Can puppies actually sleep through the night?
During the day, you’ve likely noticed big fluctuations in your puppy’s energy levels. He may be racing around the house one second and the next he’s passed out completely on the floor.
But what about during the night? If your puppy is waking you up constantly at nighttime, you might be wondering if it’s possible to teach him to sleep through the night.
The short answer is yes, a puppy can sleep through the night.
The longer answer is that whether or not your puppy can or should be sleeping through the night depends on a lot of factors.
The biggest one is his age. But other things come into play too, like how well you’ve been training your puppy, the amount of stimulation he gets during the day, and many other elements.
Can puppies sleep through the night?
Before we get more into if puppies can sleep through the night, take a look at these related articles:
- Do Puppies Sleep a Lot During Growth Spurts?
- Can a Puppy Sleep Too Much?
- How Much Does an 8-Week Old Puppy Sleep?
At what age should puppies sleep through the night?
Puppies are just like human babies. They’re super cute and fun to play with, but when bedtime rolls around it can get a little challenging.
The age at which a puppy should be able to sleep through the night depends on one main thing: his bladder.
Puppies have super little bladders and they need to be potty trained properly. However, even with potty training a puppy won’t be able to hold his bladder until he’s a little bit older.
As a general rule, your puppy can hold his bladder for a number of hours equal to his age in months plus one. So an eight-week old puppy, for example, would only be able to hold his bladder for about 3 hours maximum.
Of course, a lot has to do with your dog as an individual. Some puppies can hold their bladders a little longer than this rule, and some are able to hold it for a shorter period.
By about 16 weeks, your puppy should be able to sleep through the night.
How much do puppies sleep?
Your puppy sleeps a lot, but he’s not just going to sleep through the night. Your puppy will sleep a lot during the day, too. Most puppies need about 18 to 20 hours of sleep per 24-hour cycle.
That seems like a lot, doesn’t it? Just remember how similar puppies are to human babies. Both puppies and babies need a lot of sleep to keep up with all the growing they’re doing. Plus, a lot of the growing that they need to do happens while they’re sleeping.
Because of this, it’s really important to make sure that your puppy is getting enough sleep every day.
Are you having trouble making sure your puppy gets enough rest during the daytime? Check out this article: My Puppy It Not Sleeping During the Day, What Should I Do?
Should I wake my puppy up to pee at night?
If your puppy needs to pee, he will wake you up. In fact, he probably already has! He may be crying a few times a night, telling you he needs to get up and go.
You may assume that that’s good enough. As long as your puppy tells you that he needs to go and he’s peeing when he needs to, that should be enough, right?
Well, it’s actually a pretty bad idea to let your puppy wake you up every time he needs to relieve himself. That teaches him that he’s the one who gets to be in control. It also teaches him that crying and complaining will let him get out of the crate.
But he needs to empty his bladder, so what are you supposed to do?
Instead of letting your puppy wake you up, set an alarm for yourself and be the one to wake him up. When you take him outside, make sure to stay very calm so you don’t unintentionally rile him up.
Just take your puppy out of his crate, bring him outside, and once he’s finished, put him right back in his crate.
How to help a puppy sleep through the night
So your puppy is able to hold his bladder for long enough to get through the night, and you’re ready to get some uninterrupted sleep. Now, here are some tips that will help your puppy sleep through the night.
You may also want to check out this article for some related advice: Help! My Puppy Won’t Sleep At Night.
Do one last potty break right before bedtime
The most important thing to do for you and your puppy is to make sure that his bladder is empty before bedtime. After all, that bladder is one of the major things waking you and your puppy up!
So before you hit the hay, make sure you take your puppy outside for one last chance to relieve himself before it’s time to sleep. It’s best to do this immediately before going into the crate.
Doing this should prevent your puppy from needing to go pee during the night and help both of you get the rest you need.
Take away his food and water at least one hour before bedtime
It’s not enough to just make sure your puppy goes outside immediately before bedtime. You also want to prevent him from filling up his bladder in the first place!
Your puppy probably eats a few times a day, and he should always have access to clean water during the day too. But since his bladder can be such an issue for sleeping through the night, you want to keep him from drinking right before bed.
Take away his food and water about an hour or so before it’s time to go to sleep. This will give him time to process what’s in his body without adding more to it.
Speaking of food, your puppy’s food could also play a huge role in whether or not he’s able to settle down easily. If you’re looking to make sure your puppy is getting a healthy diet, check out the best dog food delivery service for fresh cooked food.
Establish a bedtime routine
If you don’t have a bedtime routine and you’re just sort of playing it by ear every night, you might want to reconsider this plan.
Having a solid bedtime routine will help both you and your puppy prepare for bedtime. Routines are great for dogs because they help them know what to expect and when.
As soon as your puppy starts noticing the regular bedtime cues, he’ll know that it’s time to start winding down.
As you work on setting up your bedtime routine, you may need to try new things to find what works for you. Just keep experimenting and you’ll find the routine that works best for you and your puppy.
Start crate training
Is your puppy crate trained? If you haven’t gotten started on crate training, then now is the time to start.
Many owners write off crate training because they believe it’s cruel. But the crate is just a tool, and it all comes down to how you use it. As long as you train your puppy properly, he’ll see the crate as a nice, comfortable place where he can go to relax.
The crate will also provide a specific place where your puppy can stay at night.
Are you ready to start your crate training journey? These articles will help you out:
- How to Crate Train a Dog Easily in 13 Steps
- How to Crate Train a Puppy at Night
- My Puppy Is Throwing a Tantrum in the Crate—Help!
Where should my puppy sleep at night?
Are you having trouble deciding where your puppy should go to sleep at night? Ultimately, the decision comes down to what works best for you!
Some people find that their puppies do best on a little dog bed. Other dog parents find that giving their puppies too much freedom at night keeps them from getting the sleep they need.
While it would be nice to have a universal answer to this question, the real answer is that your puppy should sleep wherever works best. Whether it’s in a crate, on a dog bed, or in your own bed with you, as long as he’s able to sleep, that’s what matters!
Is it okay to leave a puppy in the crate all night long?
If you’re crating your puppy at night, you might be concerned about leaving him in there so long.
It’s totally okay to leave your puppy in his crate all night long! As long as you’re getting up to take him out to relieve himself until he’s old enough to hold his bladder, he’ll be perfectly comfortable inside the crate.
Conclusion
Raising a puppy is a really rewarding experience. But it can also be an incredibly tiring one—especially if your puppy isn’t sleeping through the night!
You may be wondering whether an interruption-free night will ever be possible for you again.
Don’t worry—with time and proper training, you’ll be able to help your puppy (and yourself!) sleep through the night.
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