Elements that Affect Sleeping
There are several things that will affect how much your Maltipoo sleeps:
- Activity level
- Level of boredom
- Illness / Health Issues
- Medication
- Age
Let’s take look at each of these elements….
Activity
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Activity is a huge factor. Maltipoos of all ages MUST be given daily exercise
for optimal health and for good sleep. Now, puppies are often very hyper and you may feel as if they do not need “formal” exercise. However, there are several reasons why you should offer a daily walk or a daily outside exercise routine….
First, if a puppy is normally hyper, his metabolism and body is used to a high level of movement and activity; therefore it does not really count as exercise. You Maltipoo may chase around a toy for an house every day, but this does not count as exercise, since it is part of their normal day and part of their normal behavior.
Second, taking your Maltipoo for a walk is an excellent opportunity for command training and should not be skipped. You will be using many commands, from “sit” when you put on their leash to “heel” when you are strolling down the street.
Third
– Sleep! If you plan to take your Maltipoo for a walk or to play at a fast pace outside (fetch or “chase”, etc) about 1 to 2 hours before bedtime, this will help your Maltipoo sleep through the night. This is true no matter what their age. A Maltipoo puppy will still wake up at certain times during the night (discussed more below) but the exercise 1 to 2 hours before bed time will help them stay asleep until it is time to go the bathroom and it will help them fall asleep.
Do plan this into your schedule, since activity right before bedtime (10 to 30 minutes before) can often be counterproductive, causing a dog to feel “revved up” and unable to settle down.
Boredom
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Dogs can get bored and do so easily if they are not provided with a stimulating enough environment. With humans being busy with work and errands, it is common for no one to be home during the day, and this can be hard on a Maltipoo. But, there are ways to help your Maltipoo be happy.
First, although it costs money, we cannot mention that “doggie day care” can be a great idea, IF you search around and find a truly good one. With that being said, let’s look at what can help your Maltipoo.
For Maltipoos that are left home alone for quite a long time each day (over 8 hours), it will be very helpful to heir a dog walker. Now, this does not have to be expense... a neighborhood (responsible) teenager who is looking for a bit of spending money for the movies on the weekends may be perfectly happy to take an hour each day to get your Maltipoo out of the house, to allow them to relieve themselves and to go for a walk.
Now, let’s look at how you can set up you house for your Maltipoo when you are not home. Never, never put your Maltipoo in a crate and leave him in there all day. It is a terribly frustrating and stressful confinement. In addition, it will not stop a dog from going to the bathroom. A 2 month old puppy has to pee every 2 hours, a 3 month old every 3 hours and so on…until the dog is fully trained and can hold their needs for about 8 hours.
Expecting an adult dog to hold on more than 9 hours is unrealistic and can cause many problems for a Maltipoo….if they are trying to hold things in to make you happy, they will be extremely uncomfortable…and holding in bowel movements can lead to
varying levels of constipation
(NOT fun for a dog to have that).
Here is the perfect setup for a Maltipoo that is left home alone, yet is too young to be trusted to have the “run of the house”.. Keep in mind that if you have a small room, such as an extra bathroom, you can use that room instead of setting up this type of area.. however you may be limited with some aspects such as a window view or being able to have a TV going….
- Obtain a large piece of linoleum (You will lay this down on the floor that will be the “bottom” of the area that you are making for your Maltipoo)
- Obtain gates. You can use many kinds of gates, but the best kind are adjustable ones.
- Set up the gates around the linoleum.
Inside, to prevent boredom while you are not home and to stop your Maltipoo from sleeping all day (and causing restless sleep or inability to fall asleep) have the following inside this little “fort” that you will be making them.
*** Alternatively, a canine playpen is a great method to use as well.
Inside the area, you'll want to have:
-A napping area (While your Maltipoo will take small naps, the goal will be to keep him “self busy” for a good amount of time)
-Toys – The need for interesting and stimulating toys cannot be underestimated. Toys are vital to a dog’s learning and to avoid boredom. Proper dog toys stimulate a dog’s mind and keeps them busy, thinking and playing. An absolutely great thing to have is a Toy Dispenser. While these CAN cost a pretty penny, they are wonderful. You fill up the device with many toys and then… SOME will automatically dispense a toy every so often and SOME will dispense a toy when the dog touches a certain area of the dispense.
If you do not have a toy dispenser, there's other options that work well. First, take all of your Maltipoo’s toys and divide them into 2 groups. Group 1 will be for week 1, group 2 will be for week 2….Group one will be switched back and used for week 3, group 2 will be then used again for week 4 and so on. In this way, each week gives him/her “new” toys.
Here is how to make your own "home made toy dispenser". You can use a plastic storage bin or other type of see-through container, in which your Maltipoo will be able to see the toys, BUT will need to work hard to get the toys out. Test several containers to see what works best with your dog… It will all depend on their age and strength.
Watch to see which one takes them about 15 to 20 minutes to work on to topple it over and get the toys out. You may need to encourage your puppy's actions so that he/she learns what must be done to reach the goal. You will want to put the toys on the floor and then put the container upside-down on top of the toys. In this way, your Maltipoo will eventually tip the container over, but it cannot trap your Maltipoo inside.
Let’s talk about cheap VS quality toys. Anyone can create plastic items and call it a dog toy and "dollar stores" are just filled with inexpensive toys. However tempting it may be to stock up on those types, it is best to go for quality VS quantity and gradually build a nice collection. Aside from chew toys, look for toys that do something - such as treat release.
Also, choose colorful toys (canines CAN see in color, however it is a bit like how we see at twilight time, when the sun is setting… So they respond well to very vivid colorful toys). Toys that move if touch a certain way are great. MOST important are toys that allow you to hide treats inside. These can keep a Maltipoo busy for at least an hour and usually more as a dog will go back and forth from toy to toy.