces deep relaxation with white noise, brown noise, rain, ocean waves, or a calming lullaby. It offers a wide range of 25 adjustable volume levels, so any noises coming from the kennel won’t be bothersome.
Time and time again, experts tell us to resist the temptation to let the puppy sleep in bed with you the first night! Crate training takes time, effort, and persistence over the first few nights, but it will give your puppy an excellent place that he can call his own. It will also ensure you’re getting the sleep you need too!