Every single night

There is something to be said about consistency. Dogs love it. I am pretty sure Dixie loves it, and so do I. One small joy in life is that I can put Dixie in her crate at night without a fuss and wake up to peace and quiet. It is a little trickier if your dog sleeps outside the crate, but it is doable when combined with training.

I won’t get into crate training since not all dogs sleep in crates. They do, however, go to bed at some point. When that occurs is up to you. Give them a bedtime and stick with it. It does pay off in the end.

When Dixie first arrived, I established a bedtime routine that I could live with daily and put it into action. The goal was to get her in her crate at a specific time and bring her out for potty breaks as needed. It was a little complicated when she was a puppy since she didn’t pee, poop, or sleep on any particular schedule.

I put Dixie to bed every night at 11pm, adjusting it to 10 pm when Daylight Savings Time started. As long as her body thinks it is 11pm (bedtime), that is good enough for me. After all, it is not like she can read a clock.

If she was asleep when 11pm rolled around, I would wait for her to wake up and then put her to bed (I am not going to wake a sleeping puppy). It was a little tricky to put a line in the sand when she was four times a day and peeing even more frequently. Still, if she was awake, I took her on a potty run and put her in her crate. If she was sleeping, I took her out for a potty break when she woke up and then straight to the crate. She was not a big fan at first, but she started to roll with it after a week or so. The same was true for her middle-of-the-night potty break, in, out, and back into the crate until morning.

About an hour before bedtime, I put her in the pen and left her crate open if she wanted to go in it. Once the magical hour hit, I put her to bed in her crate. The transition seemed to help.

Early on, I let Dixie roam around the living room and kitchen. She did not like going from free directly to the crate, so I incorporated a transition space. I connected a dog pen to her crate. That reduced some of her freedom without going from all or nothing.

With bedtime comes the morning. I did not want to wake up to a barking, whining dog. I primarily did not want her to get the idea that barking would get her out of her crate and into breakfast. Instead, I ensured I was up early, getting her up and fed before she could whine and complain. I took her out at 730 am on the dot. I was trying to get her to understand that I would always come and let her out. With that ingrained in her mind, she waited patiently for me to come to get her. It did not take long for her to get into the groove. Even now, on days I accidentally sleep in, I still find her chilling, waiting for me to let her out. I attribute it to consistency day in and day out, with few deviations.

Now that Dixie is a year old, she puts herself to bed. If I miss the magic hour, she reminds me. She stands at the door to go potty, and as soon as she comes inside, she beelines it for her crate. I give her a treat, secure the door, and that is it. I love it! I think Dixie loves it, too, especially the treat part.

The point is consistency pays off. As I mentioned, make a schedule and stick to it. Your dog will thank you, and you will enjoy the quiet time.