Dogs sleep about 13 hrs per day, though some breeds may snooze as much as 18 hours per day. It is essential to note that dogs wake up more frequently than we do. Therefore even though it appears your dog is sleeping excessively, there are far more disturbances to their slumber than you believe.
Dogs experience sleep states similar to humans with slow wave sleep and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. The first sleep stage is the slow wave sleep that happens for the first 10 or so minutes of sleep. Throughout this time your dog's breathing slows and blood pressure and heart rate drops. Immediately after this first stage your dog enters the REM stage of sleep. During REM you may observe your dog quietly barking or whining and jerking their legs. Your dog's brain activity at this point is similar to the activity observed when humans dream. Perhaps this why we naturally say that our dogs do dream.
More than one factors have an effect on the amount of time your dog sleeps.
1. Your dog's breed - Various breeds need different amounts of sleep
2. Activity levels - significantly active dogs such as a working dog will nap less than a dog who lives as the family pet at home.
3. Boredom - If a dog is uninterested it is more likely to sleep than one who is engaged in something going on. Interestingly they know when to be awake and be aware of their surroundings. They appear to have a sixth sense when it comes to this but also act in response to certain auditory stimulus such as the family car coming home.
4. Age - Senior canines will sleep more that younger dogs.
5. Medication/Poor Health - If a dog is ill, depressed or on medication, they will tend to sleep more.
6. Surroundings - noisy and uncomfortable atmospheres will result in the dog sleeping less than if the conditions are undisturbed and comfy
The most important thing regarding your dog's sleep patterns, is to recognise what is ordinary for your dog. Once you are mindful of what constitutes ordinary, you can become mindful of any alterations to length of sleep, time of sleep and lack of response to stimulus that normally wakes your dog. If you become aware of any variations it may be advisable to make an appointment with your neighborhood vet, to get rid of the chance of any underlying health issues that may require addressing.
Exactly How Much Time Must Dogs Nap Per Day? Dogs sleep about 13 hrs per day, though some breeds may sleep as much as 18 hours per day. The most important thing regarding your dog's sleep patterns, is to recognise what is normal so you you can become aware of any changes that may be an underlying heath issue.
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