Puppies from months 6 to 8 sleep around 16 hours throughout an entire day. Yet, that time might slightly vary from one dog breed and size to another. Therefore, it’s safe to assume that a healthy puppy should manage to sleep from 15 to 17 hours per day.
Now that we answered your question, “How much do puppies sleep from months 6 to 8,” it’s time to dive deeper into the sleep habits of puppies at that age.
What Does a Normal Sleep Schedule of a 6-to-8-Month Old Puppy Look Like?
A first-time puppy owner may not understand how puppies behave at six to eight months of age, especially when it comes to sleep. When they were younger, they could sleep for 20 hours straight, and now that’s decreased to around 16 hours.
So, what else should you expect at this point?
Sleeping for Half the Day
Puppies need so much rest to make up for the energy they spend playing and chasing stuff every day. Therefore, it makes sense that they’d be willing to sleep for 50% of their day!
When they wake up, they’ll spend the other half playing, exercising, resting on a sofa or the floor, or nibbling on their kibble.
Napping for Up to 2 Hours
Of course, in order to get their 16 hours of sleep, puppies must nap several times throughout the day. The length and number of naps will vary depending on how active they’ve been before it.
As a general rule, your puppy might take naps that go from 30 minutes to a whopping 2 hours!
Having Uninterrupted Sleep at Night
By now, you’ve probably already potty trained your little buddy, so he has better control of his bladder.
This means that he doesn’t need to wake up at night to go to the toilet, which results in an entire night of deep sleep. Expect your puppy to sleep eight to ten hours nonstop during the night now!
What Is the Sleeping Pattern of a 6-to-8-Month Old Puppy?
Quite surprisingly, the sleeping pattern of such a baby puppy isn’t very different from that of grown dogs. This is because most mammals have the same sleeping pattern, and this includes us, humans, too.
Here’s how things go whenever your puppy closes his eyes:
- The body relaxes after the heart rate and breathing slow down and the puppy enters the light sleep phase
- The puppy starts the REM cycle after ten minutes of light sleep (sometimes puppies will twitch or bark during sleep at this point)
- The cycle ends and the dog wakes up for a few minutes before falling back asleep and repeating the entire pattern all over again
Helpful Dog Training Resource:
For help with training your dog, you should take a look at The Online Dog Trainer by Doggy Dan. Doggy Dan is an expert Dog Trainer based in New Zealand. His online resource contains Hundreds of Excellent Dog Training Videos that will take you step-by-step through the process of developing a healthy, happy well-behaved dog.
Why Do Puppies Sleep So Much at This Age?
There are many reasons why puppies appear to be lazy when they’re so young, but it’s natural behavior and definitely not something to worry about.
Puppies need around 16 hours of sleep because:
- They become very active during the day and must have an adequate amount of rest
- Sleep gives them plenty of time to process all the information they deal with on a daily basis
- Sleep allows a puppy’s body to make use of the nutrients that he consumed during the day to help him grow into a strong dog
Still, if it seems like your puppy is getting more sleep than necessary, your best bet is to speak to the vet to make sure he’s not facing trouble. This is because an overly sleepy dog might be suffering from:
- Depression
- Boredom
- Anxiety
- An underlying health problem
How to Ensure That My Puppy Gets Enough Sleep Every Day?
Both too much and too little sleep aren’t ideal for your dog. This is why you should monitor your puppy’s sleep every day to make sure he’s getting a healthy amount of it.
But what are some things you can do to create a sleep-friendly environment for your puppy?
Let’s find out!
Sleep Routine
Maintain a nightly sleeping routine for your pup to regulate his waking and sleeping hours (wake him up and try to put him to bed at the same hour each day)
Music
Play some relaxing tunes to your puppy to set the mood for a satisfying sleeping session
Massage
Consider gently massaging your dog or holding him close to encourage him to fall asleep faster
Exercise
Walk your dog or play with him before you want him to go to bed so that he gets tired and needs to rest
Environment
Create a cozy nook where your dog will feel comfortable enough to fall asleep as soon as you put him there (try a dog bed or house filled with your puppy’s favorite blanket or stuffed animals!)
Potty Break
Take your puppy out for a potty break so that he has less chance of waking up during the night to go to the toilet
How to Know If My Puppy Isn’t Getting Enough Sleep?
Sometimes, we just get too busy with work, house chores, and relationships to keep a close eye on our puppies’ sleeping schedules. So, you may not always be able to tell whether or not your puppy’s had enough sleep.
Well, don’t you worry, because there will be signs!
Here’s how your pup can let you know that he’s having trouble sleeping:
- Displaying irritable or aggressive behavior at normal, everyday occurrences
- Frequent barking without provocation
- Growling at the tiniest inconvenience
- Forgetting some commands that he’s already learned
- Slight nipping or biting
- Obvious lethargy without actually falling asleep
Helpful Dog Health Resource:
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As you can see, it’s pretty easy to detect if your puppy is suffering from a lack of sleep. Once you notice this behavior, try to avoid doing anything that might keep your dog from sleeping peacefully:
- Don’t bother your puppy during his naps and keep your children or other pets off his back
- Turn off any sources of loud noise in the room where you doggo is sleeping
- Don’t change the location of your puppy’s bed all of a sudden
- Try not to give your puppy water right before going to sleep
Paul has been creating content for the dog niche for many years. The information he shares comes his first hand experience growing up in dog lovers household and then owning multiple dog breeds of his own as an adult. Paul enjoys doing the hard research to collect, analyze and present our dogtemperament.com readers with the best answers to their questions.