We’ve just adopted our little Tia, a lovely 10-week-old Golden Retriever. She came home last Saturday and she’s absolutely adorable စ727
Everything is going really well, the only snag we’re hitting is at night. She just won’t settle down or sleep; she comes to wake us up, wants to play, starts whining or chewing on cables, and so on. We’ve tried everything to calm her down, but nothing has worked so far...
She gets plenty of exercise during the day: we take her out every two hours, play games at home, she has enrichment toys, meets other dogs and children, and is really getting to know the world.
We take her out just before bed (for example, last night the last trip out was at 1 am and she did her business), we come back in and have a bit of quiet time, but then as soon as we head to bed, she goes completely hyper...
Does anyone know why? We’ve tried giving her a chew toy, telling her "no" (because she keeps trying to jump on the bed...), giving her her comfort toy, and sitting next to her to settle her... but for now, nothing’s helping ပ694 A proper little terror at night!
Thanks in advance for any advice you can give!
Tia & Roxane
Translated from French
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You're right, we're trying to be a bit less "by the book" today and not overdo the walks so we don't overstimulate her. She’s been asleep for three hours now, so I imagine she was already pretty exhausted 😌
We’re going to try not necessarily going out at 1:00 or 1:30 am, but doing the last walk a bit earlier and playing with her so she can settle down properly when we get back.
But it’s true that after every walk, she takes ages to wind down at home... Even this morning (out around 10:00 am for her second walk), she was still really hyper when she got back. Mind you, we do play with her indoors too (a little session with her rope toy) and do some short training sessions, but when she’s in that state she really struggles to listen... and finds it hard to settle on her own...
"We wait for her to wake up before taking her out (every 2 or 3 hours). Usually, if we move around a bit, it wakes her up, so maybe it's not the best time to take her out…"
Try to be a bit more instinctive and less "by the book" ;-)
Don't just take her out at a specific time or for a set duration just because you feel you "have" to.
If you've noticed she settles down around 10 pm every night, for instance, try to stay one step ahead. Take her out just before then for more than just a quick toilet break—give her a good 20 minutes. Let her play, or play with her if she seems up for it (but make sure to GRADUALLY wind things down over the last few minutes by stopping the play...) and once you're back inside, head off to bed. The best thing to do is probably what you did last night: sleep in the living room with her, and then see if you can sneak out of the room without making a sound...
You might want to get up a bit earlier as well, since she's going to bed earlier, if you're worried about her having an accident indoors.
Last night was the same story at bedtime (we’d taken her out beforehand at about 1 am); she found it really difficult to settle once we got back in. We tried the same approach as yesterday, keeping her in the bedroom with us with the door shut, but she just wouldn't calm down.
In the end, I took her out of the room and we went to sleep in the lounge, where she dropped off really quickly. After about 15 minutes, I went back into the bedroom and pulled the door to. She whined a little bit but went back to bed in the lounge, although during the night, she managed to nudge the bedroom door open to get back to her mat inside… (without making a sound 🤫)
Hi Solène,
When I say she goes "completely bonkers", I mean she tries to mouth everything, she barks, and she tries to jump up on the sofa or the bed to nip at us (especially my partner’s trousers)... It can last for 30 to 45 minutes. At first, we don’t do anything; we ignore her so she tries to settle down on her own. We only step in when she starts chewing the furniture, for example, to redirect her to a toy. But redirecting her just isn't working...
The outings from 10 pm onwards are strictly for toilet breaks; we try to keep things calm. We live in a flat, so we obviously have to head downstairs to take her out :)
We wait for her to wake up before taking her out (every 2 to 3 hours). Usually, when we move around a bit, it wakes her up, so perhaps that’s not actually the best time to take her out...
What exactly do you mean by "completely crazy"? What does she actually do? (And what do you do?) How long does it go on for?
Do you just pop her out quickly at 10pm and 1am, or are these 20-minute walks? What are you doing during them? (Meeting other dogs, interactive games with you, or just for her to go to the loo...?)
Is this in your garden, or out and about?
If she’s settled at home and sleeping, do you wake her up for her walks?
Haha, yeah, I totally get it. It seems those early days are always a bit of a struggle 😌
Anyway, we’ve noticed that in the evenings, when we get back from our final walks, Tia goes ab-so-lutely mental once she's back inside. She just can't seem to settle down at all... It usually happens at night (like after the 10 pm walk just now, and it’s even happened as late as 1 am before). Has anyone else dealt with this? I have to admit, when she’s like this, we’re really not sure what the best approach is... 😔
She’s lovely during the day, though... No over-the-top behaviour, she gets plenty of exercise and seems like a really happy pup...
When Genesys, our Czechoslovakian Wolfdog, arrived 11 years ago, we tried leaving her in the lounge for the first two or three nights, as the bedrooms were upstairs (and strictly out of bounds back then – though yes, they sleep upstairs now! 👌).
She would cry, and it honestly sounded like a plaintive "Mummyyyyy" (I’m not exaggerating, my husband and kids could tell you the same lol). Eventually, my husband slept downstairs for a couple of nights and that was that; she’d realised we weren't far away.
Mind you, I have to admit that since then, we’ve put dog beds upstairs: Jyrkhos is snoring away, and Genesys is on the sofa for now 😁.
Hi Tania, yes, I’m hoping tonight is much the same 🙄
You’re right, it just takes a bit of time for everyone to find their feet; we’re doing our best to help her settle in and find her place in the home!
It’s worth remembering that when a puppy first arrives, they need time to settle in, and so do we. There’s no such thing as a perfect owner; we all learn and improve a bit more every day. Puppies can also go through a bit of a regression later on—a sort of rebellious teenage phase—and we’ll have our own off days too. The main thing is that it works for everyone involved.
Goodnight 👍
Hi,
Thanks for the advice! I tried putting some of it into practice last night and it went really, really well; she settled down very easily and didn't wake up at all between 1 am and 7 am.
After her last walk last night, I left her in peace without any distractions, and at bedtime, I called her to come and settle in the bedroom with us (with the door closed). She tried to come and see me in bed twice, but I didn't budge—I just said 'no' and guided her back to her bed. After the second time, she stayed put and fell fast asleep ✌
As for the living room technique, that's what we tried two or three times before because she just wouldn't settle in the bedroom...
