Fun fact, the average human sleeps 6-8 hours every day, which contributes to healthy adult life, top performance, and maximum energy. How about pets? How much sleep do puppies need?

You might be amazed and curious about why we didn’t just generalise and ask, how much sleep do dogs need? 

What if we told you that the amount of sleep one needs or requires to attain a certain healthy life depends on one’s age? Yes, the amount of sleep a 30-year-old adult needs is quite different from that of a toddler.

According to research by KiddiesHealth, a toddler between ages 1-2 needs about 14 hours of sleep each day; an adult? Not so much.

This guide on the amount of sleep your puppy needs is important because without enough sleep, your effort in giving your dogs the best meal, and health care, might prove futile. Good sleep is like oil to all cognitive functions, and when that is not available, well, you know what might happen.

So by way of an intensive guide, this article will, in some detail, discourse why sleep is important for puppies, how much sleep puppies need, factors that might affect a puppy’s sleep needs, and tips for helping your puppy get enough sleep.

We implore you to read through carefully to provide your pup with the best all-round health care there is and see him as active and energetic as he should be.

Let’s get you started.

Why Sleep Is Important For Puppies

You have probably heard people saying, “it is been weeks, since I last, had a good sleep”. Well, as much as some people may deny or deprive themselves of it, good sleep is as important to human health as the food we eat and the air we breathe. 

We have all experienced the night-and-day difference between 8 hours of undisturbed sleep against an 8-hour of restlessness, but the benefits of good sleep are more than just improving our mood or making us feel more energised. The same goes for your dogs.

You do not want to joke with your puppy’s sleep because this affects them in more ways than you can ever imagine. We will show you.

Sleep is so important that nature has devised creative ways to ensure that all animals can enjoy their therapeutic benefits.

In puppies, sleep plays a key role in good immune function, body metabolism, excellent cognitive health and other vital functions. 

Now, most puppies have no problem enjoying the benefits of a good sleep, as we all know dogs that can seemingly fall asleep anywhere, sometimes in the most ridiculous positions. 

But sometimes, puppies find it hard to sleep well due to some health issues or external or internal disturbances. Unfortunately, the health-restoring benefits of sleep are more important than ever for your puppies.

Below are some of the specifics of why sleep is so important to the health of your puppies.

Reduces Inflammation And Reduces Pain

Chronic inflammation in dogs is associated with joint disorders such as arthritis and a number of other problems such as heart disease, diabetes and digestive problems. 

Allowing your puppy to get a deep, restful sleep provides help in reducing inflammation because good sleep reduces the level of any inflammatory protein existing in the blood. Remember that less inflammation means less pain and stiffness for your beloved pet.

Supports A Healthy Weight

If your puppy has trouble sleeping, his tired brain is less effective at controlling his appetite. Not getting enough sleep causes certain hormones to rise in the blood, and those hormones promote appetite, meaning your pup will be more prone to overeating. 

Additionally, lack of sleep causes the body to release higher levels of insulin after eating, which promotes fat storage. The more excess weight your puppy carries, the more stress and strain is placed on his joints.

It Regenerates Cells And Tissues

If your puppy doesn’t get enough sleep, his body is robbed of the precious time it needs to regenerate. 

Your puppy’s body uses most of the night to produce proteins that heal cell and tissue damage while they are awake and more metabolically active. 

With much emphasis on this, lack of sleep will then accelerate any joint damage in your pup by depriving the body of its natural healing abilities.

Improves Overall Immune Function

While dogs are sleeping, their immune system produces protective cytokines and infection-fighting antibodies. 

Lack of sleep means your puppy’s immune system doesn’t have a chance to build up its strength and will be less effective at fending off foreign invaders that can lead to illness and prolong recovery time.

It Lifts The Mood And Imparts Energy

For a dog already dealing with chronic pain and mobility issues, chronic fatigue might worsen the problem. 

Just as any human will feel better and more active after a good sleep, a well-rested puppy can enjoy life more. Every dog owner or caregiver will want this for their beloved pup.

Much research has shown that sleep deprivation and loss for puppies can result in reduced brain mass, neuronal death, and subsequent behavioural problems. 

You might find it hard to believe, but poor sleep is also a contributing factor in cases of cancer and diabetes. It can also affect how your pup responds to infection and heals wounds.

Summarily, sleep is necessary for life. Without it, it massively affects the control centre of your brain and can cause other health problems. This is even more important for puppies.

Puppies go through much faster development than the equivalent infant. Compared to infants, 

• The average 7-week-old puppy will be as developed as a 9-month-old human baby. 
• Dogs are also said to be fully grown anywhere between 1-2 years of age. The human brain does not mature until around the age of 25.
• Dogs have much more developmental work to do in less time than humans.

To reach full maturity, as in dogs; humans undergo cognitive changes, emotional challenges and physical transformations. Sleep is essential for all of the above.

Why Do Puppies Need Good Sleep?

• Puppies need to absorb and store what they learn each day, maybe a new trick or behaviour like where to sit, eat, and defecate.
• Puppies need their bones and muscles to grow to recover from all that crazy running around the yard.
• Puppies will eat most things they can muzzle. Some of them may not be particularly nutritious, but they need a strong immune system to fight off any bacteria.
• Puppies need to store memories.

Sleep helps your puppy achieve all these. Simply put, sleep is essential for many vital functions. 

It plays a role in energy storage, brain waste removal, immune system modulation, cognition, performance, disease and mental state.

read more: Waterless Dogs Shampoos: What You Should Know

How Much Sleep Do Puppies Need?

You should always remember that puppies need lots of sleep, just like infants. Puppies will need about 18-19 hours of sleep every 24 hours. 

If they stay up and play, you could both be going through a stressful time.

Another fun fact is that newborn puppies are completely dependent on their mother. They are basically blind and deaf and have little control over their muscle movement. 

About 90% of their time is spent sleeping, and the other 10% nursing, which amounts to about 22 hours of sleep per day. Amazing right?

As puppies grow, they sleep less and spend more time awake and exploring their world. You should know that sleep for your puppies comes with their breed, age, diet and activity level.

How Much Sleep Do Puppies Need By Age?

• 8 weeks – The puppy will sleep about 20 hours daily.
• 10-12 weeks – The puppy will sleep about 18-20 hours daily.
• 14-16 weeks – The puppy will sleep about 18 hours daily.
• 16-18 weeks – This is a critical time in your puppy’s development.

A little reminder that you need to learn the feeding schedule of your puppies, socialisation skills, basic training and more. They need a lot of sleep to maintain their new routines and behaviours.

• Older dogs and puppies settle down to 12-14 hours of sleep a day. Puppies break up their sleep during the day and night into 30-minute to two-hour naps. 
• Younger puppies will sleep at a higher frequency, often hourly. As they grow, the frequency of naps will decrease.

Dogs are polyphasic sleepers, meaning they nap or sleep for short periods during the day and night. As dogs age, they become day sleepers, meaning they sleep for longer periods during the day, with naps and activity during nighttime.

However, humans are monophasic sleepers, meaning we sleep throughout the night and nap during the day.

Larger dog breeds are often exhausted because they grow much faster and need more sleep to properly build their bones and muscles. 

These breeds also require dog food specifically made for large breeds to nourish these fast-growing bodies.

As we mentioned before, most puppies will sleep an average of 18-19 hours a day. This means that for most of your puppy’s life, he will only be awake for 5-6 hours daily. Keep this in mind when planning their training and socialisation. Sessions should be short. 

It’s important not to overstress them, as we know that negative experiences can affect their development and sleep quality, which in turn affects a range of bodily functions.

Speaking of schedule, let us help you create a schematic of what your dog’s sleeping schedule might look like; you’re welcome.

Schematic Of A Dog Sleep Schedule

Morning

• Wake up and take a potty break
• 15 minutes of play
• Time for breakfast
• Let their food process for 30 minutes
• Take them on another bathroom break

Nap

• Wake
• Take a potty break
• No food during this time. Just provide 15 minutes of healthy play or a short training of basic commands.

Afternoon

• A potty break after waking up
• A longer walk or activity/game that draws them in for an afternoon nap

Lunch

• 30 minutes to prepare food
• Potty break

Time For A Nap

• Your puppy will sleep late in the afternoon
• After each nap, immediately take the puppy to the potty and then play for a while
• Do some short training sessions

Evening

• There should be a Potty break every time they wake up
• Dinner with a 30-minute meal prep time
• Play or go for a long walk to tire your puppy out in time

Quiet Time

• Give your puppy lots of cuddles to help him relax before bed
• Potty break right before bed

Sleep

• When it’s time to go to sleep, place the puppy in the crate, offer him a treat and say good night 

Factors That Affect A Puppy’s Sleep Needs

As with humans, your dog’s sleep is very important. Good sleep is essential to their health and overall body function. Failure to do so may result in behavioural problems or illness. 

Here are some of the factors that might affect your dog’s sleep.

Age

The first factor, and one of the most important, is age. Like us, sleep times vary, whether they are puppies, adults or senior dogs. Let’s look at each of them:

Puppies

Puppies need more rest than adult dogs. They usually spend more time sleeping during the day than at night. 

During the first days of their life, in the newborn period, they rest in groups to help each other stay warm since they still do not have their thermoregulatory ability.

Adult Dogs

Adult dogs have an average sleep time of 12 hours. In addition, they usually sleep 60 to 80% at night and 3 to 28% during the day.

Older Dogs

Older dogs’ normal sleeping hours become longer as their body functions change, and they become more tired from normal activities. 

They sleep the same way they did when they were puppies, between 6 and 8 p.m.

Breed

The breed of your dog also affects their sleeping time. In general, larger dogs sleep more than smaller dogs.

Exercises

As might be expected, a dog engaged in constant exercise needs more rest to replenish energy. On the other hand, a less active dog may have trouble falling asleep or have a more uncomfortable night.

Physiology

Your dog’s physiological state affects its sleep time. If the dog suffers from any ailment, is overweight or has breathing problems, its sleeping time changes. 

Routine Changes

Like humans, dogs are emotional and are affected by change. So if you make some changes at home, your dog may suffer from adaptation problems, and his sleep routines will change. 

Environment

The area reserved for your puppy’s sleep is vital, and the factors that affect it are whether it is quiet and comfortable and whether it is inside the house or outside. 

In general, dogs living in gardens have higher active time at night, resulting in a poorer night’s sleep.

Noise

Noise can cause fear and anxiety in dogs. They can change a dog’s sleeping patterns. 

Temperature

Temperature is another environmental characteristic that changes the behaviour of dogs when it comes to sleeping time. 

In hot seasons, there is an increase in daylight, which leads to fewer hours of sleep at night.

Moods

A puppy’s different moods disrupt its behaviour. Bored or depressed dogs that lack daily stimulating activities may increase their sleeping time. 

The opposite is true for pups who receive more attention or those who are more enthusiastic about their daily routines. They get tired and sleep more because they need to replenish their depleted energy.

Diet

Diet has affected the number of hours a dog sleeps over time. A diet with a low nutritional level does not provide the requirements for the proper functioning of the body and induces a state of laziness in the dog.

Signs Of Sleep Deprivation In Puppies

If your puppy is sleep-deprived, this can result in serious health problems. Signs of sleep deprivation in your dog include the following:

• Low appetite
• Grumpy mood
• Lower activity level
• Personality changes
• Over-excitement

If your puppy shows signs of sleep deprivation, it’s time to visit the vet to rule out any health issues.

Did you know that your dog can develop a sleep disorder? Well, it’s true. The sleep disorders that might affect your dogs might include the following:

Narcolepsy

Dog narcolepsy is a chronic sleep disorder characterised by excessive daytime sleepiness and spontaneous or emotionally induced episodes of collapse at night.

Sleep Apnea

Due to the shape of your dog’s respiratory tract, your dog may have difficulty breathing, especially when lying down.

Their increased incidence of narrowed tract and elongated soft palate can prevent tracheal opening. 

According to a recent study, overweight or obese dogs are more prone to developing sleep apnea because the excess internal fat puts more pressure on the respiratory structures. 

If you’re unsure if your dog has sleep apnea, try listening for signs of snoring or gaps in breathing. Then consult a veterinarian.

REM Sleep Disorder

REM sleep disorders are not commonly diagnosed in dogs, but they do occur. REM sleep disorder is a movement and behaviour disorder during rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. 

Dogs with REM sleep disorder will have excessive and often violent limb movements with abnormal vocalisations and chewing or biting during sleep.

Cognitive Dysfunction In Dogs

Also known as dog dementia, cognitive dysfunction in dogs can cause sleep disturbances. This is harder to recognise and can be confused with other diseases in older dogs, such as arthritis.

The signs of this include trouble falling asleep, restless moving around, and waking up many times during the night. 

Other symptoms will include confusion and constant barking. While this condition is not cured, dogs can usually be managed well with lifestyle changes and certain medications and supplements.

If you think your dog may be suffering from any of these sleep disorders, please talk to your vet about it as soon as possible.

Tips For Helping Your Puppy Get Enough Sleep

Make Their Sleeping Crate Attractive

Please don’t buy an expensive bed for your new puppy, as he will likely chew it up. You can get a sleeping crate and line the bottom of the crate with a soft, felt, inexpensive blanket. 

Beware of woollen blankets or pads that can be chewed into long strings that will cause gagging. Many dog owners place their puppy’s crate in their bedroom so they can feel comfortable and supervised.

Establish A Bedtime Schedule

By giving him a schedule from the start, you will teach your dog that nighttime is for sleeping, and you will both sleep better. 

Limit your puppy’s food and water intake for a few hours before bedtime. Play with your puppies, pet and take them outside to relieve themselves. 

There are more tips for creating this bedtime schedule, and they include the following:

Create A Sleeping Environment

Where will your puppy sleep? Consider an area close to you or where your puppy can see you, as he is likely to get scared in an unfamiliar place. Try to create a space that is dark and free of distractions so that your puppy can relax and feel comfortable.

Hydration And Potty Breaks

Your puppy will have a better night’s sleep if he doesn’t have to get up too often to potty. 

Most puppies wake up to pee every two hours, so set the alarm. Keeping your puppy close will make it easier to hear them when they are fussy.

Good Nutrition

Healthy dog ​​food provides the energy your pup needs to support his rapidly growing body, strengthen his bones and help him focus on training. A healthy diet means your puppies will sleep better.

Routines Are Important

Your puppy will learn a sleep schedule faster if it is part of his daily routine. Like many people, dogs benefit from routine because it reduces anxiety in dogs. 

Keep the schedule the same every day, but if you have to change it, adjust their schedule to ensure they still get the amount of sleep their body needs.

Quiet And Dark Sleeping Area

If you watch TV in bed, turn down the volume and dim the lights. Use blackout shades if early morning light enters the room. Silence and darkness will remind your dog that it is sleeping time.

Prepare For Interruptions

Just like infants, puppies sometimes aren’t ready to sleep just yet. Your puppy may need a potty break during the night. If he sleeps in a crate in your bedroom, you can respond if he needs to go outside. 

Alone Time

Giving your dog a good alone time will allow them to find peace on their own and sleep as much as they love.

It would help if you learned to leave the puppy alone when he is sleeping. But don’t forget to keep an eye on him because when he wakes up, he will need to be taken out.

Show Your Puppy Where To Sleep

If he seems sleepy, take your dog to its sleeping place, and encourage him to take a nap there, whether in a crate or a quiet place, where he can sleep undisturbed. 

It may take him a while to figure it out, but he will eventually recognise the place as a place to sleep from time to time.

Follow The Plan

Plan your dog each day so that active time is followed by quiet sleep time. Your puppy will most likely sleep after a walk. Your puppy may sleep every hour, anywhere from 30 minutes to two hours. All this sleep is completely normal.

Be Sensitive To Excesses

Your dog would always want to play and have fun, as far as they are in good health and energetic. This can be a fun time for the family. 

No matter how much fun you have, don’t let your pup get too tired. Too much exhaustion can lead to unhappy behaviour. Guide your puppy to its crate or sleeping area and help it relax.

FAQ

How Much Sleep Do 3-Month-Old Puppies Need?

A three-month-old puppy usually sleeps 12 to 16 hours a day. At 4 months (16 weeks), puppies sleep 11 to 15 hours a day. At 6 months, puppies begin to sleep about the same as adults, about 10 to 14 hours on average.

How Much Sleep Do Puppies Need By Age?

8 weeks: The puppy will sleep about 20 hours a day. 10-12 weeks – The puppy will sleep about 18-20 hours daily. 14-16 weeks – The puppy will sleep about 18 hours daily. 16-18 weeks – This is a critical period in your puppy’s development.

How Long Does A 4-Month-Old Puppy Sleep?

The average 4-month-old puppy sleeps just over 11 hours per 24 hours, and the average adult sleeps 10-11 hours per 24 hours.

Is It Ok For Puppies To Sleep A Lot?

Just as human babies need plenty of sleep, the AKC notes that puppies need 15-20 hours of sleep a day for their central nervous system, immune system and muscles to develop properly. Many puppies get the sleep they need during the day.

How Often Should Puppies Eat?

Puppies should eat three times a day, if possible, from weaning to four to six months. After six months, feeding twice a day is fine. But if you cannot feed your puppy three times a day, don’t worry.

How Often Do Puppies Poop?

Depending on age, most puppies poop four to five times a day, usually shortly after eating. There is a marked difference in bowel movements between dog breeds; their bowel habits will change as your dog ages.

How To Toilet Train A Dog?

Take them to the right place so you can reward them when they leave. Try to take them to the same place every time. When they start going to the toilet, use a verbal cue that they can understand with the correct behaviour, e.g. ‘toilet’.

What Time Should I Put My Puppy To Bed?

After all, puppies thrive on routine, and it helps them learn good manners and tricks. But in all honesty, there is no ‘right time’ for a puppy to go to sleep if it’s the same every night.

How Long Does It Take To Potty Train A Puppy?

Your aim should be to instil good habits and build a loving bond with your puppy. It takes 4-6 months for a puppy to be fully trained, but some puppies can take up to a year.

How Do You Know If Your Puppy Is Depressed?

Like humans, many dogs experience signs of depressed mood at some point. This is most often due to big changes in your dog’s life, such as losing an owner or a big move. Common symptoms of canine depression may include loss of interest in favourite activities, lack of appetite, needy behaviour or withdrawal.

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Conclusion

How much sleep do puppies need? You might have seen that during the course of reading the article, puppies, in some aspects, were interchanged for dogs, which they originally were. As we have seen, sleep in dogs is variant and dependent on age, breed and other external factors.

Your puppies need good sleep; we are talking 18-20 hours each day if you want them to turn out healthy. 

Puppies don’t bite or threaten strangers, they are cute and calm, so you may have no reason to want to keep them up all day. 

However, you should consult with your veterinarian if you have any concerns or inquisition about your dog’s sleep routine or schedule.

Good sleep for your dog cannot be overemphasised, do all you can to ensure that your puppies get all the rest they need. Take a closer look at them and keep an eye on any changes they might have. 

We hope you understand this article’s importance and your intention has been satisfied. Feel free to share this guide with any dog owner, friend or family who you think should be interested.

If you have any inquiries or concerns, please lay them out in the comment box below, and our team member will respond as soon as possible. 

Remember always to give your dog the best care they deserve.