Let sleeping dogs lie
About dog sleep
There’s a popular Tik Tok/ Instagram reels format doing rounds these days of people filming their dogs sleeping to an audio that says something about nappy-naps. If you observe your dog throughout the day, you would have noticed they sleep a lot. In fact, when they’re not eating, exercising or exploring, you’ll mostly find them snoozing. If you’ve seen this and wondered why, let me reassure you that your dog is not lazy; they need that sleep. Read on to understand why dogs sleep so much, what affects their sleep, and when you should be concerned.
Understanding dog sleep and dreams:
Carnivores sleep a lot more than herbivores, so dogs require a lot of sleep, even more than us hardworking (or hardly working) humans. Dogs are considered polyphasic sleepers — they sleep on and off during the day. As opposed to that, humans are monophasic sleepers (well, most of them) who get their required sleep in one long stretch of time.
Like humans, dogs also have REM (Rapid Eye Movement; dream phase) and non- REM phases, the non-REM parts being deep sleep. In one sleep cycle, dogs go through two REM and two non-REM phases. A dog’s sleep cycle lasts for 45 min on average, and they spend about 6 minutes in the REM or dream phase. During the REM phase, you may observe your dog moving their paws and jaws, barking (with their mouth closed — it seems like a bubbling sound), and appearing to ‘blink’ while asleep. It is believed that apart from providing the body downtime for growth and repair, sleep is also a time for dogs to learn. Researchers believe dogs go over their day, including training time, in their sleep. Maybe getting a perfect handshake is just a matter of letting your dog get one of those nappy-naps in!
Quantity and quality of sleep:
So how much sleep does your dog need? There’s no straight answer to this, unfortunately. The amount of sleep your dog needs and gets depends upon various factors such as:
Age: Generally, older dogs and puppies need more sleep and can sleep 18–20 hours a day. Puppies need the most rest as their bodies are developing and growing very quickly. You will notice that they sleep in the stillest positions. Senior dogs, adult dogs who are unwell and overweight dogs also require more sleep. Healthy dogs between 1 to 5 years of age sleep 8–16 hours a day. This is quite a wide range, and other factors come into play to determine how much sleep your particular dog needs.
Breed: Large-breed dogs and small-breed dogs sleep more than medium-breed ones. Giant breeds like Great Danes or Saint Bernards may sleep up to 18 hours a day. Medium breed dogs may sleep up to 14 hours, and small breeds, up to 16 hours. Some working-breed dogs may sleep lesser than other dogs their size due to the breed characteristics.
Exercise: Like humans, dogs that engage in adequate activity (physical and mental stimulation) tend to sleep more deeply than other dogs. If you have a dog that isn’t getting enough sleep but seems otherwise healthy, try engaging them in physical or mental stimulation.
Environment: You probably have an ideal sleep environment, and so does your dog! Dogs sleep better in familiar environments (such as at home), devoid of noise, where they can be comfortable. Therefore, your dog will sleep more at home (within a healthy range) than they would elsewhere. Changes to this familiar environment, such as a guest, unknown people, another dog or animal, may hamper your dog’s sleep.
Comfort: You must let your dog choose where they want to sleep. Some dogs may like to use a bed (round, bolster, elevated — their choice!); others may prefer sleeping on the floor or any other surface. Crate-trained dogs may be comfortable sleeping inside their crates. This is why it is necessary to understand what your dog prefers before buying them a bed. This may also change depending upon the weather. Many dogs like the cool floor over their stuffy beds during summers. Contrarily, they may choose to cuddle next to you on your bed if they’re cold in theirs. Your dog may move around between their bed and floor through the night. Again, they’re polyphasic sleepers, so they will wake up while you sleep through the night. If you have ground rules, enforce them gently but firmly while keeping your dog’s comfort in mind. Dogs sleep in different (and often weird) positions; these may seem uncomfortable to us but are actually comfortable for them. Common sleeping positions are curled up, and lying on their side/ on their back. Some dogs like to use a pillow, too — that’s okay!
Routine: Dogs benefit greatly from having a schedule — this applies to the snooze department too! Stick to a schedule in your initial days with your dog, and they’ll soon start heading off to bed at night whether or not you do. Take your dog out for a quick walk before bedtime so they can relieve themselves and not wake up with a full bladder in the middle of the night. Follow the same routine (roughly, if you can) so that your dog sleeps better during the day too. Make changes to their schedule slowly (like going for earlier walks during summers).
Health: While we discussed earlier that unwell dogs require more sleep, poor health may eventually lower your dog’s quality of sleep. Dogs in pain, itchy dogs, or incontinent dogs may wake up between their sleep cycle due to the effects of their illness. Your dog may become anxious, irritable or even depressed due to a lack of sleep. On the flip side, excessive sleep can also be a symptom of an underlying issue. If you feel that your dog is sleeping too much or too little, it’s time to see a vet.
Causes for concern
Like humans, dogs are also susceptible to developing issues with sleeping. While most sleep issues can be resolved smoothly, some require extra care or may be signs of other, deeper problems with your dog. Dogs with disrupted sleep may be suffering from hypothyroidism, pain, endocrine issues or cognitive issues caused by ageing. Here’s when you need to get your dog looked at:
- Too much or too little sleep. While less-than-normal sleep is easy to notice, you will know your dog is sleeping too much when their sleep begins interfering with meal and play times. Be especially mindful if your dog starts choosing sleep over activities they would otherwise engage in. It is also recommended that you see the vet if it is difficult to wake your dog up in the morning, and if the extra sleep comes with symptoms of pain, lethargy, or behavioural issues.
- Erratic sleep patterns or sudden changes in sleep patterns. A little while into living with our dogs, we know when in the day they prefer to squeeze in a nap. Deviating a bit once in a while is okay, but if you see sudden changes often, it’s good to investigate why.
- If you notice symptoms of sleep apnea or narcolepsy. Brachycephalic dogs (the ones with short snouts like Bulldogs and Pugs) can develop sleep apnea if their airway is blocked, and this can cause their sleep to be erratic. Narcolepsy is a sleep disorder where the dog falls asleep suddenly (for example, in the middle of play). Breeds like Doberman and Labrador Retrievers are more susceptible to developing it.
- If you notice your dog waking up suddenly in a frightful or stressed out state. Something may have startled your dog, causing this reaction, but if this is frequent, you should talk to your vet.
Dogs are adorable when they are awake and even more so when they are asleep. Now that you know how much sleep your dog requires and that they are not being lazy by sleeping so much, let your sleeping dogs lie. After all, as another trending reel track says, “It’s not easy being cute.”
