If you've just adopted a puppy, you're probably having trouble falling asleep or you're not getting a good night's sleep. It is normal. Until now your pup probably slept with his mother and siblings. The change in his life has been radical and he will need some time to adapt to his new family and his routines.
On the other hand, the hours of sleep will also vary according to the age of the dog and its physiological needs. In the following article on our site, in collaboration with VETFORMACIÓN, we talk about sleep habits and how to put a puppy to sleep all night
Do the puppies sleep through the night?
If you have had the opportunity to observe a newborn or a few days old litter, you will have seen that the puppies spend the day sleeping and eatingAs the weeks progress, the puppies will begin to interact with each other, with their mother and with their environment, in which we human caretakers will be. From two and, above all, three weeks of life, the puppy gradually spends more time awake. But how long does a puppy sleep? So small It is common for them not to sleep one night in a row because they are going to feel hungry. If the litter is with its mother, we won't even know about these nightly awakenings. But if, for whatever reason, we adopt such a small puppy, it will be normal for him not to sleep all night, either due to hunger, loneliness or the desire to evacuate.
About eight weeks of age is the recommended minimum age to adopt a dog and separate it from its family. So, How much sleep does a 2-month-old puppy? These little ones are already able to sleep a minimum of about six hours at a time But we must bear in mind that they will still miss their family and, although they are able to endure without eating, they may need to urinate and physiologically they do not have the necessary maturity to endure more hours.
For all these reasons, it should not surprise us that the puppy cries, whimpers, barks or scratches the door if he is not with us during the night. As he continues to develop, he will be able to control his sphincters and will end up adapting to our hours of rest, although you should know that some dogs can take many months to sleep at once. Even if they no longer wake you up, you may find that they have urinated at home during the night.
Why is my puppy active at night?
Another thing to consider as your puppy grows is the importance of his energy level. When a two-month-old puppy arrives at our home, he is beginning a stage characterized by exploration and play. He still needs a lot of sleep, but also he is full of energy, which he must burn while he is awake. This means that if our puppy spends a lot of time during the day alone, he does not receive enough stimulation, he does not have anyone to play with or he does not exercise, the result will be that he will not let us sleep. He will probably destroy everything within his reach and will be activated especially when we are there, which usually coincides with the hours we had planned to dedicate to sleep.
On the other hand, although a two-month-old puppy may not eat all night (it will have to be fed several times during the day), if it is smaller when we adopt it,puppies eat at night , so we can't rule out having to feed them even once. And remember that, even up to a year old, dogs may wake up at night to urinate Even if they go out at the last minute, they may not last until we Let's get up.
How to put a puppy to sleep all night?
By understanding all the circumstances that can affect your puppy's sleep, we can take steps to ensure that your puppy gets as much rest as possible at night. And it is that, before adopting a dog, it is convenient that we inform ourselves well about its behavior and needs. If you are interested in these topics, we recommend the VETFORMACIÓN Canine Ethology and Education Course, designed both for people who live with dogs and want to get to know them better and for professionals in the sector. In this course you will learn how dogs behave and why, how they communicate and how they learn, which will give you the necessary tools to achieve excellent coexistence between the two. It is an accredited course and is taught remotely for convenience.
Besides the above, keep in mind the following recommendations:
Prepare your rest area
During the first days at home it is totally normal for the puppy to miss the care of his mother and the constant contact with his siblings, which is why he may cry at night. To get a puppy to sleep and rest peacefully, the first thing we must do is prepare its resting area. So, not only will we put out a bed for him, but we'll also introduce a blanket for him to snuggle into, preferably if he's from his previous home and still has the smell of his mother. This way he will feel more protected
In this area we can also place a clock that marks the seconds, since it will serve to simulate the heartbeat of the mother of him Likewise, we can introduce one or several stuffed animals in his bed so that the puppy notices the body-to-body contact to which he is accustomed.
Keep him stimulated throughout the day
As general measures, if you are wondering how to put a puppy of 2 months or more to sleep, it is essential that you provide stimulation and physical activity throughout the day, adapted to your circumstances, of course. This ensures that the puppy is tired enough to sleep at night. Likewise, allow him to evacuate , provide him with a quiet environment for rest and a good bed. In this other article we teach you How to train a puppy to relieve himself in the underpad, something very useful while he learns to control his sphincters at night.
Establish a routine
Dogs should not be covered to sleep, but they do need a soft, collected and sheltered place. Night is not the best time to play overly active games that, instead of tiring him out, make him more upset. Set a routine from day one.
Don't lock him up
On the other hand, although the belief is widespread that the dog should sleep alone as soon as it arrives at its new home and you should not attend to its calls no matter how much it cries, it is not recommended nowadays. The newly arrived puppy needs companionship and bonding with us Locking up a puppy at night and keeping it separate from the rest of the family is incomprehensible behavior for him. It is not necessary for him to sleep in our bed, but it would be convenient if he did it in the same room and there is nothing wrong in petting him until he falls asleep.
When does a puppy start sleeping through the night?
In short, it is essential that we understand the needs of the puppy, both physiologically and emotionally, and that we have patience because when a puppy begins to sleep through the night no it is not a fixed date, but the result of a progressive maturation that, as caregivers, we must accompany.
