Dogs are man’s best friend and there’s no point in denying that dogs are loyal creatures. But a dog’s age, it becomes more difficult for them to sleep at night peacefully. Depending on the type of breed, dogs in general sleep for 12-14 hours per day which is their natural sleeping cycle.
The main reason for a dog to be awake at night includes some general body discomfort or changes in sleep patterns. There are certain ways and methods using which you can help your dog to sleep better.
How to help Dog Sleep Well at Night?
Set up a routine
Making your routine consistent day to day helps your dog to recognize when it’s time to bed. The same thing applies to meals. Feeding your dog a few hours before bed will help them to digest the food comfortably. Try to keep the hours before bedtime as relaxed as possible.
And most importantly, ensure that your dog takes a potty break right before going to bed. We’d suggest you take your dog for a quick 10-15 min walk at night before going to bed. This would also help you to digest your dinner.
Take your dog for exercise sessions
If your dog is sleeping a lot during the day, it would naturally become difficult for it to sleep at night. Thus, it is very important that you take your dog for regular walks and run in a park.
Not only you would love to spend that time, but the rigorous movements would be good for your dog to stay healthy and immune to diseases and fever. Depending on the type of breed, dogs should spend half an hour to two hours a day exercising and doing active movements.
A comfortable place to sleep
As your dog ages, its body will start to ache. If your dog doesn’t seem comfortable at their usual place of the bed, they might need a softer, warmer, and properly lit place to sleep. Try to get a comfortable dog bed that is thoroughly cushioned. Padding makes the bed more comfortable for your dog.
Place it in a well-lighted place to make your dog more comfortable throughout the day or you can also purchase black curtains to dim the light during the day. There are special types of beds for ill dogs. There are heated dog beds for dogs suffering from hypothermia or orthopedic dog beds designed for old-aged dogs.
Therapy music
Like humans, dogs also react to slow soothing music. Soothing music can help put your dog in a calm state, hence helping them to sleep more easily.
If your dog is full of spirit, play a piece of soothing music and be ready to be amazed at the result. You can browse YouTube to find some of the best soothing music.
Use oils to calm your dogs
Oils like lavender oil or CBD oil have a calming and relaxing effect on both humans as well as animals. So if your dog is having problems while sleeping, you can use these oils. Learn more about CBD oils that help with treating dog anxiety at Ineedmedic.com.
Use a dog house or a crate
It’s essential that a dog is crate trained. It establishes a place for your dog to sleep. Steps to get a good crate according to your dog’s size:
- Get a crate that is big enough for your dog to move freely.
- You can make the crate your dog’s favorite place just by putting good padding and blankets in the crate. It will make them sleep comfortably.
- You can also put cooling pads underneath the blankets to make sure your dog stays cool in hotter months. While in the cold months you can use weighted blankets on your dog to help them have a calm sleep.
Proper feeding schedule
Your dog’s feeding schedule will be responsible for its sleeping schedule. Food is energy. So don’t feed your dog right before bedtime. Breakfast should be given to your dog immediately after they wake up. This will give them the energy to move around all day.
Dinner should be given a couple of hours before bedtime. This will give your dog time to digest the food and go outside and expel it.
Don’t share your bed
Like consistency with bedtime, it’s good for your dog to sleep on the same bed every night. Sharing the bed with your dog can have a negative impact on your overall sleep quality.
Sleeping with your dog can increase the risk of you getting a skin infection and especially in people with asthma or allergies.
Use of sleeping aids
If your dog is having a hard time sleeping, there are some sleeping medicines that can be used for dogs. However, sleeping pills for humans should not be given to your dog and it shouldn’t be the first option to consider.
There is a chewing gum company called ‘’NaturVet” that offers calming dog chew which can reduce stress in your pup and help them sleep better.
Check for illness
Take your dog to a good veterinarian for regular health check-ups. Health issues arise early in aged dogs. A veterinarian will check the history of your dog and perform a physical exam. The physical exam will help the veterinarian to determine the underlying cause of your dog’s discomfort.
Well, that’s it in this post. We think that the above methods would certainly help your dog sleep better. It is very important that we give the same respect and care to our dogs as we do to other human beings. In the end, they are the most adorable creatures.
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