Amanda Teixeira
Dogs need far more sleep than many people think. Here you can find out what you can do to ensure that your dog sleeps soundly and peacefully.
Only if your dog gets enough and restful sleep will it remain healthy and happy. That’s why you should never disturb your dog’s rest periods. Find out here how much sleep your dog really needs and what you can do to improve his sleep.
That’s how much sleep dogs need
How much your dog should sleep each day depends on how old he is. Puppies need significantly more sleep than adult dogs. In general, healthy dogs should rest as long as:
- Puppies and young dogs: approx. 20 to 22 hours per day
- adult dogs: approx. 12 to 20 hours per day
- older dogs: approx. 15 to 22 hours per day
This information is a rough guide for orientation. This also includes periods of rest when the dog only dozes.
But a dog’s health also influences how long it needs to sleep. Sick dogs may also need up to 22 hours of sleep a day. For example, dogs that have had a cold or have just had an operation recover by sleeping a lot.
Note that some dog breeds need to be downright persuaded to rest. For example, German shepherds or Australian shepherds often ignore that they need to sleep. They were bred to work with humans and are therefore particularly active. Breeds such as the pug or the French bulldog, on the other hand, are considered to be rather quiet dog breeds.
Deep and light sleep
Of course, no healthy dog sleeps 20 hours straight. Dogs are light sleepers for many hours each day when they doze and rest. This is not to be equated with the solid deep sleep of dogs.
Snooze and rest
If your dog lies down and closes his eyes, he can still be awake. Because his ears and his nose continue to perceive the environment. You’ll know your dog is only lightly dozing if he opens his eyes and cranes his head as soon as he sees something interesting.
Relax and rest
This phase is also part of light sleep. Most of the time, the dog has its eyes closed, snuggles up to its human on the couch or has looked for another quiet, comfortable place. Now he’s really recovering. So don’t bother your dog now.
Deep sleep
Your dog sleeps soundly for about six to eight hours a day. Dogs need deep sleep, among other things, to process the experiences of the day. Dogs also dream during this phase. You should definitely refrain from waking him up now, otherwise he won’t be able to recover properly.
Lack of sleep in dogs
You can tell if your dog hasn’t slept enough by looking at its behavior. Dogs that have had a single lack of rest are often overexcited. If the dog does not rest for a long time, its concentration decreases.
Dogs that are constantly undersleeping are often irritable and nervous. Aggressive behavior is also possible. Health is also at risk: dogs that often sleep too little have a weakened immune system and get sick more quickly.
If the dog still does not get enough sleep, serious, chronic diseases can be the result. So it’s important that you act early and help your dog get restful sleep.
So your dog sleeps even better
So that your dog can sleep soundly, deeply and restfully, you should ensure clear daily structures. If your dog is allowed to rest at the same time every day, his body will automatically adapt to these rest and sleep breaks.
Many dogs want to rest close to their caregiver. For her, this is one of the many ways to show us her love. It is then better to refrain from using loud objects, such as the vacuum cleaner or the hair dryer. Noise also disturbs the dog’s sleep.
Your dog also sleeps best when it is comfortable. Make sure you have the right dog basket and put it in the right place. If you follow these simple rules, your dog will surely have a good night’s sleep. And this is important: Only dogs that get enough sleep stay healthy and happy.