When Do Golden Retrievers Sleep Through the Night?
Getting a puppy is a lot of stress and hard work, even though those puppy dog eyes can be so sweet and adorable! Working with your puppy during the day can help you train the dog long-term and help them sleep through the entire night.
When Do Golden Retrievers Sleep Through the Night?
Most Golden Retriever puppies sleep through the night by the time they are 16 weeks old. Puppies need a lot of sleep so their bodies can grow big and strong! Sometimes that means sleeping all day and being awake during the night, but you can help curb that habit and get your pup to sleep through the night even sooner!
It’s All About the Routine
Dogs are creatures of habit. Therefore, they get excited when you grab their leash in the morning or they start getting excited around their mealtimes. They can’t tell time, but they do know what their routine is!
It is very important to accustom your puppy to your routine as soon as you can. This will help them understand what is expected of them every day and shows that what your day normally looks like.
This is a huge help with potty training!
Taking them out as soon as you wake up, after they eat, and other events will begin to signal to the puppy that it is potty time. Taking them out during these times consistently will cause them to associate those things to going outside, meaning less messes inside!
Learn more about potty training your Golden Retriever puppy here.
Finding a Good Dog Bed
Dog beds are not one size fits all! The perfect bed for your pup depends on a lot of factors, like size, age, and personal preference.
The size of the bed should be a few inches bigger than your dog, measuring from the tip of their nose to the end of their tail. This gives them plenty of room to spread out if they get too hot.
They may grow out of the first bed you get them, especially if you get it when they are a young puppy.
Just how you need a good mattress to support your body when you sleep, your dog needs a good bed for when they sleep (which they do a lot of). Picking a firm bed that keeps their body off the ground will help them rest easier and wake up without being sore. Lots of dogs like to lay their head down on a pillow, so having a bed that has a slight wall to it will allow them to do that.
Remember, their bed is a safe place! That is their place to relax and be in their own zone. Kids should know not to mess with the puppy when they are in their bed and to leave them alone to sleep. Your dog should not be disciplined when on their bed, as well.
Dogs need their alone time and rest time, just like us!
Check out some of the top dog beds and find the right one for your pup!
Crate Training Your New Puppy
I love having my dog sleep in the bed with me, but she had to earn it first! Starting your puppy in a crate at night teaches them a lot and gives them the patience to sleep through the night.
Dogs that are crate trained through positive encouragement will begin to see their crate as a safe place for them to rest. Once they spend enough time in their crate, sleeping in their crate will become normal to them. They will learn that they should not go potty where they sleep, helping to teach them bowel and bladder control.
Having them sleep in a crate encourages them to sleep through the night because they cannot walk around the room or get into any trouble.
Crate training takes a little bit of time to get used to for the puppy at the start, but in the end, it is well worth it!
Here are some crate training tips to help things go a little smoother!
- Start training them with the door open! Feed them inside the crate, give them treats, and put some toys in there all while keeping the door open.
- Once they are comfortable inside with the door open, start shutting it for a few seconds and rewarding them for staying calm inside.
- After a while, having the door shut will not bother them and you can start leaving the room for longer amounts of time!
- A good rule of thumb is that every month of age is an hour the puppy can be left in a crate (3 months = 3 hours) and no dog should be left in a crate longer than 8 hours.
- Pacience is key! Just because your puppy starts crying in the crate does not mean they get to be let out. Let them calm down and be quiet in order to reward them with freedom.
Calming the Puppy Down
Puppies can have a lot of energy and they need to let it all out! The other 80% of their day is spent sleeping, so getting them to exercise and be awake during the day will make sleeping through the night easier for them (and you)!
There are tons of things you can do to make a puppy tired; they don’t have too much energy to give before they need a nap. Taking them on a short walk, playing with them, working on tricks for 30 minutes (sit, down, etc.) and brushing them will tire them out to the point that they will take a nap wherever they may be! It is best to allow them to let go of some energy before they are put in a crate or expected to go to bed for the night.
Calming your Golden Retriever puppy for the night after exercising is the best way to put them to sleep for an entire night!
Tips and Tricks To Get A Golden Retrievers To Sleep Through the Night
Puppies can be hard to train and take care for sometimes, but hopefully these tips can help you get to a full night sleep faster!
- Take them out to go potty right before bedtime; this will put them in a routine and gives them the best chance to make it through the night without having to potty.
- Establish a bedtime early! Letting them stay up late only makes them change their sleep pattern for future nights.
- Try to move their crate as little as possible. Keeping it in the same soothing environment will make it easier for the puppy to establish that as their safe sleeping space.
- If they need to go to the potty in the middle of the night, don’t punish them! Puppies have small bladders and can’t hold it as long as older dogs can. It’s better for them to wake you up then to go potty in their crate or in the house.
- When they wake up, they are going to want to play! Take some time in the morning to allow them to let energy out.
- Stay patient with yourself and your pup, they are learning, too!
Let Sleeping Puppies Lie
There is nothing cuter than a sleeping puppy and nothing better than a puppy that sleeps through the night.
Taking the right steps to crate train and work with your puppy can help make sure you get a full night’s rest. Taking a little bit of time every day to work with your puppy will give you a well-behaved dog in the long term.
