Hi everyone, new puppy owner here who is hoping for a bit of advice/reassurance. I'm really struggling with getting my puppy to settle during the day for any reasonable length of time just now, and it seems to be getting worse and worse with each passing day. From what I've read up on labs online, my impression was that puppies around 10-12 weeks would sleep for anywhere between 15-20 hrs a day. The most my puppy has managed was just under 15, most days its around 13. However, yesterday he only managed 10 hrs and barely any of that was over 30 mins at a time (even through the night which he normally sleeps right through). He has also started to react to every tiny movement I make, even just a little shift in my chair will cause him to wake and be alert, whereas before when he was asleep I could quite happily potter about the house and tend to things that weren't him for a bit without him being disturbed. Has anyone experienced anything similar with their puppies or can shed some light on what the issue may be?
Welcome to you @shawnlinus All pups are different, some much more alert than others, some sleep a LOT - others not so much. I raise Guide Dog pups and Keir is my sixth - and very sleepy. My last one, Mollie, was just like yours - always ready for action! She’s now in Advanced Training and doing brilliantly, the best. Her restlessness was a sign of very high intelligence. So I would do lots of training with him, introducing new skills - this will also tire him more. Try chew toys and Kongs to keep him busy while you potter about. A nice big cardboard box to shred will do the trick too.
Hi @Boogie, thank you so much. Interestingly enough, I have been very surprised by how intelligent he seems to be and how quickly he learns new tricks/skills! He already knows a lot of the basics like sit/stay/lie down/stand up/rollover etc and he seems to understand heel to an extent (until he finds something more interesting to chew on the ground!) I've been doing around 5-6 10 minute training sessions with him each day and he typically has a kong for his 3 main meals which usually take him around 1 hr to finish each, I also take him a walk around the garden for 5 minutes 3-4 times a day and of course theres plenty of playtime inbetween. I try to keep all of this on a structured schedule where possible with some time inbetween for naps, but as mentioned, the naps just don't seem to happen anymore. Would you say this was enough exercise?
I also do five or six sessions a day - nice and short, about ten minutes until they get to six months then they start to get longer sessions. Don’t forget to take him out and about too (carrying until he’s fully vaccinated). I do two sessions a day with the baby pups. This tires them more than anything - all the new sights and smells!
Do you crate your pup? I have found that Diggy no longer really settles during the day unless he is in his crate. If he's been out and pretty active for a few hours, I'll give him an hour or so in his crate to nap. He gets rest there that he'd never get if he were out and about with our 5 year old lab.
@Boogie Thanks, its reassuring to know that I am at least meeting his energy needs somewhat. I can finally take him out and about on the ground tomorrow so hopefully that should help too (although given we're only limited to about 15 mins of walking, our range is somewhat limited). @christina2634 I do crate him, and after about 5 mins of protesting he does settle, problem then being every tiny noise snaps him right back up again (He's currently in his crate as we speak with me terrified to move a muscle for fear of waking him, not ideal!)
Just a thought but maybe you are being too quiet around him ? Referring to your comments about being terrified of waking him ! I guess its like babies , with parents who don't flush the loo for fear of disturbing them , whereas those who are born into a more noisy household seem to be pretty bomb proof in the sleeping through noise department , good luck !
Hi @kateincornwall , yes this definitely crossed my mind. He was actually completely fine the first week I had him and would sleep through anything, and I loved being able to take advantage of it and tidy up the house a bit/get a shower etc. It's only in the last couple of days that hes started springing to life just because I moved my leg an inch to the left for example. I guess the reason I'm trying to be overly quiet now is because he sleeps a good 3-4 hrs less than he was before so I'm trying to make sure he gets enough by any means necessary.
@shawnlinus , welcome to the Forum from myself and Cassie, who is now 2, which I can scarcely believe. I just read your post on "will things improve" thread. The answer is that yes things will improve But over time. Many of us on here can relate to the "puppy blues", myself included so you are in the right place, there are many threads about the subject. When I got Cassie I had been without a dog for 5 years, my children had grown up and become independent, I'm semi retired and can work when I want/need too. When she was tiny I wondered why I had saddled myself with responsibility for a creature that was 100% dependent on me for everything! Fast forward 2 years and I am utterly devoted to her and she fills my life. I find that I enjoy training her and just being with her more than most other things. And yet 2 years ago I thought I'd have to rehome her, even looked on the Lab Rescue site -- and spent all night crying at the thought of packing up all her things, her bed, her bowl, her lead and handing her over to some stranger. That's when I knew she was here to stay. She differed from your pup in that she was the crocopup from hell, something I'd never dealt with before and I could have handled it better. She too didn't sleep much during the day but I found that if I kept busy she was happy to potter about and watch me. She still likes to do that BUT sleeps a great deal now. This is provided she has had sufficient mental and physical exercise to meet her needs. As your puppy grows up and go out and do more I think things will improve for you. Stick at it -- they are worth it !!
Hello and welcome to the forum from little Joy and me in West Yorkshire. I can so much relate to what you're going through! Joy is now a year old and has only just stopped following me absolutely everywhere! It took me forever to get anything done because she was continually underfoot or in the way. I used to dream of just being able to do one little thing, like make a cup of tea for example, in peace. How do I feel now that this has pretty much stopped? Well.... I kind of miss it! I've grown used to always having my little 'helper' around. Yesterday evening she was so quiet and settled that I started worrying that she might be ill and considered ringing the vet. She's just starting to grow up and settle down though, as yours will too eventually. It really is so well worth hanging on in there, you will end up with the loveliest and best of companions and when you look back the difficult puppy stage will seem so short. honestly.
@selina27 & @Candy thanks so much for the reassuring words. It means so much to hear so many others have been through this and made it out the other side to find a great companion that they wouldn't part with for the world. Its terrible I know, but a big part of me wishes I could just fast forward past these initial months, the puppy stages are so much tougher than I ever imagined and I'm only two weeks in! I'm determined to keep battling through though, because despite the happy moments being few and far between just now, I do love him and everytime the thought of rehoming him creeps into my head I get utterly heartbroken and the tears start all over again! (I swear I've cried more times this fortnight than I've ever cried since I was a child, and as a very stereotypical manly man, it must be quite an odd sight!)
I am in a similar phase to you - actually just coming out of it. Until a week ago, my pup was my shadow. He woukd only settle next to me - no one else in the family just me. I was so stressed out. When he was tired I would have to sit on the floor and wait until he was in a DEEP sleep before I could move. That was 10-12 weeks old. This week has been different. He will only settle in the kitvhen now, before he would drop wherever I was. It's very hot here now and our kitchen is 10 degrees cooler yhan the rest of the house so I am guessing it's that. But also a phase - I think he knows we are here and is not worried about being alone any more. I do go into the kutchen and putter around until he settles though but not as often. I think it may be a phase your puppy will be out of soon. I felt guilty that I was annoyed by having a shadow but now I have to admit I feel somewhat unloved! LOL.
Don’t worry at all about him getting enough sleep - he will. Make as much noise as you like, he will sleep through it when he needs to.
@Kobe my pup is at 11 wks now so hopefully, like you, I'll maybe see a bit of a change in a week or 2. It had crossed my mind about the being alone part as I've been quite heavily training him with 'click for quiet' last week as I go back to work tomorrow (I've ended up asking my Mother to come watch him in the day as he's just nowhere near comfortable with being alone for any length of time yet sadly). I have wondered if perhaps he's started to associate my every move as me leaving. Or maybe I'm just overthinking and he's just being an 11 wk old puppy @Boogie I'll try being a bit more noisy next time he falls asleep and see what happens (whenever that may be!)
mine is 13 weeks on monday and now he is purposely avoiding going where i go, lol. he knows he's more likely to get something forbidden if he's out of my arm's reach!!
