How much does a puppy actually sleep? A study of over 3,000 dogs answers
Published by Planète Pets · managing editor: Clément Lacaille · how our guides are written
How many hours does a puppy really sleep, and where does he choose to do it once left to his own devices? A cohort study spanning several thousand British dogs offers hard numbers rather than impressions. Our setup guidance is gathered in the dog bedding and habitat section.
Contents · 4 sections
Two ages, two sleep profiles
Kinsman, Owczarczak-Garstecka, Casey, Knowles, Tasker, Woodward, Da Costa and Murray published in 2020, in the journal Animals, a descriptive study drawn from the UK's Generation Pup cohort (see the study). Owners of 2,332 puppies at 16 weeks and then 1,091 dogs at 12 months answered a detailed questionnaire about their dog's sleep.
At 16 weeks, puppies slept on average just under 12 hours in 24, including 3.5 hours of daytime naps. By 12 months, the total dropped to just under 11 hours, with about 3 hours of napping. Sleeping location shifted the same way: 67% of 16-week-old puppies slept in a crate or enclosed bed, versus 50% of 12-month-old dogs who had moved to a standard open dog bed.
Proximity to people, a constant across both ages
One result held at both ages: among dogs with overnight access to their owners, 87% chose to stay near them rather than settle elsewhere in the house. A crate or a bed does not replace that need for closeness — it sits alongside it, a useful cue for where to place the bed, not just what type to buy.
What this means for the setup
- Don't worry about a gradual drop in sleep time between 4 months and 1 year: it matches a documented pattern, not a problem.
- Ease the crate-to-bed transition rather than forcing it all at once, drawing on our guide to crate training a puppy.
- Place the bed near the household's living areas rather than off on its own, especially in the first weeks: our article on secure bedding against separation anxiety details the concrete options.
Frequently asked questions
Is a puppy sleeping less than average unwell?
The study reports an owner-reported average, not a clinical threshold. One isolated deviation is nothing to worry about; a sudden change in the same dog is what warrants a vet visit.
Should the crate be removed by 12 months?
No — the study describes a majority trend, not a rule: some adult dogs keep preferring an enclosed space, and that stays entirely normal.
Should the dog sleep in the bedroom?
The study does not settle that personal choice; it only shows that, when possible, closeness is something the dog himself largely seeks out. Find all our guides on the dog hub.
In our shop, for this use: Ice-silk cooling mat for dogs (62 × 50 to 100 × 70 cm) (€40.90) · the whole shop
In our shop, for this use: Folding 3-step wooden pet stairs for beds and sofas ($75.90, ships from the US) · the US shop
This guide is part of Planète Pets’s Dogs universe. Our advice is general in nature: for any health concern, your veterinarian remains the only reference.
