Night Time Routine

When you first bring your puppy home, they might be a little worried. This will be their first official night without their mom and their siblings. First make sure you tire the puppy out before the night. Puppies have high peaks of energy followed by a sleepy spell. If you tire him or her out before bedtime, they will be less likely to be upset in the middle of the night. Second is to ensure they aren’t getting fed to close  to their bedtime. Ensure that you feed them at least 4-5 hours before they fall asleep, so they digest their food and do their business before they go to sleep. Lastly, the puppy might be sad the first few nights or even weeks, but that is normal. They will miss their siblings and mom. There are some tips and tricks you can try to aid in the transition. Pick a nighttime spot for your puppy, somewhere where they will have privacy, but also where you can hear them in case they need to go outside.  You can also take a plastic bottle fill it up with hot water and wrap it in a towel. Put that next to the puppy in their pen. That will provide them with the comfort they desire. Then be patient, and don’t pet them when they are crying at night. If you reward them while they are noisy, they will pair their crying with a positive outcome. The key is to praise the puppy when they quiet down, even if it’s just for 5 minutes to reward the correct behavior. If you are worried that the puppy might need to use the bathroom, I recommend you pick them up take them outside or on the pee pad and put them right back in their area. It will reinforce the idea to them that there is no playing at night time. It will be hard for the first little bit, but then you should see improvements. You’ve got this!