13/03/2026
Not all puppies are good at switching off.
Some flop down and fall asleep like someoneās pulled the plug.
Peggy⦠does not.
Sheās 11 weeks on Sunday, and at the moment she really struggles to self-settle.
She wanders around like sheās forgotten what she was looking for.
She gets sharky when sheās overtired.
She tries to settle, then her brain goes āactually⦠no. Chaos.ā
Itās not stubbornness ā itās just her little nervous system still figuring out how to regulate itself.
Iāve been paying attention to what actually helps her, and honestly itās nothing fancy:
⢠A calm atmosphere
⢠Less noise, less movement, less stimulation
⢠Me being still instead of pottering about
⢠Letting her stay close without feeling separated from the rest of the clan
Iām not a fan of shutting puppies away āto make them settleā.
For some dogs, that works.
For others ā like Peggy ā it just makes them feel disconnected and even more unsettled.
Right now she settles best when the environment calms with her, not away from her.
Lately Iāve also been experimenting with a few gentle things in the background.
Sometimes in the evening I diffuse a little Lavender and Lemongrass while the house is winding down ā very lightly, with plenty of ventilation so Peggy can move away if she wants to.
Itās not a magic switch, but it helps create a calmer atmosphere for both of us.
Iām also starting to learn more about Bach Flower Remedies and how people use them to support emotional balance in dogs.
Itās something Iām still exploring, but Iām really interested in how gentle, natural approaches can support a dogās nervous system while theyāre growing and figuring out the world.
Because watching Peggy at this age is a reminder that development isnāt linear.
Itās messy.
Itās loud.
Itās bitey.
Itās full of tiny wins most people never see.
And sometimes the biggest thing we can give them isnāt a āsolutionā ā itās a calm space where their nervous system can learn that the world is safe.
And thatās enough. š¾