Poodle Information
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Topic of the Month- Always New Poodle Information!
While most of us love to have a good night’s sleep and look forward to crawling into bed at the end of the day, what happens if our Poodle does not look forward to sleep?
There are many reasons why a Poodle puppy or adult dog may have troubles sleeping.
In most cases, when our Poodle does not sleep through the night, we cannot sleep through the night!
Therefore, our new topic will focus on Poodle sleeping problems and how to solve them.
We will discuss:
- Reason why you Poodle may not be sleeping all night long
- What your puppy or dog needs for a good night’s sleep
- Why sleeping good is so important
- Changes that you can make that will help
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Why Does Your Dog Need So Much Sleep?It is important for an owner to understand just why their Poodle needs to sleep a good amount of the time…And that if he or she is not sleeping, it can affect their thought process, their health and their behavior.
Just in regard to learning new commands, studies have shown that getting adequate sleep the first night after learning a new skill is important for improving memory and performance. So, if your Poodle is getting a restless night of sleep, this can affect their ability to learn new things!
Many studies have been done and they show that dogs need sleep for the same reasons that humans do:
1. It restores what is lost in the body while awake – The body is able to repair and rejuvenate itself
2. The body is able to perform restorative functions such as muscle growth, tissue repair, protein synthesis (when cells construct proteins) and growth hormones release during sleep.
3. Sleep helps dogs to function – while awake, neurons in the dog’s brain (and this happens to us also), produce adenosine….it is a by-produce that is created due to the activity of cells in the body. The buildup of hat adenosine in thought cause us to become tired. During sleep, the adenosine is cleared out of the body ---- if not cleared out, the dog remains tired. Unable to focus well and moody.
Shockingly, there is evidence that animals deprived ENTIRELY of sleep lose ALL immune function and it is fatal.
A Schedule
One of the most important elements for a well behaved and happy dog is to keep a regular schedule. Dogs have amazing inner body clocks. Your Poodle will have a much easier time falling asleep and staying asleep if you choose a specific time for bed and stick to it. If your dog is lead to their bed or other sleeping area at 10PM one night and 8 PM another night, all this does is lead to confusion. Your dog may not be able to read your clock, but they do know what time it is!
Comfort
While there are some dogs who will fall asleep just about anywhere, most Poodles need to have a very comfortable area to sleep in. This is especially true for young puppies who are getting used to a new home and for older, senior dogs who need soft, comfortable sleeping areas that help their sore joints and muscles.
For young puppies, a warm doggie bed with a baby blanket is very comforting. If you place your puppy into a crate at night, be sure that the crate is in an area without any drafts and has a very warm and cozy baby blanket inside of it.
Puppies often like the sound of a ticking clock. The rhythm can be very soothing, especially for puppies new to a home who need some time to become used to their new environment.
Aside from a ticking clock, a radio playing on a low volume is the next best thing.
Older, senior dogs must have an orthopedic dog bed. This is a must if you want your Poodle to be able to sleep throughout the night without waking up from stiff joints and sore muscles.
Changing Sleeping Areas
A change in sleeping areas can be disturbing to a dog. You may have a new puppy who was used to sleeping in a crate at night and now you want them to sleep in their doggie bed. Alternatively, you may have an older dog who used to sleep out in the open, but now you wish for them to be crated at night due to a loss of bladder control. Whatever the situation, your Poodle will need time to adjust.
Going from open area to crate is one of the most difficult moves, especially if your Poodle is older and is not used to a crate. You will need to do a slow, steady change and not expect your dog to be happy with the new arrangements in a day.
It can help to ensure that the crate is as comfortable as possible first. Next, put special treats in the back of the crate. When you wish for your Poodle to enter, use a command word that they will become used to, such as “nighttime”, “bedtime” or other.
Say this in a happy tone that implies that the crate is a positive thing. You may need to take a couple of weeks to slowly allow your Poodle to accept the night time crate. Begin by leaving the door open and sitting down outside for a few minutes. In a couple of days, increase the time steadily. When your Poodle does calm down and lie down, silently leave for a bit before checking on your Poodle. As time goes on, close the gate, but do not lock it. Eventually, you should be able to give the command and close & lock the gate.
Going from crate to out in the open is an easier change. If your Poodle is used to sleeping in the crate, this means that he or she is also used to the safe feeling of being in a “den”. In this case, choose a doggie bed with high sides, fluff it up with baby blankets and place it in the corner of a room where your Poodle will have the “safety” of the walls of the room.
Getting your Poodle to lie down and sleep may not be easy at first, but one must not give up. With enough repetition of giving “sleep” commands and consistently placing your Poodle back into the dog bed each time they get up will pay off in the end.
Being Ready For Sleep
There are other things that you can do to make sure that you Poodle is ready for sleep. Food and exercise play a large role in the sleeping habits of dogs.
Dogs absorb food much differently than humans. Most dogs are very active right after eating. Therefore, you will want to make sure that their last meal of the day is at least 3 hours before their bedtime. Be sure to take your dog outside to urinate and eliminate before bedtime.
Exercise plays a role as well. Your Poodle needs between 20 and 30 minutes of moderate exercise each day. Dogs who do not receive exercise often are just not tired enough at night to fall asleep quickly.
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Too Much Daytime Sleep
While it is very normal for dogs to take naps throughout the day, it is easy to sometimes fall into the habit of skipping playtime , exercise time or interaction because your Poodle is napping and you do not want to disturb them.
Sleeping too much during the day can certainly interfere with a Poodle wanting or needing to sleep through the night. Therefore, do allow your Poodle some naps but also do stick with a daily schedule of play, exercise and interaction. Yes, your Poodle may be napping, but probably would be very happy to be awoken to go outside and play around with you! If you do not interact with your Poodle a lot during the day time and your dog sleeps or rests most of the time, you may find yourself with the problem that they consider daytime to be their sleeping time and night time their time to wander around the home!
Sleeping in your Bed
Our most recent check of surveys has shown that the American Pet Products Association found 62% of small dogs, 41% of medium and 32% of large dogs sleep in their owner’s beds.
The only main reason why you would ban this practice would be if you had an allergy or if having your Poodle sleep right in your bed with you caused insomnia or gave you a bad night’s sleep. One must remember that people CAN be allergic to the dander of Poodle hair…so, if you have itchy eyes, a runny nose or other symptoms, while it may not be the first thing that came to your mind, all of that dander would be in your bed and may be causing those symptoms.
Some dogs tend to take over the bed, sprawling out and/or making a lot of noises that can interrupt your sleep. Remember that needing your own space to make sure you receive a good night’s sleep does not mean you don’t love your Poodle. The Mayo Clinic Sleep Disorders Center did an interesting study that showed ½ of all of their patients did admit that in some way their pet disturbed their sleep. If this is the case, you can compromise by setting up a cozy sleeping area for your Poodle that is close to your bed and allows both of you to be as comfortable as possible.
Changes in the Environment
Any changes can be disturbing to a dog and cause sleeping problems. This can range from moving to a new home or having a new family member move into your current home. These types of changes are not easy for anyone, both human and canine. It will help to maintain the same schedule of walks, play, exercise, eating, grooming, etc that you have always done. In addition, do remember that time will fix this, as each day your Poodle will become more accustomed to the changes.
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