puppy sleep duration

[splosh]

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Hi everyone, I'm new. My puppy is Vito, a border collie born 2 June 2020, so currently 14 weeks old.
He sleeps well at night in his crate (though he doesn't like it in the day and sometimes sleeps very little in the day anyway). I give him 8 and a quarter hours from his last wee, meaning I usually get up around 6 a.m.
But for the last week or so he's had a little bit of breakfast at 6.30 - if any - and gone back to sleep really soon, as if he didn't get enough at night, or he's been awake ages already.
So can I extend his night by putting him to bed earlier, or getting up later? How long can I expect him to last?

 

[JudyN]

Does he not wake you up when he's ready to start the day, or wants his breakfast or needs a wee? Does he just wait quietly till you get him up? (I wish my dog would!)

Does he seem desperate to get outside for a wee when you get him up? I'd be worried that he's holding it so long he's uncomfortable but doesn't realise he can tell you.

 

[Finsky]

You can try to adjust his sleeping pattern but it is generally not good idea to get him up if it is not necessary....there is that saying 'let the sleeping dog lie'.
Sleeping patterns vary from dog to dog and they do so for various reasons through out their life.
Some dogs do not tend to sleep long periods of time but they get what they need in bits and pieces and often they can swap and change their sleeping places as well. Puppies particularly do their sleeping in 'bits' as their innards are not capable to hold very much of their waste yet.
I would let him find what he needs and if you think that his behaviour is influence because of the lack or quality of the sleep, then try to work out what would help him.
Little over 8 hours does not sound very much in whole but as a quantity to rest in one go without a week, for that age is quite good going. Though if he is having to 'cross his legs', that itself can affect his quality of sleep and need to go back to sleep again.
I would consider letting him have a wee in the middle of night for time being and see if that makes difference to him.

 

[splosh]

You can try to adjust his sleeping pattern but it is generally not good idea to get him up if it is not necessary....there is that saying 'let the sleeping dog lie'.
Sleeping patterns vary from dog to dog and they do so for various reasons through out their life.
Some dogs do not tend to sleep long periods of time but they get what they need in bits and pieces and often they can swap and change their sleeping places as well. Puppies particularly do their sleeping in 'bits' as their innards are not capable to hold very much of their waste yet.
I would let him find what he needs and if you think that his behaviour is influence because of the lack or quality of the sleep, then try to work out what would help him.
Little over 8 hours does not sound very much in whole but as a quantity to rest in one go without a week, for that age is quite good going. Though if he is having to 'cross his legs', that itself can affect his quality of sleep and need to go back to sleep again.
I would consider letting him have a wee in the middle of night for time being and see if that makes difference to him.

Thanks. He isn't desperate for a wee when we get up, but he does wee as soon as we get outside, and poo too. He's always wide awake because he's heard me moving around. I fear he may be awake from very early because I always have to go to the loo between 4 and 5, and the bedroom is right above him. If I got him up for a wee in the night, I wouldn't be letting the sleeping dog lie, would I?

 

[splosh]

Does he not wake you up when he's ready to start the day, or wants his breakfast or needs a wee? Does he just wait quietly till you get him up? (I wish my dog would!)

Does he seem desperate to get outside for a wee when you get him up? I'd be worried that he's holding it so long he's uncomfortable but doesn't realise he can tell you.

No, he's not desperate, though he does wee as soon as we go outside. He does wait quietly for me, yes. I think if he wanted attention he'd say so.

 

[excuseme]

Is your puppy from working stock or show type lines?
We will all be needing some pictures of him PLEASE.

Just out of interest, if your puppy spends 8 hours caged at night times, how long is he caged in the day?
.

 

[splosh]

Is your puppy from working stock or show type lines?
We will all be needing some pictures of him PLEASE.

Just out of interest, if your puppy spends 8 hours caged at night times, how long is he caged in the day?
.

Yes, he's a border collie.
He isn't often crated as he sleeps better outside it. I only put him in if he is overtired, behaving badly and resisting sleep.

 

[excuseme]

Oh I'm sorry, (He isn't often crated ) I thought you mentioned that he slept in a cage 8 hours each night!

 

[splosh]

Oh I'm sorry, (He isn't often crated ) I thought you mentioned that he slept in a cage 8 hours each night!

No need to apologise. I wasn't clear. He sleeps in the crate at night but prefers to be outside it during the day. I think he does really well to do more than 8 hours overnight, but I wonder whether he needs more night/early morning sleep time.

 

[JudyN]

I don't think being in a crate for 8 hours overnight is a problem - Jasper is on his bed for 8 hours a night and unless he has a really good excuse, I expect him to stay there, or at least stay in the bedroom (because if I let him roam the house and sleep where he wants he'll decide there are foxes in the garden that he needs to deal with).

 

[Finsky]

I don't think being in a crate for 8 hours overnight is a problem - Jasper is on his bed for 8 hours a night and unless he has a really good excuse, I expect him to stay there, or at least stay in the bedroom (because if I let him roam the house and sleep where he wants he'll decide there are foxes in the garden that he needs to deal with).

I would have expected at 14 weeks, even bit larger puppies would struggle to be content for 8 hours solid. Even if my dogs are smaller breed in general, but that age they could not go further than 2-3 hours (during the day) without a toilet break and during night might have gone 4 at most?? Lack of quality sleep if the pup's bladder if filling up could affect the sleep hence feeling tired in the morning.
Saying that, just like us humans....there is some dogs that are more of morning larks and others night owls too.

 

[splosh]

I would have expected at 14 weeks, even bit larger puppies would struggle to be content for 8 hours solid. Even if my dogs are smaller breed in general, but that age they could not go further than 2-3 hours (during the day) without a toilet break and during night might have gone 4 at most?? Hence I thought that maybe the pup would wake up during night and hopefully listen the movements upstairs. If that would be the case, than it could affect the sleeping pattern and feeling tired in the morning.
Saying that, just like us humans....there is some dogs that are more of morning larks and others night owls too.

Yes, I'm beginning to wonder if he's an owl, whilst I'm a lark. However he does get tired at night and seems ready to go to bed at 10-10.30. If there's one thing Vito does well, it's keep me guessing about everything!

 

[excuseme]

I am sorry, because I am always very suspicious of dogs and puppies being shut up in cages overnight and then again during the day time too
I am not a great lover of cages or crates, I do understand that they have their uses but not all night and then all day for convenience.
We have a couple of cages ourselves, doors are open 24hrs. The girls love them and often there are 2 in a cage together. Our greatest use for them is when we have loads of raw bones around. One of the girls will eat hers quickly and then she goes around stealing the others bones and stashes them to finish for herself!
She gets her given her bone and the door is closed until the others have finished theirs in peace
.

 

[JudyN]

I would have expected at 14 weeks, even bit larger puppies would struggle to be content for 8 hours solid.

Yes, I agree - but I said that in the context of a puppy who seems content to sleep quietly in his crate all night and is not desperate for a wee in the morning. I'm assuming that if he was uncomfortable, he'd whine and be taken out.