Sometimes your dog may express extreme agitation, which could be a nightmare. Rather like our rapid eye movement (REM), this is their dreaming time, when they’re re-living the day – maybe finally winning that battle over the big stick with another dog in the park. You may notice your dog’s eyes twitch, their paws flick, or even a growl or two, during sleep. A dog’s day is averagely about 50% deep, restorative sleep, while a further 30% is more of a snooze, when their ears might be on low alert for any activity worth getting upright for. Within those many hours of doggy downtime, experts have pinpointed different types of rest. If your puppy needs a potty break, keep your voice calm and soothing as you deal with that, so there’s as little stimulation as possible. Establish a pattern by making their crate comfy and keeping noise and light levels low – these are cues your pup will come to understand as ‘sleep time’. In the early days, when you bring your puppy home, nighttime can be stressful for a puppy (and their owner) as they get used to a sleep routine – be prepared for some whining or yapping. Sleeping is important to puppies’ development, and they can easily notch up 18 hours a day.
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You might see them suddenly keel over and take a nap mid-way through an activity to recharge – try to leave them to it, if you can. Despite being little balls of energy one minute, keen to play and explore the world, young pups find all that stimulation an exhausting business. Meanwhile puppies are likely to sleep even more than adult dogs during the daytime. Larger breeds can sleep for even longer up to 18 hours a day. This may sound like a lot, but their ancestral genetic coding tells them to expend energy only when needed, whether for hunting, or play and socialising. How many hours’ sleep does a dog need?Īdult dogs should roughly get between 12 and 14 hours sleep a day. Breed, size, weight and environment will also have a bearing on how much shut-eye they’ll take. In fact, they might only spend five hours a day being active, with half the day devoted to sleeping, and the remaining time resting.Īs with humans, factors such as activity levels, age and health can all affect a dog’s need to sleep, as well as the quality of that sleep.
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Unlike humans, who generally stay up all day and then sleep for one long stretch at night, dogs spread out their sleep time.