Why Do Dogs Sleep So Much?

The art of napping is something dogs seem to have down to a tee! But you may be wondering why your dog sleeps so much? And is it normal? Rest assured it’s completely normal for dogs to sleep all the time and the reason behind it is adorable.   Why Does My Dog Sleep All The Time? Throughout the day dog’s brains have activity happening all day, this can become quite disorganised. When dogs sleep, they are reprocessing their memories from the day, in their sleep, they organise them and store the important memories and discard the rest. All that sleep also gives your dog’s body time to repair itself, plenty of sleep helps keep their immune system in check. Just like us, if a dog hasn’t had enough sleep, they’re more prone to illnesses and infections so their beauty sleep is crucial!   How Many Hours A Day Do Dogs Sleep For? It’s quite normal for a dog to spend around 50% of their day asleep, around 12-14 hours a day. On top of this they’re likely to spend another 30% of their day chilling, awake, and just hanging out – that’s 80% of their day not doing too much! How much your adult dog sleeps will be influenced by their size, large dogs need more sleep than small dogs – it takes way more energy for them to move their bodies around so they just need more sleep to recover! Puppies sleep even more than adult dogs, on average 18-20 hours a day. It’s so important for puppies to get so much rest as their bodies are growing so quickly, they need to use their energy on growing during downtime. Puppies have an on/off switch when it comes to sleep, which is why you’ll see them wired with the zoomies one second and then they crash out and burn the next – it’s hard work growing so much!   Do Dogs Dream? Experts believe that dogs do dream. Adult dogs have a sleep cycle with periods of REM sleep which is similar to humans. Their periods of REM last around 20 minutes and this is when they are having their doggy dreams. Signs of REM are whimpering, muted woofs, running and twitching in their sleep – so next time you see your dog’s paws twitching in their sleep you’ll know it’s because they’re dreaming away. Dogs spend around 25% of their sleeping time in REM sleep, the rest of the time is quiet sleep. In REM cycles your dog’s brain will be as busy and as active as when they are awake – on average a dog experiences around 23 sleep-wake cycles a night.   How Many Hours Do Dogs Sleep At Night? This will all depend on your routine but on average they will sleep for around 9 hours a night. Puppies will take time to adjust to your routine when they first get home but with crate training, they will quickly adjust and be able to sleep through.   Why Has My Dog Stopped Sleeping? Had the perfect sleep routine nailed and now it’s no longer working? There can be several reasons your dog may have stopped sleeping. We’ve listed a few of the common ones below but if you’re concerned, we always recommend speaking to your vet!   A change in routine - Has either your or your dog’s routine changed? Maybe they are on their own more in the day or their walks aren’t tiring them out as much as they used to. Your dog may just need a little time to adjust, try taking them on longer walks or stimulating them with enrichment activities to try to wear them. Pain - When dogs are in pain, they can often be restless and irritable, you’ll see this a lot with puppies when they are teething. If you are concerned that your dog may be in pain we recommend speaking to your vet! A change in diet - Some foods suit our pets more than others, if your dog has recently switched foods and is now struggling to sleep it may be because they’re struggling to digest their new food or they may just need a little time to get used to it. Underlying health conditions - Underlying health conditions may affect your dog's sleep pattern, if you’ve noticed a big prolonged change in their sleep routine it may be wise to consult your vet!  How To Get The Perfect Sleep Why not upgrade your dog’s sleeping arrangements to ensure their sound slumbers continue? Bedding is our specialty here at Lords and Labradors and we design and handcraft it all with your dog’s comfort in mind. Whether they prefer a crate set, high wall, or box bed – we’ve got them covered. We also have matching blankets for the ultimate comfy nap experience.

By Megan Willis