Do you need some help falling asleep?
Maybe you like to use one of those guided meditation apps or some soft music?
Well if you came to get info on puppies
and now you’re wondering if you’re in the wrong place, do not fear!
We are going to talk about puppies and how to help them settle in for sleep and relaxation.
Just like some humans need some help, so do puppies!
Most puppies sleep between 18 and 20 hours a day.
If that sounds like living the good life, I agree!
But helping them take those rests can often fall to the human!
Some puppies, like some children, have a hard time going from a state of awakeness
to that restful slumber that those adorable instagram posts show!
Today I’m going to give you some amazing ideas on how to help
your puppy transition from an energetic activity to something calm, like a nap.
Warning: these things might make you want to take a nap too! I recommend it!
Naps are great for dogs AND their humans!
Michele here w HTTADD
If you’re a fan of going to the gym you’ve probably noticed that
you can’t get off the treadmill and take a nap.
After some cardio you’ve got energy
and adrenaline and your mind is alert and awake. We love that about exercise!
But many people just think you exercise the dog and then he’ll just nap.
Some people give advice in my Facebook group, Puppy Training with Michele Lennon and they’ll
say “oh you have an energetic dog, well… take the dog out for a walk to tire him out”.
Ok, that works and I agree... Kind of. There’s just a few steps in between that they are missing.
Before I get started on specific activities you can do for cool down time, it is important
to know that in a dog’s daily life, mental exercise is as important as physical exercise.
A dog is a complete being and you have to address both of those needs.
They have instinctual needs to hunt, forage, and scavenge.
If you only address a dog’s
physical needs and do not give her an opportunity to use that canine brain,
you’re likely to see some behavior that you don't like.
Behavior that is frustrating to humans is usually
natural to dogs, and often represents an unmet need.
The other thing to keep in mind is that we don’t necessarily want to build an endurance machine.
That means that constantly increasing the exercise amount
or intensity will lead to a dog who is very much in shape…
and has a lot of endurance!
We don’t want to raise couch potatoes and we definitely want to get them out,
but be careful not to turn your dog into a physical machine.
Balance it out with mental exercise too.
Some dog experts say that sniffing burns more calories than walking!
I’m not sure how they could ever measure that but I get it.
Taking the bar exam or the SATs can definitely make a human tired too.
Here are some things you can do between physical exercise and sleep,
or just things to build in your day to help transition your dog to a lower level of activity.
Oh and before I get too deep talking about puppy sleep…
You may need to use a puppy pen during what we call this transition activity
If your pup is able to hang out in a smaller space while doing some of these
calming activities it will help them stay more focused on the game or activity you provide them
Without the use of the puppy pen your pup likely won't just settle on their own,
As a matter of fact the more space your dog has to explore
the less likely they will want to take a nap
It’s like trying to get a kid to take a nap at Disneyland.
Likely not going to happen because of all the exciting things to see.
Ok, first up…Sniffing.
Dogs have up to 300 million olfactory receptors
in their noses, compared to just 6 million in a human.
And the part of a dog's brain that is devoted to analyzing smells is about
40 times greater than ours. Can you imagine harnessing all that mental power?
And if it’s unused, can you imagine how stir crazy a dog might be?
The act of sniffing - and processing all
the information that the dog is gathering when doing so,
is an activity that actually lowers their heart rate. Here are some ideas that involve sniffing:
Scatter some treats in the grass when you return from your walk.
It can help relax your dog and get them ready for
a lower level of activity when you get inside, like chilling or napping.
You can also use this after higher energy games
or if you need the dog to take a break if these games are getting too exciting.
Have you started using a snuffle mat yet?
These mats are great for using that amazing sniffer.
We like this one but there are also DIY options.
Your dog might like to chew it and if so
just gently redirect to another piece of kibble or treat in there.
There are a lot of different snuffle mats out there so if one isn’t working for you or your dog,
evaluate what could be different and look for one with those features.
One of my students likes the kind with very strong fabric and a suction cup to keep it on the floor.
Another way to use your dog’s brain to wind down is to play a slower game like hide
and seek or "find it" using a hidden toy, kibble or treats around a room.
This is as simple as it sounds:
show your dog a toy or treat that she might like,
have her stay in one room and then hide it in another area.
You might need to help her a little bit from time to time and that’s OK.
Remember that some of these games are new to your dog
so you want to guide them and help them be successful.
Plus it’s great bonding time for you both.
If there are any nose work classes near you,
those can be great activities for the human and dog to learn together.
That’s on my bucket list for this next year
for me and Pickles. I know how to do it, I am a certified trainer after all,
but a structured class will keep us both involved and in a new environment other than home.
After we finish the class I'll have to share with you how we did
so be sure to subscribe to this channel to get notified when another video is available.
Another great activity to harness that sniffing power is a busy box.
This is a box filled with random things. It could be toys, cardboard, towels, paper, whatever!
By scattering treats and kibble in the box,
you are teaching your dog to find those things by moving the other things around.
This gets their brain powered up and their sniffer too.
Have fun with it and make it interesting by changing up the items in the box. If your
dog starts to chew or consume the non food items, just direct her back to the food items in the box.
You might have to increase the value of the treats
to make them more interesting than the other items. That’s OK, it’s normal!
Licking is also an activity that lowers a dog’s heart rate. There is no shortage
of options if you’re looking for a fillable toy.
These are designed to be filled with food that comes out slowly, mostly through licking.
The Kong is a popular one but we also love
the West Paw Toppl which might be easier for a younger puppy.
Try freezing the food inside for a slower retrieval rate,
or refrigerate it if the frozen option is too hard.
This video goes into great detail on all the different ones out there,
and I can tell you that my dogs tested a lot of the options for you.
They appreciated the filming of that video a lot!
Another video that my dogs love is this one
on what kinds of foods would be good to use for filling.
That video will also show you some of my favorite puzzle toys,
and this video also goes into some good detail on options.
If it feels like all I’m doing is showing you my other videos, well..
I can’t help it! There is so much information I have to share with you about dog ownership,
I just want you to know all the things so you can have
an amazing relationship with your furry potato.
Training games, especially those games that are easy for your dog,
are a great activity to engage the mind and take some of the emphasis off the physical activity.
Pick a few that you and your dog would like to try.
A lot of my students use the games I teach in my online course, including bump it,
focus and close to me.
You can sequence them together or mix them up to keep the dog guessing.
The link to the course is below in the description section.
Don't’ forget about chewing! There are quite a few chew options on the market,
some better than others. This video will show you some of my favorites for super chewers.
I like the bully stick for a short time - keep it to about 10 or 20 minutes
because sometimes it can cause a bit of stomach upset that you’ll smell later!
No hide sticks, yak chew toys, benebones, split antlers and fish skin are all good options too.
Just out of curiosity… Have you ever fallen asleep while getting a massage? Or maybe you almost did?
Just having physical touch with a little bit of pressure can put you
on the fast track to relaxing and sleep. Many dogs are the same way!
You might try some body calming rubs with your dog,
to help her get a little more relaxed after a strenuous activity.
It’s not going to be a light switch and you can’t
really try it for the first time when you want her to sleep on cue.
But as you get to know which parts of her body are the most comfortable being touched,
you can start to develop a nice massage routine that she will enjoy.
Do some experimenting and watch her body language carefully.
You’re looking for relaxed ears and eyes,
a tail that is not rigid nor tucked and facial features that are not rigid.
In my online course
I have a lesson in the bonus section all about how to do these rubs on your dog.
Pickles likes it when I massage his ears and the sides of his face.
Pro tip: skip the massage oil. It could be hazardous for them and
it’s way too smelly for their strong sense of smell.
Another tip for helping your dog settle is to remain calm yourself.
This seems so basic but you really can’t imagine
how much our dogs pick up on our body language including when we are stressed.
After all, body language is the language they are fluent in!
You know that there are many dogs trained to help people in situations of anxiety or stress,
just by picking up on slight changes of the body.
Likewise, if you start by being calm, using low relaxed tones and moving more slowly,
your dog will be more likely to match that energy.
If you’re stressed and in a hurry and asking your dog to “hurry up and sleep”,
well that's a guaranteed way to not get what you want!
Be sure to use all the tools that we recommend for crate training and working with dogs.
This includes the adaptil spray or diffuser,
soft doggy calming music and a quiet, calm environment free of distractions.
I go over all those tools in this video so
if you haven’t watched that one yet.. Well consider it your homework.
My final tip is about a routine or schedule.
This helps humans and puppies, by letting them know what comes next,
and slowly programming their brain and body to rest and relax at certain times of the day.
This is one of my most popular videos, for good reason. It’s a great one!
One of my students ends each energetic play session with her dog Cooper
by picking out a chew stick from his vast collection.
She puts it in a Kong for him to work on by himself.
This helps him transition from an activity with a human to an activity without a human.
And the act of chewing, licking and trying to get
all the tasty treats out of the Kong is calming for his brain.
She says that usually turns into a self-initiated nap on Cooper’s part!
Physical activity, followed by a mental activity,
followed by a potty break… well that sounds like a perfect formula that will lead to a nap!
There is not one size that fits all on these activities. Your pup might find it very easy
to transition from a high energy activity to a nap. Or you might see that she needs some help.
Paying close attention to body language and patterns,
is going to help you know what your dog needs next.
It will be important to try a few new things from
time to time to see how your pup’s brain has changed and her preferences have too.
And don’t just try things for a day or two and declare them not working for all time.
Reintroduce things that might not have worked so well in the past to
see if her brain might have developed further and has a new interest in them.
Remember that novelty is great for dogs so rotating the toys,
treats and enrichment activities is really going to help!
One final tip. Depending on your dog, sometimes these activities are TOO exciting.
If the treats are so high value or the activity is so interesting to the dog that you
are seeing her get a little more energized,
well that means it’s time to adjust it just a little bit.
There’s a spectrum of treats and activities between low interest
to high interest and your dog will have her own preferences about them.
If you’re watching carefully you’ll notice which of these things help calm her
or which ones you’ll want to use as activities to get her revved up and ready to party.
That’s all I have time for today.
It’s time for you to go make some of these great ideas happen with your dog.
Pickles probably would love me to do one or two of them with him now too.
In the comments below tell me which calming activity you’re going to try
first to help your pup settle.