Is It Normal for A Puppy To Sleep A Lot?

Today we bring an answer to a common question, is it normal for a puppy to sleep a lot? Sleep is essential and I’m guessing we all know that. All living things at one point or another have to rest or get some sleep. We as humans sleep so it’s not surprising that animals do too.

Is It Normal for A Puppy to Sleep A Lot?

Puppies are such little bundles of joy and are such cute pets to have. Now, is it normal for a puppy to sleep a lot? The answer is YES. Puppies are very energetic and tend to burn a lot of energy from various little activities and their physical growth so it’s quite normal for them to sleep a lot as they’re experiencing new sights and smells, changes in the environment, and the fact that they’re developing and growing. An average puppy should get up to 18-20 hours of sleep. They’re various benefits of sleep and some of such benefits are:

Energy Production
Puppies tend to play a lot and as a result, burn so much energy and sleeping helps them to recover or get back their lost energy.

Healthy Immune System
Puppyhood is the most active time in your puppy’s life so it’s no surprise that they’d need a healthy immune system to grow and sleep is essential for that to happen. Sleep also helps in the balance of their body system and ensures that essential hormones are released that will be beneficial for their growth.

There are a lot of reasons why puppies sleep a lot and some of these are:

Breed
The breed of your dog determines how much sleep they should get depending on their size, the activities they perform and how quickly they grow. A 16-week old puppy sleeps an average of 16 hours or more and it is completely fine for them too.

Activity Level
The activities that a puppy participates in determines how much sleep they’ll get. If your puppy is the type that is very active when they’re awake then they’ll need to sleep for about 18 hours or more but that can’t be said for a less active dog that doesn’t really get involved in many activities. They will usually sleep for about 14 hours. However, it is encouraged to engage puppies in activities as that would help in their proper development.

Age
An 8-week old puppy sleeps for about 18-22 hours every day and as they’re resting it helps their developing brains and body and also contributes to the proper development of their immune system and nervous system. As they become older, they tend to sleep less than how they did when they were just a few weeks old.

Sleep Schedule for Your Puppy

To ensure that your puppy gets enough sleep, you have to stick to a schedule that’s going to help the young pup. Their sleep schedule should include the following:

Designate A Place for Your Puppy to Sleep
Show your puppy where to sleep and whenever you notice that they’re sleepy or tired, encourage them to sleep in the designated place; it might be a crate or a dog bed or perhaps a place in the house that’s quiet. If that is done a couple of times the puppy would get used to the idea.

Make A Schedule
Plan and follow a schedule, ensure that they get a lot of exercises, know when it’s time to walk or play with your puppy and when it’s time to let them get a nap. Doing that helps in the puppy’s development as sleep is essential for their growth. So, after each activity nap time should be observed.

Know When They’re Tired
No matter how much you enjoy playing with them, know and be able to recognize when your dog is tired and ready to get a nap and encourage them to get a nap in his designated place.

Establish A Sleep Routine
It is important to create a bedtime routine and this should be done right from the start. Let your puppy know that when it’s nighttime, it’s time to go to bed. doing this will ensure that they get their sleep and also ensure that you get your beauty sleep.

Make Their Sleep Place Inviting
Making the pups crate comfortable enough and soft enough is good, there’s no need to go overboard with a puppy’s crate or bed space but it should be good enough so they have the opportunity to rest properly. You should also get them to play with toys that are soft enough for them to play with and make sure no parts of the toys are too small because they might try to eat them and end up choking on them. You can get some bed suggestions on amazon.

Ensure You Stick to Bedtime
No matter how much your puppy whines, cries, or barks ensure that you make them understand that they’ve to get some sleep at that particular time. You can encourage them by giving them some rewards when they observe or follow their bedtime routine.

A Quiet Sleeping Place
Your pup’s sleeping place should be quiet, clean, and dim. When it’s time for their bedtime ensure that the area is quiet and cool enough for them to get some sleep and also ensure that no one wakes them up.

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Why Is Sleep Good for puppies

Sleep replaces the lost energy of your puppy. Puppies play a lot and with all the running around that happens it is expected that they would sleep a lot. Ensuring that your dog gets enough sleep will help in the development of both their immune system and nervous system and even though you want to play with them all day make sure that they get the sleep they need as not getting enough sleep is going to have bad health implications on the. One way to make sure that they get enough sleep is to create a conducive environment.

Why is My Dog Sleepy?

Even as humans we all get to rest and sleep at one point in order to perform at maximum capacity and without proper rest, we get cranky and annoyed. Sleep provides us with the energy we need to perform various activities later.

A dog that is well-rested will be active and alert and they learn faster so if you don’t want to struggle unnecessarily during training you should train them when they’re well-rested. They’re growing every day and that means they’re learning too so ensuring that they’re well-rested because would do them a lot of good.

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Sleeping Habit of a Puppy

Like I’ve said before, a pup is a cute bundle of energy and sometimes it seems like they never tire out but they’re healthy sleeping habits for them and these are:

● Daytime napping is essential for your new pup. Just like a baby sleeps most of the day, so does a puppy. Puppies can fall asleep anywhere and anytime and when they do make sure you don’t disturb their nap time.

● Your growing pup needs a lot of sleep so don’t be surprised if they sleep for most of the day and then at night too. After performing activities which could be anything like a walk to the park or down the street or even just running around the house, expect them to fall asleep very soon.

● A young pup might wake up in the middle of the night, just like babies do when they need to be changed. They might wake up because they want to pee or go for a walk.

Should I Be Worried If My Puppy is sleeping too much

Depending on the age or breed of your puppy, your puppy sleeps for about 18 to 20 hours and there is nothing wrong with your dog if they sleep that much. Sleep is essential for your growing pup as it helps in their proper development and it also helps them to perform and grow well.

If you feel that your dog is sleeping too much or too little then you should take him to a veterinarian as it could be that there is something wrong with your pup. If you have any doubts, talk to them about any questions you might have. It might be difficult at the beginning but with time your puppy will get used to his sleep schedule.

Conclusion

The sleep schedule will vary from owner to owner because we all have different schedules for our lives but no matter how your puppy’s sleeping schedule is, they’ll get used to it over time. You should plan their routines properly; what activities they will perform during the day, when they play, when you go for walks or exercise, when you train them, when it’s naptime and when it’s bedtime. It might take a while but as your puppy grows, it will adjust to those activities.

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