Does your dog spend most of the day sleeping? Surely you have ever wondered if it is normal for him to sleep for so long or if he should be more active. Although the opposite can also happen, you may think that his sleeping hours are too few. We tell you everything you need to know about dog sleep and what factors to take into account.
How many hours does a dog sleep?
Dogs can sleep between 12 and 20 hours a day. Some of the factors that influence the hours of sleep are their age, activity level and lifestyle. But there can also be variations depending on their character or even from breed to breed. As with people, there will be dogs that are more lazy or sedentary and others that are more energetic, and this also greatly influences how much sleep a dog gets.
The time of year also has a lot to do with rest time. When it is cold, dogs tend to sleep longer; they are less inclined to move and walk around and prefer to stay in their warm bed. On the other hand, the hot months influence their sleep in the opposite way: they wake up more often because of the heat, they go to drink water at night, they get out of bed and lie down on the floor looking for the coolness, etc. A dog’s resting time may also increase on days when they are more physically active, when there are visitors at home and they are nervous or after a long car trip.
How much sleep does a puppy dog get?
The smaller a dog is, the more time it spends sleeping. The hours of sleep gradually decrease as the dog gets older. A newborn dog needs a lot of sleep to grow healthy and strong. During the first three months of life, puppies sleep an average of 20 hours a day. This rest is not only essential for growth, but also for learning and memory. If your puppy sleeps more than 20 hours and you notice that the time he is awake is off, you should take him to the vet to rule out illness.
How much sleep does an adult dog get?
From the age of 3 months, puppies will reduce their sleeping hours until they sleep between 12 and 14 hours. They will normally sleep about 8 hours at night and the rest during the day, in the form of short naps.
What about an elderly dog?
As dogs get older, their sleeping hours increase. They become less active and much calmer, sleeping around 18 hours a day (sometimes even more).
Why do dogs sleep so much?
A good rest is essential for health and for the brain. Dogs need to recover from the day’s events and restore their energy. Like us, they have different sleep phases and also have nightmares.
Light sleep
In this phase, dogs are alert and wake up easily if you make noise or approach them. It coincides with naps spread throughout the day.
Deep sleep
This phase occurs when they sleep at night. This is when they are sound asleep and dream or have nightmares. Sometimes they move their paws, wag their tail, cry or make noises. You should not wake them up abruptly as they may become frightened.
