25/10/2026
THE BIOLOGY OF DOING NOTHING 💤
Why sleep is one of the most important parts of your puppy’s development
Your puppy's brain is still working while its body is asleep.
Sleep might look like the least productive part of a puppy’s day, but biologically, it is anything but. While your puppy is curled up and apparently doing nothing, the brain and body are carrying out some remarkably important processes that support development, learning, memory and recovery.
And this is one reason why rest deserves just as much attention as play, enrichment, socialisation and training.
THE BRAIN DOESN’T SWITCH OFF WHEN YOUR PUPPY SLEEPS
Learning does not end when an experience is over. The brain needs time to process and organise the information gathered while awake.
One important process is memory consolidation. This is where newly acquired information is stabilised and integrated into existing memory networks, helping make learning more durable.
Research in domestic dogs has provided evidence that sleep is involved in this process. In a study using non-invasive brainwave recordings, researchers found that learning affected dogs’ sleep patterns, and aspects of their sleep-related brain activity were associated with subsequent improvements in performance. The researchers also found that sleep and activity during the period after learning could influence later memory.
In other words, a puppy doesn't necessarily benefit from being given one new experience after another. There is value in allowing time for the brain to process what has already happened.
This has practical implications for puppy raising. A short, positive training session followed by an opportunity to rest may be more useful than repeatedly asking a puppy to learn new things without sufficient breaks.
SLEEP IS PART OF PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT
Puppies are undergoing extraordinary biological change. Their nervous systems are developing, their brains are forming and refining connections, their muscles and skeletons are growing, and their immune systems are maturing.
Sleep supports the processes involved in growth, tissue repair and physiological regulation. It also gives the body an opportunity to recover from the physical and mental demands of being awake.
Consider how much information a young puppy is processing every day. New smells, sounds, surfaces, people, animals, movements, interactions and experiences are arriving at a remarkable rate. Even ordinary household activity can be stimulating to a young dog.
Rest is not time wasted between these experiences. It is an essential part of adapting to them.
WHY PUPPIES NEED SO MUCH SLEEP
You will often see puppy sleep recommendations of around 18–20 hours in a 24-hour period, particularly for very young puppies. This is a useful general guide, not a precise biological requirement for every puppy at every age. Sleep needs vary with age, individual development, activity and the quality of rest.
The important point is that young puppies need substantially more sleep than most people expect.
They do not necessarily recognise when they have had enough stimulation. They may continue playing, exploring and interacting even when their ability to cope is beginning to deteriorate. It is up to us to provide opportunities for regular, uninterrupted rest.
And don't be concerned if your sleeping puppy twitches, paddles its feet, moves its eyes beneath closed eyelids or makes little noises. These can be normal features of sleep, including REM sleep. They are not, by themselves, a reason to wake a puppy.
THE OVERTIRED PUPPY: WHY MORE ACTIVITY ISN'T ALWAYS THE ANSWER
This is where understanding sleep becomes particularly important.
A tired puppy is not necessarily a puppy who is ready to settle.
In fact, an overtired puppy may appear to have acquired an entirely new supply of energy. You might see frantic running, increased mouthing and biting, jumping, grabbing clothing, difficulty responding to familiar cues, irritability or an inability to disengage from play.
It is tempting to interpret this as a need for more exercise or stimulation. Sometimes it is simply a sign that the puppy has had enough.
When a puppy is tired, their capacity to regulate arousal, manage frustration and respond appropriately to their environment may be reduced. Continuing to add excitement can make it harder for them to settle.
Think of the difference between a puppy who needs an interesting activity and a puppy who needs the opportunity to switch off.
They are not the same thing.
A puppy who is struggling to regulate their behaviour may need a toilet break, a drink, a quiet environment and a comfortable place to sleep rather than another game, another training session or another outing.
REST NEEDS TO BE TAUGHT AND PROTECTED
Some puppies are naturally good at taking themselves off to sleep. Others need help learning that it is perfectly acceptable to stop interacting with the world.
Provide a comfortable, quiet resting area where your puppy can sleep without being repeatedly disturbed. Use a predictable daily rhythm that balances waking, toileting, feeding, play, exploration, short learning opportunities and rest.
Avoid waking a puppy simply because you want to interact with them. Allow them to complete their sleep, and remember that a busy household can make it difficult for a young dog to obtain genuinely restorative rest.
Equally, don't confuse confinement with rest. The aim is to provide a safe, comfortable environment in which the puppy can relax and sleep, not simply to keep them out of the way.
And remember that quality matters. Frequent interruptions, excessive noise, discomfort or an environment in which the puppy feels unable to relax can all affect the opportunity for good sleep.
THE COST OF INSUFFICIENT REST
When sleep is repeatedly interrupted or inadequate, the consequences can extend beyond feeling tired.
Poor sleep can affect attention, learning, emotional regulation and the ability to cope with everyday challenges. Research in dogs has found associations between sleep patterns and behaviour, while experimental work has demonstrated that sleep is relevant to memory and learning.
We should be careful not to assume that every behavioural problem is caused by insufficient sleep. Pain, illness, fear, frustration, unmet needs and the environment must also be considered. However, sleep is an important part of the picture and one that is easy to overlook.
A puppy who is struggling to learn, becoming increasingly excitable or finding ordinary experiences difficult to manage may not need a more demanding training program. They may need a better balance between activity and recovery.
THE TAKE-HOME MESSAGE
Good puppy development is not about keeping a puppy occupied every waking moment.
It is about providing appropriate experiences, allowing time to process them, supporting physical growth and protecting the opportunity to rest.
We spend a great deal of time thinking about what we should teach our puppies, what they should experience and how we can enrich their environment. We should give equal consideration to what happens after all that activity.
Sometimes the most productive thing a puppy can do is absolutely nothing.
Because while the body is asleep, the brain is still doing some very important work. 🐾
Donna Williams,
Emerald Park Border Collies.
www.emeraldparkbc.com
