Hi everyone!
We recently got a Maltipoo puppy. She’s been with us for about two weeks now and is currently 11 weeks old. Overall, she’s adapting really well. She knows where to go potty, can keep herself busy without constant intervention, and gets plenty of playtime, mental stimulation, and different toys. She also occasionally plays with our older dog..during those brief, precious moments when our older one doesn’t hate her and actively avoid her 😅
We follow a roughly 1 hour play / 2 hours sleep schedule during the say, and she’s actually great at it. She falls asleep pretty quickly during the day. At night, she sleeps through until 8–9am, usually waking only once to pee and then going straight back to sleep. So overall… things are good.
BUT.
Those 2–3 hours before bedtime are absolute chaos.
She turns into a complete monster. She terrorizes our older dog, barks nonstop for attention, and becomes insanely distracted from everything—her toys, chews, puzzles, anything that normally works. When it’s finally time to sleep, it can take an hour or more for her to settle. She’s clearly exhausted but fights sleep HARD: barking, crying, digging her bed, jumping up, pacing back and forth. Nothing calms her down.
We’ve tried:
-Ignoring her
-Petting her
-Sitting calmly with her
-Making sure she potties before bed
-Feeding closer to bedtime vs. a few hours before
-Playing before bed
-Not playing before bed
Honestly… everything. Once she finally falls asleep, she’s out until morning like an angel. But before that? A completely different dog. She doesn’t listen at all and seems wildly overstimulated.
Has anyone else experienced this? Any tips or tricks that helped? Or is this something she’ll eventually outgrow and if so… when?? 😭
submitted by /u/Mental_Memory_6943
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