Help!! My 10 week old puppy has suddenly stopped taking naps during the day. She is clearly, exhausted, eyes are bloodshot, and she wants to nap, but after only a few minutes, she is up and moving again. The more tired she gets, the more bitey she becomes and the more she chews things that are off limits.Nothing seems to occupy her for more than a couple of minutes. We've tried kongs, chew toys, regular toys, walks, sitting with her, nothing works. She normally was awake for around 45 minutes to an hour, then would nap, for an hour or more, all day long. Yesterday she napped for a total of 2 hours from 6:45am to 8pm. Needless to say, we are beyond exhausted and frustrated. This is my 3rd Labrador, and I've never experienced puppy biting at this level. All of the traditional tricks don't work with her, and when she is tired, it is awful. We can't have anyone over because there is just no stopping her, apart from crating her with a toy for a few minutes, which I hate to do. Last night she slept from 8pm to 11, out to pee, then again until 2:30 I thought she would sleep all night peacefully, since she was so tired, but she whimpered on and off in her crate, by my bed, the rest of the night. She would get up every minute or so and shifts positions. This morning is no different. She is back to following me everywhere and just won't relax. She has large molars coming thru at the very back and really concentrates her chewing in this area. Is this teething pain or something else?
Hi and welcome to the forum. It does sound unusual that she isn't napping during the day. It could be her teeth as you said. Have you tried giving her ice cubes to chew on or wet a tea towel, put it in the freezer and let her gnaw on that? If she's still restless I would pop her to the vets on Monday just to check nothing else is going on. Do let us know how you get on.
Hi and welcome to the forum. Why don't you like to crate her? My Willow would get over-tired at this age and I'd just pop her in her crate and she'd settle down and sleep. I made great associations with her crate and she loved it.
Yeah I would be crating her for sure. It's not only best for them to get their naps in but also for you to get a little sanity break
I just worry about associating the crate with punishment from biting. She is getting quite adjusted to her crate when I need to leave for an hour or so and for sleeping at night. She also goes in her crate willingly to play and nap in evenings. She isn't howerever very good at staying in her crate quietly while we are in the house. We need to work on that part.
If you don't use it as a punishment, it won't get associated as one. If you know your pup is over-tired, pop her in with a cheery "time for a snooze!" or similar, maybe a kong or chew treat to quiet her down, and she'll fall asleep really quickly. It's a great way of getting them used to the crate being a time for peace and quiet. Once she was over-tired, Willow wouldn't settle outside of hers until she was quite a lot older.
Hi there,sounds pretty exhausting at the moment for you all. Fiona has mentioned that the crate doesn't need to be an area of punishment if you associate it with wonderful things.....you may even find that she seeks it out as a choice as a place to rest when she's tired.It might help to put a cover over it ,something like a towel and it makes it more sheltered and den like for her x
Neither of my dogs have settled as puppies - Charlie is chilled out in the house now he is older, but my young puppy Betsy wouldn't stop running round and getting into mischief all day long if I let her, which I most certainly don't. She would torment both me and my older dog to death, I think. My solution is a crate in every room. She gets her walk times, play times, training, kongs, cuddles and so on but when it's settle down time, e.g. because I need to work, she gets a few chances to settle but if she doesn't then she is in her crate but very close by me, so she is not isolated. A routine helps, I think. So the puppy knows what to expect, and what's coming next. Settle down time becomes part of their routine.
Ya now that I've had a chance to really watch what is happening, I realize that she seems afraid to miss something or is afraid that If I leave the room, I may not be coming back. Now that she's a bit older, she's a lot nosier... thank god for baby gates! She still cries when I put her in her kennel if we are in the house and I'm such a sucker for that. I absolutely can't handle a crying puppy. It was so much easier to deal with when I left the house and didn't hear it! I'm just gonna have to suck it up for our sanity, and her rest, and trust that it's the best for everyone in the end. Thank you for all ththe responses!
Yes, I agree. None of my pups have settled during the day without some 'help'. The way we do it is to have a 'settle down' time. Sometimes during the day, usually later in the evening at 9pm ish. We put the pup on a lead with a filled Kong - no toys in sight and expect him/her to settle. They get the message and the lead can be removed. Some pups need the lead for two or three weeks, some get the message in two or three days, depending on their personalities.
Hi and welcome - you've had great advice and I'm sure it will help! Good luck and let us know how you get on.
Ah, well, if you have a crying puppy in a crate, then you need to look again at her crate training. There is an article here: http://www.thelabradorsite.com/crate-training-your-labrador-puppy/
