In Practice
A 1-up/2-down day
The 1-up/2-down schedule is the foundation of everything. One hour awake, two hours sleeping. It sounds like a lot of sleep because it is. Young puppies (8-14 weeks) need 18-20 hours of sleep per day. When you get this right, the biting decreases, the settling improves, and you suddenly have a puppy you can live with. Here's what a real day looks like.
Step by step
6:00 AM: Wake up. Straight outside for a toilet break. No play, no excitement. Business trip only.
6:10 AM: Breakfast in a slow feeder or snuffle mat. Takes 10-15 minutes and starts the day with calm, focused activity.
6:30 AM: Free time in the kitchen. Marlowe explores, follows us around, gets a few captured settles if she offers them.
7:00 AM: Back in the crate with a frozen kong. She might protest for a minute. She'll be asleep within five.
9:00 AM: Wake up. Outside for a toilet break. Short play session in the garden, maybe 10-15 minutes. Some recall practice.
9:30 AM: Back inside for a lick mat or chew. Low-energy enrichment.
10:00 AM: Crate nap. This is the long one. She usually sleeps until noon.
12:00 PM: Wake up. Toilet. Lunch. A short walk if the weather's good, no more than 10 minutes at this age.
1:00 PM: Crate nap. More sleep.
3:00 PM: Wake up. This is the kids' time. Supervised play in the living room. Short training session, 3-5 minutes max.
4:00 PM: Last crate nap of the day.
5:30 PM: Wake up. Toilet. Dinner. Evening settle practice while we cook.
7:00 PM: Quiet time on the mat. Maybe a chew. The house is winding down and so is she.
9:00 PM: Final toilet break. Into the crate for the night.
What to watch for
The times are approximate. Follow your puppy's wake window, not the clock. If they're falling apart at 45 minutes, put them down at 45 minutes.
You'll feel like they're sleeping too much. They're not. This is what young puppies need. Fight the urge to keep them up for more 'quality time.'
The schedule shifts as they grow. By 16 weeks, wake windows extend to 90 minutes. By 6 months, you might be doing 2-up/2-down. Let the puppy's behaviour tell you when to adjust.
Bad days happen. If the schedule falls apart, just aim for the next nap. Don't try to 'catch up.' Just reset.
Key terms
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A simple sleep schedule for young puppies. One hour awake, two hours sleeping. It sounds like a lot of sleep because it is. This is what prevents over...
Real life