If you've recently gotten a new puppy, you're not alone. In fact, there has been something of a puppy boom since COVID! Millions of families have bought a new puppy in the past few years, either to cheer up those who are lonely from less social interaction or because they finally have time at home and away from the office. As an increasingly large percentage of people work from home full time, even more of them are adopting their own four-legged buddies. If you only know one thing about puppies, you know they are super-cute. If you know two things, you also know they can be pretty hard to handle! These furry friends are nothing short of adorable, but they will turn your house and your lifestyle upside down the instant you bring them home.
This extends to your personal sleep schedule. If your puppy isn't sleeping, then you're not sleeping, either! It's no secret that sleeping through the night with a new puppy can be almost as difficult as it is with a newborn baby. Just like with a baby, it's not impossible, though. All you need to do is learn a healthy dog sleep schedule and set your pup up for success by making sure he or she has the routine and products it needs.
How Long Do Puppies Sleep?
Sleep is essential to health and growth, both for human babies and dog babies! Sleep contributes to the necessary development of your puppy's central nervous system, brain, immune system, and muscles. All of that sleep also helps it rest up during growth spurts, and there's going to be a lot of growth spurts! Although puppies are little bundles of energy when they're awake, they usually sleep most of the time when they're very young.
This will probably come as a huge surprise, but there hasn't been very much research done on how much dogs under about a year sleep on average. That means nobody can say for sure how much your new puppy will sleep! Keep in mind that dogs are like people in that they're all individuals, so there's probably no hard answer, anyway.
Newborns can sleep upward of 18-20 hours every single day. Those who are under about 14 days will often move and make noise since they're going through what vets call an activated sleep pattern. Most dogs start to develop their own personal sleep rhythms after a couple of weeks. Once they're around 16 weeks old, puppies tend to spend around 10-11 hours a day sleeping. Adult dogs usually sleep somewhat less than this, and they'll often do it mostly at night instead of at seemingly random times during the day.
Why Do Puppies Sleep So Much?
Growing up big and strong takes an incredible amount of energy, and that can make it seem like your puppy sleeps all of the time. The first three to six months of a dog's life is filled with really dramatic growth, so it often looks like they get tired out simply moving around your house. Their activity level has a lot to do with it, too. If your dog is very active and gets plenty of playtime, then they're naturally going to be much more tired than they would have been if they spent the day simply cuddling up to your side.
To some extent, the weather could also have an influence on your puppy's sleep schedule. Dogs get tired faster on hot and humid days, so they'll naturally want to go and lay down after being out for only a relatively short period of time. Chilly days might also make your dog want to sleep more since they'll want to burrow into their bedding and take a long nap to ward off the cold.
Puppy Daily Schedule
A quick puppy sleep schedule by age looks something like this:
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Eight weeks old (when puppies normally come to their forever home): Expect your young puppy to sleep a lot during this first stage. Most puppies will sleep about 18 to 20 hours a day to support their fast-growing brains and bodies.
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Four months old: A 16-week-old puppy still sleeps a lot! Some will sleep as much as 16 to 18 hours a day.
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Six months old: Your puppy is still young but becoming closer to a full-grown dog, depending on the breed. They will sleep less and play more enthusiastically now. He or she is sleeping at least 11 hours per day, and possibly up to 14 hours or more.
Of course, your puppy isn't naturally sleeping 12 hours at a time and awake for 12 hours at a time. Your little guy or gal falls asleep and wakes up constantly before learning and adjusting to a regular schedule. This makes getting it to sleep through the night a challenge. Putting up with a puppy sleep schedule can be kind of frustrating, but they'll eventually settle down. Don't wake them when they're asleep, if at all possible, since this can make it even harder for them to get into a good rhythm.
How Do I Get My Puppy to Sleep?
The good news is it's easier than you think to learn how to change a dog's sleep schedule and get your new puppy sleeping through the night. With a little planning and a commitment to training, you can have your new puppy sleeping through the night in a matter of just a few nights.
Do you walk in the door from work and fall asleep 30 seconds later? Probably not. You have a wind-down routine in the evenings. Just like you have nightly rituals such as taking a warm bath and brushing your teeth, having a set routine with your puppy can help prepare it for sleep. The goal is to give it something positive to associate with bedtime.
For one, experts recommend exercising your puppy early in the evening, a few hours before bedtime, so it is nice and worn-out. Puppies wake up so often because they're lonely for their mothers. You can help ease his or her fears by surrounding it with familiar objects, especially something that smells like you. Put an article of your clothing, like an old and unwashed T-shirt, next to it while it sleeps. Experts also say that playing classical music or white noise before and during bedtime can help alleviate whining and anxiety. This noise will also drown out other noise or unfamiliar sounds that may upset and scare your puppy.
As your puppy grows, you may want to invest in a better place for you to sleep, especially if you plan on letting your dog climb up with you at night. Anyone who's in the market for a whole new bed will want to check out the various types of mattresses they can pick from. You might want something a little bit larger than what you've been sleeping on so far to give some extra room to the both of you.
Where Should My Puppy Sleep?
While you have probably seen pictures of adorable dog beds and imagine your pup sleeping in his own bed right next to yours, this needs to happen further into the future. To put it plainly, a new puppy isn't going to stay in bed. It's also not recommended to let a new puppy sleep with you in your bed for a variety of reasons. It's going to get up and walk around, causing damage all through the night. A puppy will urinate in your bed and try to wake you up to play. You won't be able to sleep much, and neither will the puppy.
Pet owners who have serious problems with this will want to invest in mattress protectors, which can help them deal with the problem of pee in their bed. You'll also want to look into pillow protectors if your young dog has a tendency to climb up on your bed and drool all over it. These simple covers can go a long way toward puppy-proofing your bed, and they're much easier to clean than traditional soft surfaces.
The easiest and nearly full-proof way for training a puppy to sleep through the night is to use a dog crate. Place the crate near your bed in an area close to you. Sleeping in proximity to you helps it bond with you and feel less lonely for its mother and littermates. A crate gives your puppy its own space, which can be comforting after a tiring day of meeting new people and learning new rules. This isn't a punishment. Don't consider it to be jail but more like a bedroom. Begin by putting your puppy in the crate for a bit before it's time to go to sleep. Then, darken the room. Quietly go to sleep and don't make a fuss over going to bed.
By establishing the routine from the very beginning, you'll be on your way to a happy, well-adjusted dog that is a loved member of your family for years to come. Make this dog sleep schedule as natural and carefree as possible. The first few nights may be a little rough, but your puppy will get the hang of it before you know it! Soon, you'll both be getting the healthy sleep you need. Shop all mattresses online today to make sure you'll be ready for when the time comes that your puppy is ready to sleep on a normal schedule!