3 mistakes dog owners are making when trying to get their pets to sleep

Daily Record

30-07-2025

Renee Patience, founder of Paws Academy, has shared her three top tips for settling a puppy, creating the perfect bedtime routine to enable your pet sleep through the night
If your four-legged friend is keeping you awake at night, a dog training expert might have just the answer you've been searching for. Renee Patience, a behavioural specialist, has revealed her essential pet advice through a social media guide.
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The Paws Academy founder reckons numerous dog owners are making three crucial errors when it comes to bedtime routines. "Here are the top three mistakes I see every week that make bedtime harder than it needs to be," she wrote on TikTok. "These fixes are simple but game-changing. Puppy sleep training doesn't have to be complicated."
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Renee kicked off her video by explaining her guidance will help anyone with a young dog who is "absolutely desperate" for a proper night's rest.
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Location
Allowing your puppy to nap wherever it fancies could be precisely where you're going astray, Renee outlined in her opening point. "It's subtle, but it does matter," she explained.
"So if your puppy naps under the table, on the sofa or in your arms, they're not learning that bed or the crate etc is the place to fully switch off."
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Renee noted that gradually, this will make it more challenging for your dog to settle in the area you want them to. To tackle the issue, when your pet does drift off away from their bed, you should carefully transfer them to their bed or crate before they enter deep sleep.
"This helps them associate the space with real rest," she added.
Cues
Employing commands inconsistently could be making things harder for yourself, Renee went on to explain. "If you're saying 'settle' one night, 'bed' the following night and 'sleepy time' after that, how does your puppy know what you're asking them to do?" Renee asked her followers.
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Rather than this approach, the specialist recommends selecting one command and maintaining consistency with it, whilst always combining it with the identical routine and location. "The puppy will thrive on repetition - not guesswork," Renee added.
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Excitement
Renee concluded her video by highlighting that her third point is "easy to overlook". She clarified that if your pup thinks bedtime signals cuddle time, toys or a final play session, they won't be inclined to calm down.
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"So we want to create a wind down routine that is the same every night," Renee said. "Toilet, short calm moment, into their bed or crate then treat - this repetition builds predictability and predictability helps them to settle."
Responding in the comments, one TikTok user enquired: "Should they have chewing toys in the crate? The first couple of days it helped him come down but now he plays in the crate during the night."
Renee answered: "Great question. Chew toys can be helpful if they encourage your puppy to settle, especially in the early days when they are still adjusting. But if he's waking up and getting playful in the middle of the night, it might be better to remove them once he's asleep.
"The goal is to help him associate the crate with calm rest, not playtime."