Goldendoodle puppies are adorable, but it’s not so adorable when they wake you up crying in the middle of the night, every night, when you first bring them home.
Of course, it’s all part of natural puppy development. You just want to know when you’ll finally get a full night of sleep again! That’s why I’ve done the research to find out when your Goldendoodle puppy should start sleeping through the night.
When Do Goldendoodles Sleep Through the Night?
When do Goldendoodles sleep through the night? Goldendoodle puppies start to sleep through the night when they’re around 4 months (16 weeks) old. That’s when they can start to hold their bladders longer and get used to sleeping without their mom or siblings nearby.
On average, Goldendoodle puppies can hold their bladder for their age in months plus one. That means when you bring home a two-month-old Goldendoodle puppy, they’ll need to pee every 3 hours or so, even at night.
Bladder size also varies by puppy. A Standard Goldendoodle puppy may be able to hold their bladder longer than a Mini, Petite, or Toy Goldendoodle puppy as they get older and bigger.
Of course, bladder size is only part of the puzzle. Your puppy started off life on a 24-hour clock, waking up to eat every once in a while, regardless of the time of day. Goldendoodle puppies need to learn the concept of “daytime” and “nighttime,” and that takes time.
Additionally, it’s natural for your puppy to cry because they miss their mother and siblings. They never knew life without them until they came home with you, so it’s a big adjustment for them.
Tips for Helping Your Goldendoodle Puppy Learn to Sleep Through the Night
As your Goldendoodle (and their tiny bladder) grows, there are a lot of things you can do to set them up to start learning how to sleep through the night. Here are some tips:
- Make their crate comfortable with cheap towels or blankets that can’t be easily chewed up or swallowed. Don’t waste money on an expensive bed yet, because your Goldendoodle puppy may chew it up.
- Cover the crate to help make it dark and quiet. That will help resemble the type of den that a dog would seek out in the wild to stay safe while they sleep. Just make sure your puppy is still getting airflow, even when the crate is covered.
- Play and go for a walk early in the evening to wear your puppy out. You don’t want to do anything too intense right before bed that will rile your puppy up, but you do want to spend much of the evening tiring them out, so they’ll be ready to sleep when you are.
- Feed dinner a couple of hours before bedtime. You don’t want to feed your Goldendoodle puppy too close to bedtime, or they’ll wake you up needing to poop. You also don’t want to feed your puppy too early in the evening, because then they’ll get hungry early in the morning. Dinner time should be about 2-3 hours before bedtime.
- Go potty right before bed. That will buy you the most amount of time before your Goldendoodle puppy needs to go out again. Remember that your puppy’s tiny bladder can only wait so long between potty breaks.
- Establish a routine so your puppy learns the steps that happen leading up to bedtime. Eventually, your puppy will learn the whole routine and will go straight to bed when it’s time.
- Consider getting your puppy a warm snuggle buddy. The SmartPetLove Snuggle Puppy Behavioral Aid Toy comes with a heat pack and a battery-operated pulsing heartbeat to resemble your Goldendoodle’s mother.
- Make sure your room is dark and quiet. If you watch TV while you’re in bed, keep the volume low so it doesn’t disturb your puppy’s sleep. You want to optimize the situation to make it easier for your puppy to sleep without distractions.
How Much Sleep Do Goldendoodle Puppies Need?
You might be surprised just how much your Goldendoodle puppy sleeps during the day. Puppies need 18-20 hours of sleep every day. Learning, playing, and growing take a lot of energy, and sleep is a crucial part of the growing process for a puppy. So, there’s no need to panic if it seems like your Goldendoodle puppy sleeps most of the day.
At first, your puppy might be really upset all night and not sleep much when you would like, so they need to make up for that during the day. Be sure to keep that in mind.
Don’t resentfully keep your puppy awake during the day because they kept you awake at night. They need sleep to grow properly.
On the other hand, if you’re concerned about how much your puppy is sleeping, look at their behavior when they’re awake. If your Goldendoodle puppy is still as playful as ever and not showing any other symptoms, you should need to worry about how much they’re sleeping.
After all, 18-20 hours of sleep means your puppy is only awake 4-6 hours a day, which isn’t much at all.
However, puppies can get sick very quickly. If your Goldendoodle puppy is experiencing other symptoms, you should contact your vet right away. Potentially serious symptoms could include things like:
- Diarrhea
- Vomiting
- Drooling
- Lethargy
Does My Goldendoodle Puppy Have to Sleep in a Crate at Night?
Even if you want your dog to sleep in bed with your when they get older, it’s a really good idea to crate train them as a puppy. Having your Goldendoodle puppy sleep in a crate at night helps reinforce the idea that it’s a safe place rather than a punishment.
Even if you don’t plan to crate your Goldendoodle at night or when you leave when they get older, it’s crucial to crate train your puppy while they’re still young enough to learn that the crate is a good thing.
Why?
Your Goldendoodle is likely to encounter a crate or kennel at some point in their life. It might be at the groomer, the vet, doggie daycare, or a flight across the country.
Your puppy needs to learn that crates are a good thing before they’re an adult dog hurting themselves trying to escape from a kennel at the vet or groomer.
Once your puppy is old enough to be trusted not to chew anything up or pee in your bed, you can let your Goldendoodle sleep wherever you want. But it really is crucial for them to get comfortable in a crate during the most impressionable time in their life.
More Tips for Crate Training Your Goldendoodle Puppy
Unfortunately, crate training a puppy isn’t really as simple as just tossing them into a crate for the night. Here are a few tips to help the crate training process go as smoothly as possible with your Goldendoodle puppy:
- Don’t put your puppy in the crate as punishment. You want the crate to be a happy place, not a sad one.
- Don’t leave your puppy in the crate too long during the day, especially when they’re first getting used to it.
- Take them out of the crate every three to four hours to go potty, especially during the day.
- Use treats and praise to get your Goldendoodle puppy to go into the crate voluntarily rather than shoving them inside.
- Feed your puppy in the crate. That helps reinforce the idea that it’s a safe and fun place to be rather than a punishment.
- Gradually increase the length of time your puppy stays in the crate. Daytime crate training sessions should last less than five minutes to start with.
- Make sure your puppy is comfortable being crated while you are home before you start to leave them alone. Ideally, your Goldendoodle puppy should be comfortable in the crate for 30 minutes with you in another room before you leave them home alone in the crate for the first time.
- Have your puppy sleep in the crate every night. Yes, it’s tempting to snuggle the crying baby to sleep, but they need to get used to the idea that the crate is their safe place. When your puppy is old enough to be trusted around the home without supervision, you can let them sleep wherever.
Closing Thoughts
The first few weeks with a new Goldendoodle puppy can be exhausting since they can’t sleep through the night without at least one potty break and may spend the nights crying for their mother.
Hang in there, though – your puppy will be sleeping through the night before you know it! Too soon, your adorable puppy will be ab adult, and you’ll wonder where the time went.
