If your dog seems to be sleeping a lot, you’re not crazy! It’s normal for dogs to spend a lot of time sleeping. If you are not working from home for part of the day, they may be sleeping more than you realize. Also, dogs can stretch and nap anywhere at any time of the day.
How much sleep does a dog get?
Dogs need a lot of sleep, but it turns out that the amount of sleep dogs get depends in part on their age. It’s safe to say that the average dog spends half a day sleeping …… into 12 to 14 hours a day. Puppies and older dogs will sleep even more.
Puppies proliferate, so their bodies will respond by sleeping 20 hours a day. Larger dogs tend to sleep more hours per day than smaller dogs, although this is not true for every breed. Larger dogs can sleep for up to 18 hours a day, even if they are not older dogs. Surprisingly, active dogs may sleep less than sedentary dogs for most of the day.
Dogs’ Sleep Patterns
In some ways, the sleep patterns of dogs are similar to those of humans. This makes sense because dogs and humans are both mammals, but there are some differences. Humans have trained themselves to get almost all of the sleep we need for the day at once by sleeping about 8 hours at night. But before modern society made this sleep schedule impractical, humans used to sleep for a few hours, wake up to do something, and then sleep for a few more hours.
Dogs have always maintained more of this schedule. In addition, dogs have sleep patterns that include short wave sleep (SWS) and rapid eye movement deep sleep (REM sleep), just like humans do. However, dogs enter REM sleep faster than humans.
In humans, the cycle from SWS to REM sleep can take several hours, but dogs can enter REM sleep in 20 minutes or less. It is during this part of their sleep pattern that you will notice your dog twitching, whimpering, or otherwise making noises, or moving as if they are chasing something.
Even though dogs seem to sleep all the time, they don’t sleep for long periods. That’s because your dog enters this REM sleep cycle faster than humans do. This also explains why their overall sleep pattern is shorter sleep periods throughout the day. It also means that dogs are more likely to wake up in a deep sleep and dream than you are and explains why dogs fall off the couch into a storm and bark at the sound of the mailman.
Are dogs nocturnal?
A dog’s sleeping habits are closely related to how they interact with humans. That’s because dogs readily adapt to the schedules of the humans they live with. A working dog, such as a sheepdog trained to guard sheep in a field, may prefer nighttime activities to a dog living in a suburban home or city apartment.
Dogs tend to sleep unless attention is drawn to them, so when you fall asleep, or if you’re watching Netflix night and you’re bonding with the couch, then your dog will likely do the same. If you have a job that keeps you awake and active at night, then your dog will probably adapt to that schedule and stay active while you’re active. But in general, a dog is not nocturnal; he can wake up and go to sleep at any time of the day, depending on their routine.
Will my dog sleep too much?
Oversleeping is unlikely to cause problems for your dog, but every dog is different. It is entirely normal for dogs to sleep a lot, but one thing to keep in mind is if you notice any changes in your dog’s sleeping habits. Just like people, your dog needs a Kuoser dog pajamas.
Changes in sleep habits, such as excessive lethargy or breathing problems, may be signs that need veterinary attention. Your dog may be sleeping a lot because there’s nothing to do, so consider something environmentally enriching, like a new toy or an extra walk each day. Just like humans, dogs can become frustrated and withdrawn.
Another thing that can cause problems if your dog sleeps too much is a bathroom problem. If your dog is sleeping so much that they are missing potty breaks or waking up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom, consider slowly changing their sleeping habits until the situation is better for both of you.
Do older dogs sleep more?
As your dog gets older from about seven years old, it is normal for her to sleep more. Why does my dog twitch in his sleep. Older dogs sleep more for various reasons: they are more likely to be tired from exertion, they may have arthritis and not want to move too much, or their dog may have a slow metabolism due to things like hypothyroidism.
Do dogs and cats sleep as much?
There isn’t much difference between how much a dog sleeps and how much a cat sleeps. When comparing the range of sleep needed by an average dog (12 to 14 hours) with the content of sleep most often given to cats (also 12 to 14 hours), the results are about the same!
Some sources say that cats sleep up to 15 hours a day, so if you have a dog that sleeps at the low end of the range and a cat that rests at the high end of the range, your cat may sleep up to three.
