How Much do Puppies Sleep

If you have puppies and they’re sleeping a lot you may wonder just how much do puppies need to sleep. Puppies normally sleep from 18 to 20 hours a day, while an adult dog may only sleep 14 hours. The reason for the huge difference is simply that puppies are still growing and they need their rest.

Puppies require more sleep than adult dogs because they are more active than older dogs and they are growing and physically developing very quickly. In addition, puppies are busy investigating their world while learning new things and getting used to being around humans.

Puppies will spend much of their waking hours eating. They’ll be learning when and where they can go to the toilet when you begin housebreaking lessons. It’s important that they also begin obedience training as soon as possible.

When puppies are awake they use a lot of energy. Some puppies don’t even know when they’re tired, and will play and play until they’re totally exhausted and eventually fall asleep wherever they happen to be.

If your puppy acts like it wants to sleep, let it sleep. It will get some of its needed sleep by taking naps during the day but you should establish a bedtime routine so when your puppy grows into an adult dog it learns that nighttime means sleepy-bye time. Teaching your puppy a nighttime sleep routine will enhance your own quality of sleep since your puppy will be less likely to cry and whine at night.

New puppies usually aren’t able to sleep through the night when you first bring them home, but by the time a puppy reaches four months of age it should be able to sleep all night long. In the beginning you may want to keep your new puppy in your bedroom at night.

Young puppies don’t have complete control over their bladders and bowels and on occasion you may need to make a trip outside at night. It’s a good idea not to give your puppy food or water for at least three hours before you put it to bed. It will then be less likely to feel the need for a midnight potty break. Treat nighttime potty breaks seriously by bringing it back to bed as soon as the potty break is over.

Try not to let your puppy sleep in the evening before bedtime or it won’t be able to sleep through the entire night. If necessary, keep your puppy awake by playing with it or by doing some additional obedience training.

Puppies will sleep as much as they can so don’t be alarmed if your puppy sleeps longer than 20 hours a day.

How To Calculate Your Dog’s Age

Here’s an easy way to calculate your dog’s age in human years. Dogs age faster than people do, but the conventional wisdom that one dog year equals seven human years is an oversimplified method of calculating a dog’s age. You can guess the approximate age of a dog this way but it doesn’t take into account the fact that dogs mature more quickly than children do in their initial years.

Figuring for the difference in maturation between a child and a dog, the first year of a dog’s life would be equal to about 15 human years, not seven.

A dog’s size and breed also influence the rate at which a dog ages. Smaller dogs tend to live longer than larger dogs but they generally mature more rapidly in the first few years of their life. A large dog will mature more slowly at first but is considered elderly by the age of five.

In contrast, small and toy breeds aren’t considered elderly until they reach 10 years of age. Medium-sized breeds fall between small breeds and large breeds in lifespan.

* A small dog weighs 20 pounds or less
* A medium dog weighs 21 to 50 pounds
* A large dog weighs more than 50 pounds

Here’s How To Calculate Your Dog’s Age in Human Years:
1 Year = 15 human years
2 Years = 24 human years
3 Years = 28 human years
4 Years = 32 human years
5 Years = 36 human years

At 6 years of age the size of a dog begins to determine its age in human years:

6 Years = 40 human years for small breeds; 42 for medium size breeds; 45 for large breeds
7 Years = 44 human years for small breeds; 47 for medium size breeds; 50 for large breeds
8 Years = 48 human years for small breeds; 51 for medium size breeds; 55 for large breeds
9 Years = 52 human years for small breeds; 56 for medium size breeds; 61 for large breeds
10 Years = 56 human years for small breeds; 60 for medium size breeds; 66 for large breeds
11 Years = 60 human years for small breeds; 65 for medium size breeds; 72 for large breeds
12 Years = 64 human years for small breeds; 69 for medium size breeds; 77 for large breeds
13 Years = 68 human years for small breeds; 74 for medium size breeds; 82 for large breeds
14 Years = 72 human years for small breeds; 78 for medium size breeds; 88 for large breeds
15 Years = 76 human years for small breeds; 83 for medium size breeds; 93 for large breeds
16 Years = 80 human years for small breeds; 87 for medium size breeds; 120 for large breeds

If you’ve adopted a puppy or dog from a shelter but the dog’s history is unknown, it’s still possible to estimate how old the dog is. Checking a dog’s teeth can give you a rough indication of its age. The degree of tooth growth helps determine how old a puppy is, and the degree of wear and tartar buildup helps estimate the age of an adult dog.

Here are some general guidelines:
* By 8 weeks: All baby teeth are in
* By 7 months: All permanent teeth are in and are white and clean
* By 1-2 years: Teeth are duller and the back teeth may have some yellowing
* By 3-5 years: All teeth may have tartar build-up and some tooth wear
* By 5-10 years: Teeth show more wear and signs of disease
* By 10-15 years: Teeth are worn, and heavy tartar build-up is likely. Some teeth may be missing.

In older dogs, signs of aging may show up in a variety of ways, including a cloudy appearance in the eyes, graying hair around the muzzle, face, head and body, a lack of elasticity in the skin, and possible stiffness of the joints.

If you’re still not sure of its age and really want to know if your dog’s breed is susceptible to any genetic diseases like hip dysplasia or arthritis, your vet can also estimate your dog’s age based on a complete physical exam or tests by checking its bones, joints, muscles, and internal organs.

Hopefully this information will assist you in figuring out how to calculate your dog’s age.