[Murphy103120]

Hello all you incredibly helpful wise poodle owners. You all have been very helpful on a few of my other questions so I'm reaching out again.

My boy Murphy (spoo) who is just about 6 months is becoming restless at night-time when sleeping in crate. We didn't used to have any issues, but more recently when we put him in his crate for bed time he scratches and gets his bed all disheveled, and then he'll then settle down and doze off. Then in the middle of the night and early morning we can hear that he's awake and scratching around at the bottom of the crate again.

He goes for a nice walk in the morning, some training and play time around noon, and around 5:30ish we go to the park nearby where he plays with his puppy friends for about an hour until he is totally exhausted.

We bought him a bed maybe a month ago, and for the first 2 to 3 weeks he seemed to really like it and we didn't have any issues. Then this began. Although he's never had an accident in his crate we thought maybe he soiled his bed, but it checks out okay when we look/smell it. Then we thought maybe he's over exhausted from play time everyday, or maybe we aren't feeding him enough (we give him 3 cups total each day)?

We are still very much in the trial and error guessing game for this riddle. Just wondering is anyone else has had experience with similar issues? Also, I would love to get a few bed recommendations if you have one that's tried and true.

As always, I greatly appreciate any and all advice.

Cheers,
Jordan

 

[SamieNorman]

Hi Jordan!! I wouldn’t call myself a wise poodle owner LOL, but I would say that I have experienced this before with Norman.

I do have a few questions for you that might help. Is Murphy being mentally stimulated during the day with enrichment? Sniffing games, frozen treats or food, mental games? These can be very helpful in dogs who seem physically tired, but restless. I know with Norman, the more I let him sniff on walks, hid his treats (in grass, under toys) and did mind games with him, they better he slept. That’s also including lots of running and playing. Mental stimulation is really important and can help dogs be more tired for you!

Does Murphy sleep or nap maybe too much? I know when Loki was younger, around 4-6 months he was SO restless which made him sleepy during the day and then awake at night. His rhythm was totally out of it. I had to make the change to make sure he had a big decrease in naps and more activities and play time during the day.

I hope this helps!!! He might just being going through growing pains and adjustments

best of luck to you!!
Samie

 

[cowpony]

Is he outgrowing the crate? At around 5 1/2 months my boy Galen outgrew his 36" crate. When he lay flat on his side his back touched one side of the crate and his toes touched the opposite wall.

Is he getting too warm? Galen was ok in his undersized crate for a couple weeks, as he was happy to sleep curled up. Then we got a heatwave, and Galen switched to wanting to sleep stretched out. He started scrabbling restlessly trying to find a comfortable position.

 

[PeggyTheParti]

Peggy got restless around that age, too, Replacing her crate did the trick.

I would recommend a 48” crate if he’s a medium sized spoo. If he’s larger than average, I’m not sure a normal sized crate would be comfortable overnight. Those long poodle legs need a lot of space. I also think flat beds are a good idea in crates, with a few blankets they can bunch up into pillows if they like, or just shove aside.

This one’s been great: FRISCO Quilted Orthopedic Pillow Cat & Dog Bed w/Removable Cover, Beige, 48-in - Chewy.com

 

[Basil_the_Spoo]

Maybe try mixing up his evening event with an equally slow sniff-stuff walk?

Ex,
MWFSa = Slow Sniff walks
Tue, Th, Sun = Dog Park

This way, his little body can recover from the play and social engagement. Then, he can have more time 1:1 for leash manners and nose engagement. He still gets equal amount of fresh air... Just a variety.

I try to think about Basil's activities like athletic training.. little bit of this, little bit of that, and sometimes less is more.

Im curious about the crate size too.

 

[Spottytoes]

I’m with getting a larger crate so Murphy can stretch and rearrange to his heart’s content. It seems a bit of restlessness may be normal? I suppose restlessness is relative. It seems to me if he’s he’s scratching around, moving and rearranging his bedding but then settling back down and going back to sleep then I personally don’t see that as a big issue as long as you know when he has to go potty and you know that he is comfortable and has enough room. Bobby gets free reign of the house at night but he definitely does his fair share of rearranging, changing spots or what have you. He alternates quite a bit between the couch, the bed and the floor. He let’s us know when he has to go out though so aside from that, I just ignore it his nightly shifting.

 

[Apricot mini momma]

I’m with getting a larger crate so Murphy can stretch and rearrange to his heart’s content. It seems a bit of restlessness may be normal? I suppose restlessness is relative. It seems to me if he’s he’s scratching around, moving and rearranging his bedding but then settling back down and going back to sleep then I personally don’t see that as a big issue as long as you know when he has to go potty and you know that he is comfortable and has enough room. Bobby gets free reign of the house at night but he definitely does his fair share of rearranging, changing spots or what have you. He alternates quite a bit between the couch, the bed and the floor. He let’s us know when he has to go out though so aside from that, I just ignore it his nightly shifting.

i have a mini poo just shy of 6 months. Just when I was so impressed with how well he was sleeping through the night, he has become restless some nights as well. Sometimes he’s hungry, or he just plays for a bit then needs to go out. Sometimes I think I tired him out too much, other times I think I let him sleep too much. I’ve settled on hormones and he’ll grow out of it 😉

Thank you to everyone on the forum btw, I’ve been lurking but haven’t had a chance to chime in. Too busy spoiling the puppy 😃🥰🐩

 

[Bailey_Whiskey]

Seems like 6 months is a common time for new issues to surface..

Whiskey has been getting into the habit of whining at 2am, 3am and 4am every night too. At first I thought he needed to go to the toilet because it sounded like the “I need something” whine, so I let him out the first few times. But he did not go, didn’t need water either.

He sleeps in an ex pen, and has plenty of space to stretch out. Good thing is he goes back to sleep when I give him the command “go to sleep”.

I’m now thinking it’s the teenage insecurity and rebellion.

 

[cowpony]

We found Galen settled better if we put him to bed with a snack of 1/2 to 3/4 cup kibble. I think 12 hours (7 pm dinner time to 7 am breakfast time) was just too long for him to go without food when he was in a growth spurt.

We did make a mistake however. We would pour the kibble noisily into his bowl and immediately put Galen into his crate. Galen, therefore, learned to associate the noise of kibble hitting the bowl with bedtime and no more fun. He reacted the way any youngster would when ordered to bed - pouting and tantrums.

 

[Dechi]

If the behavior is bed scratching only, it might not be an issue. Some dogs like to « make » their bed before laying down. It’s an acquired behavior, they’re digging in the dirt to make a hole.

I have two scratchers here. I hear them after putting them to sleep (no crate). It used to wake me up in the middle of the night as well but now I have white noise in my bedroom and can’t hear. Even when we nap together on the sofa, Beckie will scratch the blanket before laying down. I find it funny and I laugh. She’s so frantic about it, lol !

 

[Thomazine]

I have a seven month old who keeps going nuts in the evenings, whether his day has been quiet or busy. Tethering him to me with a chew fixes it some evenings; other evenings I brush him out which makes him crash right away. (He’s not exactly angelic on the table, but it does seem to wear him out so he can settle.)