I’m fostering a 1-year-old American Bulldog. He’s very sweet, but there are moments during the day where he gets overly excited and doesn’t want to listen. I can distract him with a toy, but he quickly goes back to his antics. I’m wondering if he’s not getting enough sleep. He sleeps in my bed, but he doesn’t like being crated at night and starts whining. I walk him twice a day and we play for about 2 hours, but I’m not sure how much sleep he actually needs. Any suggestions on a sleep schedule or advice on how to calm him down?
How long are these walks that he’s getting?
Jordanmatter said:
How long are these walks that he’s getting?
The walks are usually 20-30 minutes long, and I take him to a fenced football field at night so he can run and burn off some extra energy.
@AnushkaSharma
I take him in the morning before I go to class and then around 4-5 PM after class, but it doesn’t seem to tire him out. When I first brought him home, he slept a lot, but now he won’t nap. When I’m studying, he sits by my bed and barks, so I play with him for 10 minutes, but it doesn’t seem enough. I’m meeting his needs, but I’ve never had a big dog before, so I might be doing something wrong.
@AnushkaSharma
Do you try any mental activities apart from walks and play? Maybe puzzle toys or hide and seek could help. For example, change your walking route or slow down to let him sniff around. Mental exercise can tire them out too, especially for working breeds. This could help him settle down better before bed.
@Jordanmatter
Yes, I tried letting him sniff for 30 minutes on a different walk route, and I gave him a lick mat with peanut butter, but he just chewed on it instead. I also bought a bone toy with treats inside, but he doesn’t seem interested. We’re doing a lot of training, which I thought would help, but maybe it’s frustrating him. He follows me everywhere and won’t stay for hide and seek. Any suggestions on fun puzzles or activities he might like? I appreciate all the help.
@AnushkaSharma
It sounds like you may be training for too long at a time. At his age, limit training sessions to 5 minutes. Ending on a positive note helps. You could also try training before mealtime if he’s food motivated. For the lick mat, some dogs aren’t big fans. Try a Kong with peanut butter and kibble, freeze it overnight. As for puzzle toys, try those where you put treats inside and let him knock them out, or sliding puzzles. Make sure the toys are the right size to avoid choking. If the bone toy isn’t working, try showing him the treats inside first.
@Jordanmatter
Thanks so much for the tips. I’ll look into getting a Kong and try shorter training sessions. I’ll also focus on ending training on a positive note. I think I’ve been overdoing it, which may be why he’s getting frustrated. I’m hopeful the changes will help him feel better and more relaxed. Thanks again.
I’m not an expert, but I’ve raised a 5-year-old pitbull mix since he was a puppy. From my experience, young dogs need naps during the day. It can help to set clear nap times, especially when crate training. My dog knew it was time to sleep when we put him in the crate, even if he was hyper right before. It may take some time for your dog to get used to the crate, but consistency is key. If you want to make the crate work, try enforcing it even if he whines. Also, if he’s used to sleeping on your bed, maybe try letting him nap there instead, as it might be harder to make him stay in a crate during the day.
@YukiJane
Thanks for the advice. I’ll give the crate a try during the day. He hasn’t started going in on his own yet, but I’ll work on making it a part of his routine.
AnushkaSharma said:
@YukiJane
Thanks for the advice. I’ll give the crate a try during the day. He hasn’t started going in on his own yet, but I’ll work on making it a part of his routine.
Good luck. You might have more success by switching to crate sleeping at night first. Once he gets used to that, daytime naps might be easier.
@YukiJane
He’s snoring in his crate right now. Thanks for the suggestion, it worked. He only whined a little but then settled down.
AnushkaSharma said:
@YukiJane
He’s snoring in his crate right now. Thanks for the suggestion, it worked. He only whined a little but then settled down.
Awesome. So glad it’s working for both of you.