Golden Doodles - pacing at night

[CathyJ]

Hi my name is CathyJ and I have 2 golden doodles 3 months old.....the female has a stage 3 heart murmer but otherwise she is as healthy as her brother. My problem with her is that she constantly paces at night....she won't settle...she gets up and moves to a different spot continuously....even if she is in the crate with her brother she moves, we have tried a night light but nothing seems to work......we thought maybe if we changed her food this might help???? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.......

[4thedogs]

Why are they sharing a crate?

[Maxine]

Hi there! I was wondering, what is a golden doodle?

[Maxine]

Oh god! i found the website for this mutt (cute mutts, thats for sure!)
They say they are perfect for family with allergies

[Jennicat]

Maxine, that's a common claim made, but truly, no one knows with this "breed". They can be any genetic combination of their two parents, and any type of coat that can result from the two.

[Purpledomino]

Uh oh... I sense where this thread is headed. As for your Golden Retriever/Poodle cross, perhaps putting her alone in her own crate at night would help settle her. What kind of food is she on? If it is something that is making her gassy and uncomfortable, that is a possiblility. Is she getting enough exercise during the day? There could be a lot of factors. Sorry I can't be any more help.

[CathyJ]

First of all Murphy is trained and no longer wants to be in the crate, he is a
very warm dog and loves to sleep on the hardwood floors. Molly on the other
hand totally refused to stay in the crate from the first day we had her. We
left the crate door opened so she could get used to going in and out on her
own. She is fine during the day, but it is a different story at night. Also, we purchased Murphy first back in December and then obtained Molly in January
Murphy was already crate trained by the time we got Molly. She was the
runt of the litter and was always fed first because she was so small. The
breeder told me that she was held alot. Murphy and Molly both play hard
all day long, so they are both getting ample exercise.

We have her on Puppy Iams right now

[4thedogs]

I am not sure you actually want advice but, 2 golden doodles 3 months old are not old enough to have that kind of freedom. It is not safe. What happens if they accidently swallow something during the night and choke on it. Unfortunately you could wake up to a dead dog.
They seem from what you wrote are making decisions for themselves that they shouldn't be making unless you would like to have two out of control adult dogs.

I also think you are worrying about something that is completely normal. Puppies often get up several times during the night to get comfortable.

[Dog Dancer]

Cathy - look in the pet foods section here and you will find several threads about Iams - not the worst food, but not the best so you may want to look at changing your puppies food for something more holistic and natural. As for the sleeping, have you tried putting a piece of your clothing in with the puppy to get her settled? If you put a shirt that smells of you (not a fresh clean one that smells of soap) it may help her to relax at night. Where is the crate? Is it near your bed? If so you should calmly tell her to lay down but not fuss over her so she relates being restless to getting attention. Maybe if both are in the same crate they're crowding each other at night. Is it possible to use a babygate and block them into a small area where they each have a bed and can't get into trouble overnight? Just a couple ideas that may or may not be of any use. Good luck with the puppies, you have your hands full!

[tenderfoot]

Good suggestions all around.

Separate crates + something that smells like you in the crate.

Change dog foods - you can do better than Iams, and go to an adult food - she does not need a puppy food.

Is she on medication for the heart that could be causing her to be restless? I would talk to your vet.

Oh, and you could try DAP or lavendar (aromatherapy) to help her relax.

[tully]

You might want to try rescue remedy. Most holistic dog food stores have it. Also, is it possible to walk her at night for about a mile to get rid of excess energy? Another idea is to put on soft classical music at night where she sleeps. It can be soothing.
I to have a golden doodle and have not had that problem. My best friend has two girls same age and they always shared the same crate.
I make sure mine gets 3 miles a day of walking. Yours is still young but they do have a lot of energy so you want to help dispell some of it. It sounds like she is anxious though, do you leave a night light on? IT seems things soothing would be of help. Good luck

[TeriM]

These pups are only three months old. Give them a break . Be careful about too much exercise at this age. They are growing and short fun walks are more important than a long walk to tire them out.

My pup moved around a lot at night but eventually grew out of it.

[mummummum]

Your dog has a heart murmur ~ is she on medication ? While we are not Vet's and cannot give you medical advice, I can tell you that based on your dog's current behaviour this is something to which you should pay immediate attention.