Sleep is essential for humans and dogs alike, but if your pup is an excitable or anxious sort then bedtimes might be a bit of a chore.
There are some tactics to put into practice if you’re dealing with a dog that’s too energetic when the time for rest arrives, so try a few of the following out to tackle over-stimulated pet problems.
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Make their bed a place they want to be
It might be obvious to some, but if a dog has a bed that is comfortable, warm and appealing, you won’t have to do much to encourage them to use it.
That’s why investing in a luxury bed for your dog, rather than sticking with a more basic alternative, is sensible. There are lots of designs to choose from, and you can even get examples designed to help ease joint pain in dogs that suffer from it, so it’s about more than just pampering your pooch.
Another aspect of this is considering where you put the bed. If a dog loves company, then it can feel isolated from you and the rest of the household if it’s banished to a different room in the evenings. Placing their bed in an area where the animal will still feel connected with you is wise for this reason.
Stick to the same routine
One of the main disruptions to a dog’s calmness at bedtime is if there’s no set routine in place. Like people, they prefer to have a set schedule and series of events to follow day by day, and if things are constantly in flux then it’s harder for them to settle.
One good idea is to build a bedtime routine around an evening snack. Give them a treat and provide plenty of soothing attention as you’re encouraging them to go to bed, and this will form positive associations with this part of the day.
Finding and sticking with the best dog food for them is vital, as well. You want to avoid making too many changes to their diets or feeding them unfamiliar foods close to bedtime. Food that is easy to digest gives them the least discomfort when bed time rolls around.
Give them enough exercise
Sometimes the only reason that a dog won’t sleep at night is because it needs to burn off a bit more energy in the daytime.
Be sure to look into the amount of exercise that your breed of dog requires, and aim to give it this as much as possible. If your pet is all tuckered out through ample activity, it should have no trouble drifting off when the time comes.
Provide a soft toy for comfort
Dogs love toys, and cuddly, plush products of this kind can be a real comfort when they are getting ready to rest.
Many dogs will actively cuddle their soft toys, replicating the kind of interaction they’d have in nature as part of a pack. This also means that they’ll be calmed, without needing to have your constant attention and physical proximity.
Play classical music
Amazingly, studies have shown that if you pipe some classical tunes into the room where your dog is resting, it will have a calming effect on them.
It’s also important to mix up the genres from time to time, as researchers also discovered that dogs are fans of variety, and won’t be as calmed by hearing the same genre over and over.
Another option is to play talk radio to them, as often the sounds of human voices will be soothing, if this is a normal part of the background environment for them.
Of course, every dog is unique, so while some of these strategies will work, others may not, so you need to put the time and the effort into doing what you can to calm and comfort your dog before bedtime. I hope this has helped you to answer how to calm dog at night.