14/01/2025
What they don't teach you in puppy classes...
Sleep regression in Dogs: This is the period where a dog's sleep pattern can significantly change. It's often characterised by increased nighttime waking, restlessness, or disrupted sleep, in Esme's case it's all three plus night barks.
This can also tie-in with the second fear phase which, if you've been following Esme's training, you'll know has manifested in people shyness/mistrust.
We had nailed Esme's sleep, her dad was the best at the nighttime routine (I'm useless after 8pm). She would settle herself in bed about 730pm, we'd wake her up for last wee's and maybe some calm interaction (brushing or settle training or just strokes), then she'd settle back down and sleep downstairs all through the night.
Then we started the 11pm barking, this usually coincided with neighbours returning from late shift, or leaving for night shift. She'd hear their car and start barking, sometimes she'd settle herself down again, sometimes we'd have to come down to interrupt the barking, taking her outside and offer toileting.
Then the 1am barks...
Then the 3am barks...
Sometimes we get the 5am barks...
It's effectively sleep torture, my partner is a much heavier sleeper than I am, I am also an insomniac and once I'm awake I sometimes cannot get back to sleep. This plays merry hell with your cognitive functions, and affects your level of calm empathetic thought too.
And funnily enough if lack of sleep does that to you, it also does the same for your dog!
Training became harder, they forget cues or routines go out the window. Their needs change too, they may need more space or more attention, something to chew, might go off meals or need more food.
On days like these, a decompression walk, a couple of slow release chews, and space to rest is ESSENTIAL. And then, do the same for your dog!
If you'd like to know how we're managing and (when possible... But not today) training around this, drop me a DM or email.
