What Time Should A Puppy Go To Bed? A Weekly Guide To Good Sleep

As a first-time puppy owner, you may be probably wondering when’s the best time for your puppy to go to bed. Well, here’s what time a puppy should go to bed.

One of the most interesting things that you can do in your life is to keep a puppy. Owning a puppy comes with numerous benefits. 

You get to spend your free time playing around with your puppy, meaning you will always have company. Also, having the puppy around may help to stop you from overthinking about life or stressing out. As a matter of fact, with a puppy, you are going to live a holistic and balanced life.

Another benefit of owning a puppy is that the dog will encourage you to move. And, you’ve probably heard a thousand times that moving about is good for your health.

Through this, you will be avoiding a sedentary lifestyle which carries a plethora of health problems. Also, a puppy will make you more sociable.

However, there are a couple of things to figure out along the way, as part of being a new puppy owner. 

And, one of those things is figuring out when your puppy should sleep.  Ensuring that you have an ideal schedule for your puppy will keep it healthy and happy. So, what time should puppies go to bed in their crate?

Well, our guide has all the answers you need. In our article today, we will take a closer look at the importance of quality night’s sleep for your puppy as well as how long your puppy should sleep at night. 

We will also give you tips to help your puppy sleep at night. And with that said, let’s get to it.

Importance of Quality Sleep for Puppies

Puppies should get adequate sleep. And, there are several reasons why you should make sure your puppy is getting quality sleep both day and night. 

Quality sleep is vital for your puppy’s developing brain, immune system, nervous system and muscles. So, if your puppy is not getting quality sleep, it may suffer from all sorts of illnesses and issues. 

And reversing some of these consequences will not be an easy thing to do.  

Furthermore, if your puppy is not getting quality enough sleep, they may suffer stunted growth, developmental delays as well as various other development and growth-related issues.

Also, inadequate sleep may lead to a weaker immune system for your puppy. 

And as you may expect, a weaker immune system makes your puppy vulnerable to all sorts of infections and diseases. The puppy will become sick often.

As you can see, if your puppy is not sleeping adequately and properly, it will suffer from all sorts of developmental issues. 

So, you need to do everything possible to ensure that your puppy is getting quality and adequate sleep, both day and night.  

How Much Sleep Do Puppies Need

Going by our discussion above, sleep is extremely important for puppies. And this begs the question, how much sleep do puppies need? The amount of sleep that your puppy will need will depend on their age.

But generally, younger puppies require more sleep compared to older ones. At the same time, active puppies may need to sleep for longer compared to the lesser active ones, to recharge properly after an entire day of play. 

Let’s take a closer look at the recommended sleeping time for different puppies.

Birth to Eight Weeks

Puppies in this age group should spend the majority of the day to ensure proper brain development. Ideally, they should be sleeping for around 18 to 20 hours every day. 

But every dog is different, based on my experience with them. Therefore, some puppies in this age group may sleep slightly less or longer.

However, you should ensure they are spending at least 75% of their day resting.

Eight to Twelve Weeks

Puppies in this age group also need to be spending the majority of their day sleeping and resting. Like the previous age group, they should also be sleeping for around 18 to 20 hours every day. 

However, some puppies may begin spending more time awake.

You will also notice that once your puppy reaches this age, it will become extremely energetic and playful whenever they are awake. 

And, it’s highly advisable to encourage playing or other healthy activities. Such activities will help them to sleep better afterward.

12 Weeks to Six Months

Most puppies will start reducing the amount spent sleeping as they age. And this is also the case with this group of puppies. 

However, you should make sure that your puppy is getting at least 16 to 18 hours of sleep per day.

What Time Should a Puppy Go to Bed

Well, there’s no specific time that a puppy should go to bed. You just need to ensure that the puppy is sleeping at the same time every day. 

However, your puppy should be getting at least eight to ten hours of sleep every night.

Ideally, you should align your puppy’s bedtime with yours. When your puppy wakes up in the morning, it will go to the bathroom and expect to be fed.

After being fed, they will expect to be played with.

So, if your puppy goes to bed too early, there’s a high chance they will wake up much earlier than you. On the other, if they sleep too late, you may be forced to cancel some of the activities for your morning routine, so that you can wait for them to wake up and feed them.

With that in mind, you should ensure that your puppy’s sleeping time is in sync with yours. By using this approach, your puppy will be getting quality sleep at night.

At the same time, the dog will not interrupt your daily schedule.

How to Help Your Puppy Sleep at Night

On average, your puppy should be sleeping for around eight hours at night. Failure to get enough sleep at night may present some serious issues for your puppy down the road. 

Furthermore, if your puppy is not sleeping well at night, it will end up interfering with everyone else’s sleep in your house.

Fortunately, there are some measures that you can implement, which can help your puppy to sleep better at night.

In this section, we will walk you through some strategies that you can use to help your puppy sleep better at night. If your puppy is having sleeping issues at night, the following tips will come in handy.

Tire the Puppy Before Bed

One of the methods that you can use to help your puppy sleep better at night is to tire them out. 

By tiring your puppy, you will help it to sleep better and more deeply at night. And, the chances of waking up in the middle of the night are minimal.

So, how do you tire your puppy? Well, you simply need to incorporate lots of vigorous play sessions spread across the day. 

And whenever your puppy is awake, you should use that opportunity to play with them. 

Games like chase and fetch will help to tire the puppy physically.

You should also ensure you tire the puppy mentally. And, you can do so using games that stimulate the mind. Such games may include things like the kong toy. Training sessions can also help to tire your puppy. 

So, they should be part of its daily routine.

However, avoid playing with the puppy when it’s close to their bedtime. They may have some excitement remaining in them, which will make them stay awake longer. So, do it three to four hours before bedtime.

Reduce Feeding Before Bed

You’ve probably heard that you shouldn’t sleep immediately after a meal, since it can cause stomach pain or bloating. Well, this is also the case with puppies.

As much as you don’t want your puppy to sleep hungry, you shouldn’t feed them too close to their bedtime.

Feeding them too close to bedtime may lead to stomach upsets and various digestive issues, thus causing sleeping challenges. At the same time, you shouldn’t feed your puppy too far from bedtime, as they may wake up in the middle of the night due to hunger.

Ideally, you should feed your puppy at least one to two hours before bedtime. With this approach, there will be ample time for digestion. At the same time, they won’t wake up in the middle of the night due to hunger.

Take the Puppy for a Bathroom Break Before Bed

Puppies may need at least two bathroom breaks every night due to their smaller bladders. In light of this, it will be advisable to take your puppy out for a bathroom break before bedtime. 

Doing so will reduce the number of bathroom breaks they may need at night. As a result, they will be able to sleep deeply. It’s recommended to form some sort of routine with this bathroom break before bedtime.

Key Takeaways

• Puppies should be sleeping for around 18 to 20 hours per day
• Adequate sleep is needed for the proper growth and development of a puppy
• There’s no specific time that puppies should go to bed
• Your puppy’s sleeping and waking hours should align with yours