Puppy playing at night

Patounes
Patounes Icon representing the flag French
Report

Hi everyone!

My little puppy (a 2.5-month-old female Malinois) wakes up two or three times a night to play with her toys! These play sessions last about 30 minutes... And it's a nightmare considering I live in a studio flat and sleep in the same room...

What should I do to get her to sleep through the night? Should I take her toys away? Should I just leave her and she'll grow out of it on her own? How long will it be until she's sleeping through?

Please help me

Thanks in advance

Have a good day

Translated from French
icon info

The forum content is sometimes translated from another language, and posts may concern countries with different animal laws. Do your research before making any decisions.

Since the forum is translated by AI, the translations may contain errors.

Loading editor

Write your message and upload a photo if you want to! Please remain courteous in your exchanges.

Your post will be visible to all members of the international Wamiz forum.

8 answers
Sort by:
  • Patounes
    Patounes Icon representing the flag French
    Report

    Well, tiring her out before she went to bed... despite having such high hopes for it, NADA!!! It was actually worse; instead of waking up at 5 am, she woke up at 1.30 am and then again at 4 am, and then the same thing all over again in the morning!

    So I think I'm giving up on that idea...

    But can anyone tell me at what age a puppy usually starts sleeping through the night???

    Translated from French
    Patounes
    Patounes Icon representing the flag French
    Report
    Good evening. Thanks for your replies :) I can't really go out with other dogs at the moment as she hasn't had all her jabs yet (I'm patiently waiting for her to hit the 3-month mark :))). My boyfriend has another Malinois, so I take mine over to his place every weekend so she can see him and learn from him, but even then, she doesn't necessarily make much progress... and she attacks him by biting and barking... Luckily our one-year-old Mali is a real sweetheart and doesn't react to the little terror ;) Anyway, as for being outside, she's not quite there yet... I just tried throwing the ball for her a few times outdoors, but once she's fetched it, she just runs towards a building door while dodging me... so I took her somewhere else to get her walking, but no, she just sits down and cries... As a last resort to tire her out, I did a bit of bite work with a puppy rag after a short training session, then a game with a soft toy to finish her off! She’s asleep now; we’ll have to see how she gets on during the night and if she wakes up or not ^^ it’s the first time she’s done so much before bed, so fingers crossed :) Thanks again for your replies anyway, I’m taking it all on board :)))
    Translated from French
    F
    Fredoo69 Icon representing the flag French
    Report

    I agree with Provéto. Keep her as stimulated as possible.

    When it comes to walks, I find there's nothing better than being around sociable dogs; they are the best teachers (your pup will forget all her fears when she's with other dogs).

    At two and a half months old, your puppy won't be sleeping through the night yet—even if it's not to play, it'll be to go to the toilet. I used to take my puppy out at 3am (just for 5 minutes, nothing more) to avoid any accidents in the house. Because of that, my pup was fully house-trained by 3 months, as long as I took him out regularly.

    Translated from French
    ProvetoJuniorConseil
    Provetojuniorconseil Icon representing the flag French
    Expert verified
    Report

    Hi there,

    It’s perfectly normal for a two-and-a-half-month-old puppy to wake up during the night. Unfortunately, if you take her toys away, she’ll just find other things to do to keep herself occupied (chewing things, jumping on your bed, and so on). The issue isn’t the toys; it’s her energy levels. When you’re out on walks, encourage her to follow you by giving her treats, using a cheerful voice, and praising her whenever she moves forward. Try going on walks with other dogs (making sure they’re all friendly and healthy, which is vital) to keep her motivated. Stay out for two hours if you have to, but she really needs to explore and burn off all that pent-up energy. Keep a specific toy for outdoors that she only gets when she’s walking well.

    I hope this helps,

    Roxane

    Translated from French
    Energiesolaire
    Energiesolaire Icon representing the flag French
    Report

    What if you head out into the countryside and let the Malinois off the lead for a lovely walk? Do you reckon he’d refuse to budge?

    [youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_y-BMSbJBo]

    Translated from French
    Docline
    Docline Icon representing the flag French
    Report

    a pet carrier (there are large ones available), to a safe spot she'll find magical

    Translated from French
    Patounes
    Patounes Icon representing the flag French
    Report
    Thanks for your replies :) I can’t go for long walks, and goodness knows it’s all I dream of! But she still refuses to move... She’ll only walk in a cul-de-sac near my place, and if I take her anywhere else, she just sits down, cries and struggles... Even when I try to carry her away from my flat, she fights me with all her might... I try throwing a ball for her in the street to get her running a bit and burn off some energy, but as she doesn't have any recall yet, she won't bring it back and tends to bolt towards a building entrance or someone walking past... And yet, when I go to bed, she’s fast asleep... but in the middle of the night, she goes absolutely wild... I’m going to try playing with her more before she settles down to try and delay the night-time zoomies.
    Translated from French
    Annchanteuz
    Annchanteuz Icon representing the flag French
    Report
    Hi there, You could try taking her toys away so she makes less noise, but if she’s waking up in the night to play, I’d say she’s still got plenty of energy to burn! Don't hesitate to have a big play session before you head to bed, and a good walk in the evening if you can. My dog is a year old, but on the days when I'm at work and don't get him out enough, I hear him getting up and faffing about during the night, and he wakes up much earlier in the morning! Whereas when I’m off and we go for a proper walk, I don't hear a peep from him from 8pm onwards!
    Translated from French
  • 8 comments out of 8

  • Do you have a question? An experience to share? Create a post on our forum!