Essential Puppy Sleeping Tips You Need to Know
Having a new pup in the house can be exciting – but it can also be a bit 
overwhelming. To ensure your puppy (and the rest of the household) gets the best possible rest, here are some essential tips to keep in mind when providing their sleeping area. Make sure the bed is comfortable with plenty of soft, plush toys, and use a sturdy crate or dog bed that is placed in a quiet place away from distractions. You might want to consider using Adaptil Calming Spray to help promote relaxation and ensure your puppy feels safe and secure. Lastly, always observe how your pup reacts by gauging whether they seem happy and eager to go back into their sleeping spot.
Where is the Best Place for a New Puppy to Sleep?
When it comes to choosing where your new puppy should sleep, you have a
few different options. Crate training is often recommended as the most comfortable and safe option, as it gives puppies their own space that they can retreat to when they need a break or rest. Plush toys and beds are also great comfort items for your puppy during sleeping time and Adaptil calming spray may also be beneficial in helping your puppy feel calm in their new environment.
Setting Up a Safe and Comforting Sleep Space For Your New Puppy
Once you bring your new pup home, there will be many distractions and very little time initially. Get all of your new pup preparation done before bringing them home. This will establish familiarity and comfort for your new addition early on. Follow these tips for a great start:
1. Set Up Their Dog Bed:
Before bringing your new puppy home, make sure to set up their designated sleeping area. Place their bed in an area that is quiet, warm, and far away from any high traffic areas like a kitchen or office. You may need to experiment prior to bringing your pup home with different locations depending on your house setup, but the best option would be an area with soft carpeting and low lighting.
2. Make Sure the Room Temperature is Optimal:
Keeping your pup comfortable is important to avoid them getting startled during their sleep cycles. During the summertime when it's hot out, you may want to keep a fan running near their bed or set up a window air conditioning unit to maintain a balanced temperature in the room where they are sleeping. During winter, ensure that your pup has the warmth of a blanket and a heat pack in their dog bed. A dog that is cold will find it hard to sleep!
3. Promote Calmness:
Ensure that your dog has had its physical needs met before their 'downtime'. This involves making sure they have been fed and have relieved themselves outside first. Create an environment that promotes downtime before bed. Avoid playful activities, instead, you could try gentle strokes, playing soothing music, and having some low lighting to help promote a calm environment. Settling toys that your new pup can curl up with can mimick litter mates in there bed. These snuggle toys are a great tool in case they wake up scared or start whimpering for attention – this too will aide in helping them adjust well for the night.
4. Invest in a Quality Dog Bed:
The Kazoo range of comfortable dog beds are designed to fit in the Kazoo dog Crates, Learn more about them here.
5. Create the Perfect Bed Scenario:
When setting up your pup’s bed environment make sure it’s equipped with
cushions, blankets, or any other creature comforts they desire such as chew toys. The Nylabone chew bones are ideal for teething pups and are a safe chew toy to provide relief to your pup. Having these items around will help them have positive associations to rest time which leads to better overall mental health development in pups! Experience has shown that a dedicated plush toy or blanket that has the scent of your pups parents or litter mates can benefit your pup at settling times.
6. Use a puppy pen or crate:
Once you have established the type of bed for your new pup to sleep in, you may need to consider how you keep them there over night. A puppy pen or crate
establishes safety and security for your pup by ensuring that they can not escape overnight! Routine habits early on help to grow well adjusted, and healthy dogs. Dog crates and puppy pens make a pup feel safe as they can rest without being disturbed. As your pup grows, they will use this area as their safe space which is beneficial when there are visitors to your house.
The crate should be big enough for the puppy to stand up, turn around, and lie down comfortably. Puppy pens are a little larger and will have space to use a puppy pad and bowl of water.
It's important to remember that the crate or pen should never be used as a form
of punishment. Puppies should associate their crates with positive experiences, such as meal times and bedtime so that they are comfortable and happy to retreat to their crates when needed.
Finally, remember to make these first experiences as positive as possible. Ensuring that you have sleeping arrangements for your new puppy decided before you bring them home helps to make to transition for your pup an easy one. For more information on settling your pup, read the following blog, Top Tips To Ensure your Pet gets a Good Night’s Sleep.
The following items provide you with a list of new puppy essentials for sleeping!
-
Puppy pen or crate
- Dog bed or crate bed
- Heat pack
- Blankets
- Puppy training pads
- Water & food bowl
- Calming spray
- Nylabone chew
- Cuddle toy
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