Do puppies sleep a lot? Puppies & sleep
Some of the most common questions that first-time puppy owners ask are about puppies and sleep. Here’s five frequently asked questions.
1. Do puppies sleep a lot?
If this is your first puppy, you may be surprised to find that puppies do indeed sleep a lot. Just like babies, puppies need lots of sleep. In the early weeks your puppy will spend more time asleep than awake – but this will change as they get older.
2. How much sleep do puppies need?
When your puppy is little they will need lots of sleep. To begin with they could be asleep for up to 18 to 20 hours of the day. During the early months your puppy will be growing fast, and will need lots of sleep to support this rapid development.
It’s best to let your puppy sleep when they need to sleep. Make sure they have a nice quiet place to go to when they need some doggy down-time. And if you have children, teach them to leave the puppy alone when sleeping. There will be plenty of time to play when the puppy’s awake.
3. Where should my puppy sleep the first night?
The first night with your new puppy will be a new experience for you both. It will be the first time that your puppy has been away from their mother and siblings and it will be your first night as a new puppy parent. It can be an anxious time for both of you.
The best place for your puppy to sleep for the first few nights is near you. Consider placing their bed – or crate if you are crate training your puppy – next to your bed. If you would prefer not to have your puppy in the bedroom with you, it’s a good idea to set up a temporary bed in the room where your puppy will sleep. Knowing you are close by will help your puppy to feel more settled on their first night home with you.
4. When will my puppy sleep through the night?
Did we mention that puppies sleep a lot? They do – but not necessarily when you want them to, e.g. at night when you want to sleep. You will need to teach your puppy to sleep through the night but this will take time. Puppies also need to take regular toilet breaks – day and night!
Prepare yourself for some sleepless nights – and if possible try to catch up on some sleep when your puppy takes a nap during the day.
5. My puppy won’t settle at night
There’s a few things you can do to help your puppy to settle at night:
- Make sure your puppy has had their last meal at least an hour before you want to go to bed.
- Spend time with your puppy to tire them out so they are ready to sleep. But avoid high energy games right before bed as this will likely excite them. Instead, work on some training, or another type of mental enrichment.
- Take your puppy out to go to the toilet before bed.
- Settle them down with a small chew to help them relax and drift off to sleep.
Are you using a crate? Read this guide to help you crate train your puppy.
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“Absolutely loved it, learnt so much and Crunchie loved it too. Will miss it so will hopefully book on to the next stage”— Laura
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“Puppy School has been an all round excellent package from start to finish but the greatest asset to this training was Sally! Sally was calm, clear and responsive to us all so you feel you get the benefit from being in a group of handlers and puppies with all the benefits of that but also individual attention to support you and your puppies specific needs/issues. Banjo is a nervous puppy, Sally was very sensitive to this and managed situations so Banjo benefitted from all the training exercises and interaction in a very positive way. She also gave me lots of support in how to help him outside of class. It was also brilliant to have a booklet and online access at home to watch reminder supporting material videos of the things taught in each session. There were also a range of vouchers and free trial bags of different foods which has proven helpful in determining what works for Banjo. I have had several puppies over the years, and have been to several classes, this has been the best experience yet for both me and my puppy. Thanks especially to Sally! ”— Maria
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“Although we had previously owned a dog, we had never attended group training sessions and genuinely felt that we greatly benefited from this setting. Cami absolutely loves seeing other dogs, so it was a fantastic way for her to learn to socialise with them while we also learned how to train her properly using reward-based training. Louise was also a fountain of knowledge in relation to anything and everything to do with dogs.”— Sue
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