Puppy sleep schedule: how much should a puppy sleep?

How much sleep does a puppy need?

The figure you will see most often is 18 to 20 hours a day for young puppies. That comes from the American Kennel Club, and VCA Animal Hospitals says much the same: a 2-month-old puppy is usually awake for only 4 to 6 hours of the day. Sleep supports growth and the development of the brain, nervous system, immune system and muscles, so a sleepy young puppy is a normal one.

Those numbers are expert estimates rather than measurements. The largest study we know of, the Dogs Trust Generation Pup cohort, asked owners how long their dogs slept and got much lower totals:

The honest answer is that nobody has measured puppy sleep precisely at every age. Young puppies sleep most of the day; by adulthood VCA describes 10 to 14 hours as normal. The schedule above aims for the higher figures in the first months, because an over-tired puppy is harder to live with than a well-rested one.

A sample sleep schedule for a 10-week-old puppy

With the calculator's starting settings (up at 6:30 am, bed at 10:00 pm, about an hour awake between naps of 90 minutes and three meals), a 10-week-old puppy gets 6 naps adding up to 9 h, plus 8 h 30 min at night: 17.5 hours in total. Every awake stretch follows the same loop:

1. Wake up and go straight outside for a potty break.
2. Meal if one is due (bowl up after 15 minutes), then another potty break.
3. Play, a few minutes of training, or a short outing to meet something new.
4. One more potty break, then a nap in the crate or pen.

The rhythm follows AKC's description of a young puppy's day: a nap every hour or so, lasting from 30 minutes to two hours, usually after play or a walk. Older puppies stay up longer, so lengthen the awake time as yours copes. If you also need a house-training plan built around the same day, the puppy potty schedule adds every bathroom break with the reason for it.

When do puppies sleep through the night?

Mostly when their bladder lets them. Penn Vet's behavior service gives the usual rule of thumb: a puppy can hold it for about one hour per month of age, give or take an hour, and adult dogs can manage 8 hours or longer.

Hours a puppy can hold it ≈ age in months, ± 1 hour

That rule is a convenient guide, not the result of a study, and puppies vary a lot. Humane World for Animals goes further and says most puppies can sleep for seven hours without a bathroom break, and suggests taking the water bowl up about two and a half hours before bed. The calculator plans night alarms around the top of the bladder range, because a sleeping puppy isn't eating, drinking or playing.

For those night trips, AKC advises taking your puppy out calmly and putting them straight back to bed without a long interaction: out, pee, praise, back to bed. If your puppy is dry and asleep each time the alarm goes off, try pushing it later by half an hour every few nights.

How do I get my puppy to nap?

• Give naps a place. A crate, pen or bed in a quiet, dim spot away from household traffic. Leave a sleeping puppy alone, and ask children to do the same.
• Follow activity with rest. AKC notes that naps usually come after play or a walk, and that over-tired puppies are more likely to misbehave. A puppy that gets wild and bitey in the evening often needs sleep, not more play.
• Practice settling alone. Short naps or chew time alone in a crate or pen teach a puppy to amuse itself, which may help prevent over-attachment later.
• Keep bedtime the same. A set bedtime, a final potty break and the same short wind-down each night make the adjustment easier for everyone.

When is a puppy's sleep a worry?

A change matters more than the number. VCA lists restlessness at night, changes in appetite or potty habits, losing interest in play and heavy snoring as reasons to call your vet. Flat-faced breeds such as Pugs and Bulldogs can have breathing problems during sleep that make them tired in the day, so mention gasping or very loud snoring at your puppy's next check-up. A puppy that is suddenly very hard to wake, weak, or not eating should see a vet promptly.

Once your puppy is older, the crate training schedule and the daily routine builder take over from here.