Napping without a crate or pen

Hi!

I’ve got an 11-week-old whippet puppy, who is… something for sure. He is completely incapable of settling without me or my husband there next to him, and sometimes not even then. He gets horrible, violent zoomies that draw blood from me, and will sometimes be awake for over 3 HOURS without settling. Then when he does finally fall asleep, he wakes at the smallest sound and the whole thing starts again. I’m completely incapable of working from home, and he can’t be left alone as he’ll start destroying things pretty much immediately even I’m just behind a gate, not even out of the apartment.

I know everyone’s first instinct will be to tell me to crate train, but my problem is that I live in a country with extremely tight animal welfare laws. Crating (or confining to a puppy pen without supervision) is strictly illegal unless by vet’s orders due to illness or during transport, so it’s simply not an option. Please don’t argue about the law, as there’s nothing I can do about it and I’m on the verge of crying 24/7 as it is.

My question is, does anyone here have experience with an extremely active and attached puppy who is for any reason unable to be crated or confined to anything less than a full room? How do you help your puppy calm the f down and sleep? How do you teach separation?

We live in a two bedroom apartment with an open kitchen / living room. The dog is gated out of the second bedroom (which is my office) and the entryway, and the main bedroom door is closed during the day, but he has (and legally more or less has to have) access to the living/kitchen area. He came to us at 8 week old. He is by far the most active out of his entire litter, and nobody else seem to have issues getting their pup to settle like we do.

I really appreciate any advice. I’m so discouraged and anxious and frustrated and just generally in tears constantly. I’m so scared we won’t be able to make this work and we’ll have to rehome him when we’ve (despite everything) already grown so attached to him.