How Much Sleep Does a Labrador Retriever Puppy Need?

The right amount of sleep for your Labrador Retriever is going to be important. 

This will help them to feel good, have energy when they get up in the morning and will give them a chance to grow and develop in the proper manner. 

But how much sleep does the Labrador Retriever need to stay healthy?

How Much Sleep Does a Labrador Retriever Puppy Need?

Most Labrador Retriever puppies need 12 to 14 hours of sleep a day. Since Labrador puppies are quickly growing into large dogs, they need to sleep more often in order to help support their growing brains and bodies. If the weather is hot or you run the dog hard during play, they may sleep longer too. 

Giving your dog the amount of sleep that they need is important. 

This will ensure that the puppy grows and develops the way that you would like. 

Let’s take a closer look at some of the factors that help determine the amount of sleep that your Labrador Retriever will need. 

How Much Sleep Does a Labrador Retriever Puppy Need?

Your Labrador Retriever is going to need a lot of sleep to grow. 

The younger they are, and the older they are, the more that they will need to sleep.

They use up a lot of energy when they are bouncing around and trying to be active, which means that they are going to have to need some sleep to catch up after bouncing around all day long. 

When the puppy is young, they will often sleep between 12 to 14 hours a day. 

This can be split up between sleeping through the night and taking a nap. 

As they get older, they will stop sleeping as much because they do not need as much as they did before.

But they will still sleep quite a bit, often 10 or more hours after a hard day of running around and chasing other members of the family. 

As the dog gets older again and starts to become elderly, they may need to sleep more again as well. 

It is likely that you will see an uptick in the number of naps that they will take when they get really old and they may start to sleep for 12 to 14 hours again. 

There is a lot of growing that the dog will need to do as a Lab, so you will need to consider that as well. 

Why Does the Labrador Sleep So Much?

When it comes to your Lab, you may wonder why they sleep so much. It may feel like they are sleeping all the time or more than you may be used to if you have a smaller dog. But this is normal due to a few different options and the larger size of the dog.

Some of the reasons why your puppy is going to sleep so much includes:

Their Nature

One reason that the dog is sleeping so much is that it is natural for them. 

A large dog like a Lab is going to sleep for 12 to 14 hours a day. 

If your dog is a puppy or elderly, then they may sleep a little bit longer in order to stay healthy and happy. 

They are Growing

The lab is a much bigger dog than a lot of the other dogs that you will have. 

This means that they will need to grow much more and this will require a lot of energy from the puppy. 

They need to sleep to help with this normal growth and development, giving them some of the extra energy that they need.

Each dog is going to be unique so you will need to keep that in mind when it comes to helping the dog to stay healthy and watch what seems to work for them. 

Hot Weather

No matter the age of the dog, they will get tired and worn out when they experience some hot weather.

When the weather gets really warm, it could wear them out, especially if they spend a good portion of the day outside.

In this case,  you need to make sure that you give the dog some water, shaded areas, and a cool room so that they do not get too hot.

If possible, try to save walks and time outside until later in the day when it is a little bit cooler for the dog to enjoy. 

Illness

It is possible for even your puppy to get sick at some point. 

Just like when humans get sick, the dog is going to get tired as well and may need a break to recover and feel better.

This is going to be the most likely case if your dog has just started sleeping more all of a sudden and they show other signs of being ill. This could include them being fatigued when awake. 

You may need to visit their vet to see what they are sick with and how you will be able to help them get through the illness. 

Boredom

If the dog is not getting the stimulation that they need and when they get bored, they may decide to take a nap for something to do. 

This is a dog that likes to get a lot of exercise on a daily basis. 

If you have not taken them out to run around and get that energy out, especially as they get older, and you are not training them and doing other activities with them, then they are likely to get bored and take a nap. 

Take them outside to play and go for a long walk and they are more likely to be active and alert during the day. 

Their Diet

Another possible issue is the diet of the dog. 

The foods that they eat can make them have less energy and you will need to consider this when giving them some of the food. 

You should suspect this if you have recently changed the food that the dog eats and you notice that they are sleeping more than normal. 

They may be eating things that they are allergic to, too much food, or too little food. 

 You have to be careful about the type of food that you are feeding the dog and the amount that they get. 

Check with their vet if you have any questions about the food that you are giving to the dog and what they should be eating each day. 

Should My Labrador Retriever Puppy Sleep Through the Night?

With the puppy sleeping between 12 to 14 hours a day,  you may wonder if they are going to sleep through the night. 

It is unlikely that they will come home right away and sleep through the night the way that you would like. 

This is due to a variety of reasons such as the puppy getting lonely, the puppy needing to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night, and the puppy taking too many naps during the day. 

You will find that the puppy will not necessarily sleep for the full 14 hours through the night without waking up because they are going to take a lot of naps during the day. 

This will take up some of the hours that they sleep and is important for them after playing and being around everyone else during the day.

You will need to be careful that they do not sleep too much during the night or you will end up with a big issue with them being awake at night and keeping you awake.

But some short naps during the day are completely normal and good for the Lab puppy so that they can recover from all the playing. 

As the puppy gets a little bit older, you will find that they will sleep a little bit less. 

They will have more endurance to make it through the day without it.

They may still nap a little bit during the day, but they will be a lot better when they go to bed at night.

They will learn to quit waking you up and will make sure that you are able to get them more into the schedule that you would like so you know when they are sleeping well or not. 

Taking Care of Your Labrador Retriever Puppy

You will find that your Labrador Retriever puppy is going to sleep quite a bit. 

They are going through a period of growth and this will take a lot of energy out of them. 

They will also like to bounce around and play with everyone in the home and this takes up energy, even when the dog is a little bit older. 

You will be able to take care of the Lab by making sure they get the naps that they need so that they can grow and develop.