Is your puppy suddenly going crazy and won't listen to you? Don't fret! It doesn't necessarily mean that they are the devil incarnate and are the worst dog in the world. It probably just means they are tired :)
Learning to tell when your puppy is tired is crucial! You might be thinking that a tired puppy will be obvious to recognize, but guess AGAIN! Some of the things puppies do when they're tired are counter intuitive to what you would expect, such as having crazy bursts of energy. And much like a human baby or toddler, when puppies are young (between 8-10 weeks) they will not put themselves down for a nap, YOU must do this when you start to see the signs of tiredness if you want to have a well balanced puppy.
Learning to tell when your puppy is tired is crucial! You might be thinking that a tired puppy will be obvious to recognize, but guess AGAIN! Some of the things puppies do when they're tired are counter intuitive to what you would expect, such as having crazy bursts of energy. And much like a human baby or toddler, when puppies are young (between 8-10 weeks) they will not put themselves down for a nap, YOU must do this when you start to see the signs of tiredness if you want to have a well balanced puppy.
How to put a puppy down for a nap:
Simply put them in their crate with a breathable blanket/sheet thrown on top to put them down for a high quality nap. It may take them 2-3 minutes to settle down. If they truly are tired, they fall asleep within 5-10 minutes. If they keep going crazy, take them back out, go potty, play more and try again.
Simply put them in their crate with a breathable blanket/sheet thrown on top to put them down for a high quality nap. It may take them 2-3 minutes to settle down. If they truly are tired, they fall asleep within 5-10 minutes. If they keep going crazy, take them back out, go potty, play more and try again.
Signs of Puppy Tiredness
- Red, bloodshot eyes
- Indie's eyes get redder and redder the more tired he gets. When he wakes up, they are white again. If your dogs eyes stay red, it could be a sign of Colitis and you need to see your vet.
- Getting very bity or nippy
- Sudden bursts of CRAZY energy
- Suddenly your puppy starts going crazy, tearing around the house, yard, or anywhere they are. Almost bucking like a wild bronco! They won't listen to you, they bite at you, they roll over onto their backs just biting at the air. Yep....time for a nap.
- Glossed over, vacant stare with Head bobble
- When your puppy suddenly gets this "glossed over" look in their eyes, they are starting to get tired! Their heads may wobble a little bit too, like a sloooooow version of a bobble head. It will be as if they are looking at you, but like they don't see you.
- Wobbling while walking
- Especially with little puppies, when they start to become extra wobbly (more than usual) while playing or walking, they're starting to get tired.
Thank you for this post!! My puppy exhibits ALL of the characteristics that you mentioned. I just put her in her crate after reading this, and she is sound asleep! THANK YOU!!
ReplyDeleteThank you my xl bully pup 15 weeks is behaving like this when tired eyes red nipping and running away and then barking put him in his crate took about 8 minutes of barking and he was fast asleep vet told me my puppy dose not need naps what a load of bs once he’s napped for a hour or so he’s a different dog then after a few hours it starts again and we repeat the crating and nap it’s working but he dose bark like mad when we put him in for a nap but of a night he goes in his crate and sleeps the whole night no problem it’s been hard work but I think we are getting somewhere now with him this post did help as I thought our boy was crazy a few weeks back
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