Mary Allen
If you ask dog owners how long their dogs sleep, all you get is a tired smile and the answer: “When don’t they sleep?”
In fact, dogs doze or sleep most of the day.
This article explains why this is so and how long dogs actually sleep.
In a nutshell: How long do dogs sleep?
On average, dogs sleep between 18 and 20 hours a day.
The deep sleep phase accounts for 6 to 8 hours of this. In addition to the deep sleep phase, sleep also includes resting and dozing.
However, a dog’s individual need for sleep depends on its age, how busy it is, its state of health, and its character.
Large dogs also need more sleep than small dogs, as do dogs with a very high or very low need for exercise.
How much sleep does a dog need?
How much sleep a dog needs depends on many factors: breed, age, workload, health, character, and much more.
They typically rest between 18 and 20 hours a day, with puppies and older or sick dogs getting as much as 22 hours.
Even after very exciting, stimulating hours or a lot of sporting activity, a relaxed dog needs a lot more sleep than usual.
During sleep, the brain processes the events of the day, the smells, what has been learned, beautiful and terrible moments.
Sleeping includes everything from resting to power naps to deep sleep phases.
In fact, getting enough sleep is also very important for your dog’s health.
Dogs that cannot relax enough and are always in a state of constant excitement are more irritable and sensitive.
This usually manifests itself in restless barking, but it can also worsen to diarrhea or skin irritation.
How long do dogs sleep at night?
At night, too, the motto is: If nobody is there to play anyway, you can sleep.
Since this time is also the longest sleep phase, a dog also finds its deep sleep phase here.
An exception are working guard dogs, who rest or doze but always remain alert.
Dogs with a waking instinct without a task or generally alert, nervous dogs that cannot calm down are problematic.
They pay attention to every sound, which of course is all the more noticeable in such a quiet apartment and street.
Since this is not only undesirable, but also bad for your health, you should work with such a dog in training to relax it.
How long does a dog sleep a day?
A dog adapts to the daily rhythm of its family. When there’s action, he wants action too!
So he mostly sleeps when everything is quiet and the kids are at school and the adults are at work.
Normally nothing exciting happens for him during these hours, so he prefers to sleep instead of being bored.
This is one of the reasons why it is important to make sure that he is not constantly stimulated and kept awake throughout the day.
A dog sometimes forgets its own need for sleep when it is happy or excited.
Then his family must initiate and also respect his rest periods.
Sleep phases in dogs
Not only we humans have different phases of sleep and distinguish between power nap and REM phase.
There are also different ways for dogs to rest and recover.
Relax
A dog that just wants to rest lies relaxed on its blanket or in its basket and observes its surroundings from there.
He listens to what you can tell by the movements of his ears and also follows people with his eyes – especially of course when they are carrying food that could fall on the floor.
He is not in the state of excitement, but can be animated to play at any time and is ready to be called upon.
Snooze
When dozing, the dog closes its eyes and pays far less attention to its surroundings.
Just an ear or nose twitches when something interesting happens.
Many dog owners know the condition as a crawl coma, when the dog enjoys its well-deserved cuddles while panting comfortably.
Deep sleep
A dog’s deep sleep phase lasts 6 to 8 hours a day.
Then they are difficult to wake up unless loud noises or other things startle them.
Cute enough, they often twitch their paws, ears, or nose as if they were dreaming. Some dogs even bark in their sleep – waking themselves up.
In this phase, the processing of the day takes place in the brain. Therefore, after a very exciting day, sleep is usually very active.
For dogs, the deep sleep phase is very important to regenerate and to balance out stress.
But they need to feel safe enough to relax enough and give up control.
Therefore, you should always make sure that your dog can find peace and relaxation during this time.
When should a dog go to bed at night?
Most of the time, a dog’s bedtime comes naturally from his family’s evening rituals.
After the night walk or after reading to the children, the lights are turned off and everything becomes quieter.
Your dog quickly learns that no one wants to play anymore and everyone retreats to their own human basket.
Therefore, he will also get used to resting himself.
A very anxious, agitated or nervous dog may have difficulty adjusting.
Then there are relaxation exercises and guided going to bed so that he learns to look at this time positively.
For example, you can sit near him at the usual time without touching him. Every few minutes you get up and leave the room for a moment.
The dog should not come along, but if necessary remain in place with a stay command.
This is how he learns impulse control as he sees you coming back every time.
Avoiding touching is important because petting stimulates a fearful dog’s excitement rather than relaxation.
Is it normal for a dog to sleep all day?
With an average sleep quota of 18 – 20 hours a day, it is quite normal to oversleep during the day.
Some dog breeds and some particularly lazy dogs also seem to sleep through more hours than the day actually has.
Particularly exciting days or a lot of exercise naturally increase the need for sleep.
And bitches in heat also sleep a lot more than usual without there being any reason to worry.
It is always important to draw a comparison with others. A dog that is sleeping significantly more than usual for no apparent reason and appears tired or exhausted may be ill.
If avoidance of eating or general lethargy add to this, an appointment with the vet should be scheduled.
Dog breeds that sleep a lot
The rule of thumb is: the bigger the breed, the more they sleep.
Because a large body needs a lot of energy for maintenance and movement, which needs to be regenerated.
Therefore, bulky dogs such as St. Bernards, Great Danes or Kangals are usually found lying down.
Even breeds with a low need for exercise prefer the sofa to a sports unit and sleep for convenience.
At the same time, the breeds with a very high sport level up to and including competitive sport sleep an above-average amount because they have to replenish the burned energy.
Greyhounds in particular are known for their very active sleep
Watchdogs appear to sleep more than others, but they actually doze or rest significantly more.
Conclusion
A dog sleeps a much larger part of the day than a human. It’s healthy and important to him.
Sleep problems are therefore to be taken seriously and should be corrected with training.
How much time does your dog spend sleeping? Does he even snore? Tell us what relaxes your dog – and post us a photo of his craziest sleeping position in the comments!