March 23rd Is National Puppy Day
Have you played with your puppy today? March 23rd is National Puppy Day. Celebrate with a fun day at the dog park.
Online, March 23, 2011 (Newswire.com) - Celebrate National Puppy Day 2011 with a special outing to the dog park or another get together with owners of other dogs to get them socialized.
Sometimes it's hard to celebrate when you or your dog have not been getting much sleep.
If you are the proud new owner of a brand new puppy that has kept you up half the night whimpering and barking, you may need to rub the sleep out of your eyes to be able to read this. If you are in this situation, or may be soon, breaking your puppy into a healthy sleep pattern is something that your puppy desperately needs as much as you do.
Typically puppies are creatures of habit and will reward you with positive behavior if you keep to a routine schedule of sleeping, feeding and exercise.
It sounds simple, and it is. Sticking to a schedule will help the transition from a newly weaned puppy to a happy tail wagging member of your family with minimum effort and maximum results.
Learn more about Puppy Sleep
When you think about how much energy and concentration it takes for a puppy to run, play, and eat along with brain and muscles growth, it's not surprising that they need as much sleep as they do. Typically a 12 week old puppy will need around 18-20 hours of sleep a day. Weaning your puppy can take time.
When you consider that there's 24 hours in a day, your puppy's sleep routine should rate at the top of your priority list as it is a huge basic survival need that must be met. Take the time to plan ahead and think about how you will regularly meet your puppies sleep needs.
The transition from being at home with mom to his/her new home is quite traumatic for your puppy. Even though you have taken great care to buy the softest, plushest new bed and all the accessories that go along with new pet ownership and spent tons of time researching what your new puppy will need once he/she arrives home, nothing can prepare your puppy for the change in environment no matter how much nicer it may seem.
For the past eight to 12 weeks, all your puppy has known has been the scent of its mother, brothers and sisters and life up until now has been full of bonding experiences shared by the litter.
The sooner you can show your puppy that you are prepared to meet your puppies sleep needs and be there when he/she calls, the happier your puppy will be. Like a newborn baby, at the beginning there is no spoken language other than crying so getting needs communicated and met can be frustrating for both you and your puppy.
Whether your puppy is missing his/hers brothers and sisters, is tired, or needs to go out to the bathroom, by patiently spending time with your puppy and keeping a regular schedule you will quickly become attuned to your puppies way of communicating.
Remember, the quicker you get your puppy into a routine sleep schedule, the quicker everyone will along the road to a peaceful, uninterrupted night of sleep.
How are your celebrating National Puppy Day 2011? Let us know by posting on our Puppy Care Facebook Fanpage.