To keep your puppy healthy and obedient, you should establish a daily routine that includes feeding, walking, playing, and sleeping. In this article we will discuss what a puppy’s sleep regime should be and how many puppies sleep at different ages.
Many people do not know how long puppies need to sleep during the day. And lack of sleep negatively affects the nervous system, causing various behavioral problems.
How long should puppies sleep?
According to AKC, puppies from 7 to 8 weeks of age should sleep 18 to 20 hours a night. Most puppies are separated from their mother and taken to a new home at this age. This program persists up to about 20 weeks. As dogs get older, sleep time is reduced to 13-15 hours.
Therefore, small puppies only stay awake for 4-6 hours. This time is divided into different short periods of time during which the puppy has time to play, eat and do other things.
Why do puppies sleep so much?
Some new dog owners mistakenly believe that their puppy sleeps too much. They deliberately wake the animal during the day so that it “sleeps better at night.” Others interrupt sleep for games and caresses. And I understand your desire to spend more time with your adorable puppy. But stay under control.
Puppies sleep a lot for a reason. At the age of the puppy, their bodies are developing at breakneck speed. Proper development of BONES, muscles and the brain (and therefore the nervous system) requires a lot of energy. The consequences of lack of sleep in dogs can be stress, anxiety, aggression and other behavioral disorders.
Imagine, a dog develops in a year in the same way that a man develops in 18 years.
How to set a sleep schedule for a puppy?
We will first determine how much your puppy sleeps at night, and then distribute the remaining sleep time for the day. As a rule, dogs from 7 to 16 weeks of age can sleep from 6 to 8 hours, but they still have to take a toilet break at night.
Therefore, if your dog wakes up at night, it means that he needs to urinate. Do not play and do not pay attention to this during this time.
weimaraner, Breeding, Health, Whelping
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Puppy
Puppies
Approved by Susan Sprung August 2018.
Approved by Susan Sprung August 2018.
Approved by Denise Flaim for editorial use, November 2018
But there is a problem with sleep at night. Puppies are often difficult to lay eggs and also do not want to sleep alone. Therefore, your task is:
learn how to put your furry to sleep at the same time;
provide all the conditions for a restful sleep. To do this, you need to arrange a quiet sleeping place with a comfortable bed;
we also recommend using the drawer. In the cage, the puppy will be safer and more peaceful. If you are not yet familiar with night cage training, check out this useful tool;make sure that your puppy spends his energy throughout the day exercising and playing.
What time should the puppy go to bed? It is recommended to lie down an hour after eating and take an evening walk in the pot. The specific schedule doesn’t matter; you need to set a schedule that suits you. Although small puppies cannot sleep as much as humans, after 16 weeks you can train him to lie down and get up with you.
Daytime sleep schedule
Dogs wake up with the dawn. So, if you want to postpone the moment of awakening, put the dog’s crib in a darker place.
It is usually not necessary for you to take any measures to get your puppy to sleep during the day. They’ll do it anyway. What is your job:
do not disturb your pet, do not wake it up (if there are children in the house, they should also learn it);
do not actively train and play before bedtime, as this causes puppies to become overexcited and unable to fall asleep.
Although the afternoon sleep schedule is flexible, it is advisable to make sure that your puppy has a few two-hour dreams a day. Their number depends on age, as does the total amount of sleep during a 24-hour period:
8-week-old puppies need about 5 two-hour dreams;
after 12 weeks, there may be four,
and in 16 weeks – three.
According to all the tips in this article, let’s establish an approximate daily routine for a 12-week-old puppy:
Conclude
Puppies need 18 to 20 hours of sleep per night for normal mental and body development. Therefore, you should not interrupt his sleep.
The second main point is to accustom the puppy to fall asleep at the same time. To do this, try a crate workout.
Puppies under 16 weeks of age can sleep 7-8 hours a night, but with toilet breaks. After 16 weeks, your pet probably won’t bother you at night.
Offer your baby a comfortable and quiet place to sleep and stick to his routine. Then everyone in the house will sleep peacefully!
