Exactly How Long Can Your Dog Nap Per Day?

Dogs sleep about 13 hrs per day, though some breeds may sleep as much as 18 hours per day. It is important to note that dogs wake up more often than we do. Therefore even though it appears your dog is sleeping excessively, there are far more interruptions to their slumbering than you think.

Dogs experience sleep states similar to humans with slow wave sleep and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. The first sleep stage is the slow wave sleep that occurs for the first 10 or so minutes of sleep. During this time your dog's breathing reduces and blood pressure and heart rate decreases. After this initial stage your dog enters the REM stage of sleep. During REM you may observe your dog quietly barking or whining and jerking their legs. Your dog's brain activity at this point is similar to the activity observed when humans dream. Perhaps this why we instinctively say that our dogs do dream.

Several conditions influence the amount of time your dog sleeps.

1. Your dog's breed - Individual breeds require different amounts of sleep

2. Activity levels - highly active dogs such as a working dog will sleep less than a dog who resides as the pet at home.

3. Boredom - If a dog is bored it is more likely to sleep than one who is interested in something going on. Interestingly they know when to be awake and be aware of their surroundings. They seem to have a sixth sense when it comes to this but also respond to certain auditory motivation such as the family car arriving home.

4. Age - Older dogs will sleep more that younger dogs.

5. Medication/Poor Health - If a dog is ill, depressed or on medication, they will tend to sleep more.

6. Environment - noisy and uncomfortable environments will as a consequence result in the dog sleeping less than if the environment is peaceful and comfortable

The most important thing regarding your dog's sleep patterns, is to recognise what is normal for your dog. Once you are aware of what comprises normal, you can become conscious of any changes to length of sleep, time of sleep and lack of response to stimulus that normally wakes your dog. If you become aware of any changes it may be prudent to make a consultation with your local vet, to eradicate the possibility of any underlying health issues that may require addressing.

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