Give your pooch some toys to play with throughout the night, especially interactive puzzle toys that encourage dogs to hunt for bits of kibble, to prevent wake-up calls due to boredom. Spend quality time with your dog during the day and allow your dog to sleep in or near your bedroom on a bed of their own.
There are many reasons why a puppy wakes up early in the morning. It's likely that your puppy needs to pee, they are hungry, you are inadvertently encouraging their behavior, there is a problem with the sleeping environment, or they have excessive energy.
Most puppies will sleep through the night by the time they're about 4 months (16 weeks) old. But with some help, diligence, and proactive training, you may be able to get your puppy there even earlier!
A dog's sleep needs and patterns are very different from a human's. Dogs sleep longer than people, but they spend less time in deep sleep, meaning that they are often easy to wake, and often ready to deal with a non-existent threat.
Most of the time dogs wake up too early simply because they're in the habit of being early risers, or if they are fed or walked early in the morning. However, your dog waking up early could simply mean they miss you or indicate physical or psychological stressors.
Do I Need to Wake My Puppy Up to Pee at Other Times of the Day? If your puppy is sleeping soundly through the night, there's no need to wake them up to go outside to pee. However, if they're still young (under 4 months old), you'll want to take them out every 3-4 hours during the day so they can relieve themselves.
Help your dog get at least 30 minutes of exercise each day. If you can do this at different times during the day so your dog's body doesn't get used to exercising at a certain time, it may help him sleep better at night. Evening exercise may wear him out more before bedtime than morning exercise will.
But in all honesty, there's no 'right time' for a puppy to go to sleep, as long as it's the same every night. While this may be the case, do note that your puppy will need, on average, around 8-10 hours of sleep per night.
In the morning, your puppy will be ready for breakfast at 6 - 7am as 12 hours sleep is about right overnight. During the day they then need another 6 to 8 hours as naps, at least one long one, alone in their bed.
And just like human babies, your puppy will probably wake up every few hours in the night. You should expect a few sleepless nights while your puppy is getting used to their new home, their new routine, and learning how to hold everything in so there are no accidents in the night.
Tire your puppy out in the couple of hours leading up to their bedtime, with plenty of active play, games or walks. Avoid too much excitement around the last hour before their planned bedtime, which will help the puppy to gradually begin to calm down in the run up to bedtime.
In the beginning, we suggest covering a wider area with 3-4 potty pads until your puppy learns how to target the pad more precisely. Important note: Although you can leave potty pads in your puppy's playpen to absorb any accidents they may have, this on its own won't potty train your puppy.
A lot of puppies can sleep through the whole night after two weeks of training. But there are some puppies that it will take a little bit longer. As a general rule, you can expect your pup to sleep through the night after 2-8 weeks of training.
Begin by closing your puppy in the confinement area with a chew toy or other constructive activity, then quietly walk out of the room. Return immediately and reward them with praise and a treat. Repeat the process, slowly increasing how long you're away each time.
However, allowing your dog to sleep in your bed may encourage a problem that's already there. For example, sleeping in bed with you can reduce anxiety in dogs, but can also exacerbate separation anxiety in the long term as your dog becomes used to having you as support every night.
Adjust their schedule.
If your pet is constantly waking you up at 3 am because they are hungry, then adjusting their feeding schedule can help them sleep throughout the night. Or your dog may be waking you up because they have to go outside to use the bathroom.
If your dog wakes you up in the night to go outside, they may have a medical problem such as a urinary tract infection or Cushing's disorder. A vet can diagnose your pet and prescribe medication to treat this problem. If your vet rules these out, your dog may have a weak bladder due to old age.
Melatonin is commonly used as a sleep aid, and is sometimes used to treat certain hair disorders, cognitive dysfunction and separation anxiety in dogs, as well as sleep cycle disorders in dogs and cats. Generally, it is very safe, with lethargy and stomach upset being a potential issue in cases of overdose.
Where Should a Puppy Sleep at Night? Your puppy needs to have their own sleeping space. A properly sized crate is useful for sleep training, and your pet will soon learn that this is where to go for a quiet and safe place to rest. Bonus: Teaching your dog to sleep in the crate also helps with potty training.
Most puppies can sleep through the night when they are four months old (16 weeks). However, small-breed puppies may be physically limited by their tiny bladders to go 6 to 8 hours without waking up because they need to pee. Large breeds may start sleeping through the night by three months.
They need to pee
Their bladder capacity is small, and it needs emptying regularly. Puppies often wake up two or three times in the night needing to pee, but there comes a point when they've slept enough, that they struggle to get back to sleep again.