Something to remember about puppies is that they need sleep - lots of it, just like babies. Your puppy will need about 18-19 hours sleep in every 24. So only expect 4 to 5 hours of being awake and only about an hour at a time. If they're kept awake and playing, you could both be heading for a stressful time.
14-18 Hours a Day
As they get older, your puppy will sleep over half the day away.
Generally, most puppies will start to settle between 6 - 12 months, but as mentioned above there are a few other factors that can impact puppy energy levels.
It might make more sense to limit your puppy to five minutes of playtime per month per play session. You might play for five minutes in the morning, a few times during the day, and once before bedtime.
Large dog breeds, Old dogs and Puppies need more sleep, and puppies may sleep up to 18 hours a day, and all this is completely fine. Generally, dogs would sleep the most when they are puppies, and when they are old. Puppies around 4 months up to a year old are only playful, and very active when awake.
Your puppy at 8-9 months old: Basic obedience for your dog's “teenage years” As your pup continues to grow, they may unleash a rebellious streak. Big and little dogs thrive on consistency, so keep up their regular routines, training, and use plenty of praise and love as positive reinforcement.
Dogs may sleep for more than 12 hours a day, usually 12- 14 hours of daily sleep. Large dog breeds, Old dogs, and Puppies need more sleep, and puppies may sleep up to 18 hours a day, and all this is completely fine. Generally, dogs would sleep the most when they are puppies, and when they are old.
If you're anything like us, you'll probably continue referring to your dog as a puppy until they're old and grey! But generally speaking, a puppy is officially considered an adult dog between the ages of 1 - 2 years, once their bones have fully developed and they've reached their final height and size.
Physical Maturity: Physically speaking, dogs are fully grown by the time they're 1 year old, although large breeds may keep growing until they're 2 years old.
The most challenging time of raising a puppy is the adolescent period. Dogs become “teenagers” and seem to forget everything they have ever been taught. This period is individual to each dog, but it may begin when he's about eight months old and continue until he's two years old.
Puppy difficulty at ages 7-10 months
Many owners are totally blindsided by this next phase. It can vary a bit based on each dog, but your puppy likely will hit “adolescence” around 7-10 months, with 8-9 months being the peak described by most owners.
How long should you walk a puppy? This exercise shouldn't be marching around the countryside or the local roads on a lead though. In fact, when it comes to continuous puppy walking a good rule of thumb is that puppies should have no more than 5 minutes of exercise for each month of age, two times a day.
While you may eventually want to let your dog sleep in bed with you (or your kids), it really is best if your pup starts out sleeping in a crate — you can always let them in the bed later, once they're fully potty-trained, sleeping soundly, and happily acclimated to their crate.
The frequency of feeding puppies goes down to 3 times per day at around 3 to 6 months of age, and 2 times per day at around 6 to 12 months. After about a year, most puppies can transition to a nutritionally balanced adult dog food diet 2 times per day.
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.
During puppy adolescence and the young adult stage, your puppy may start showing signs of bad habits that weren't addressed well early on. This may look like food guarding, toy guarding, being possessive over certain family members, nipping, showing aggression, or separation anxiety.
If your puppy isn't getting enough activity to stimulate their mind and keep them physically active throughout the day or is not accustomed to being left alone just yet, your puppy could be barking due to frustration, boredom, and separation anxiety.
When your puppy is 10 months to 1 year old, she is considered a teenager. She is beginning to think of herself as independent. The world is hers to explore. She can go on longer walks and even enjoy off-leash time.
Now that we've covered why puppies are so lively, let's get to the question at hand: When do puppies start to calm down? Generally, puppies start to calm down when they reach emotional maturity — around 1 year old. However, some dog breeds take longer to reach adulthood and emotional maturity.
There's no such thing as a dog too old to train and with reward based training methods, you can really enrich their life. It's a common misconception that you can't teach an old dog new tricks. Modern dog training methods are suitable for canine companions at any stage of their life.
Somewhere around one to one and a half years of age, your dog will reach emotional maturity. Small dogs get there sooner; it can take a bit longer for bigger dogs. At this point, your pup has the emotional capacity of a two to three year old human child. That means they're capable of feeling joy, fear, anger, and love.
Puppy Sleeping Patterns
Many new puppy owners worry that their pup sleeps too much, but the fact of the matter is most adult dogs sleep 14-18 hours per day. Like humans, the more exercise your 10 month puppy receives the better his sleep patterns will be.
Depressed dogs may show symptoms such as a lack of interest in activities, loss of appetite, increased irritability, and unusually clingy or needy behavior. You can help improve your dog's mood by giving them plenty of exercise, playtime, and mental stimulation.