15/09/2025
Did you know sleep deprivation can be impact your dog as much as it does you? Did you know dogs are capable of developing sleep disorders?
It's no secret that our dogs generally sleep a lot. But a lot of dogs are also sleep deprived, so how does thst work. Number of hours per day is going to vary based on your dogs age, health, and activity level.
In general puppies need the most sleep, clocking in at up to 20 hours per day (that's as much as a cat). This is due largely to the rapid growth of their bodies and high energy level when awake. Many puppies are not getting enough sleep during the day, usually due to them not being assigned structured sleep time, which usually results in a mid afternoon 'witching hour' of bad behaviors each day. Puppies may need multiple long naps each day to keep up with their sleep schedule.
Senior dogs also need a lot of rest as well, about 16-18 hours. This is usually due to the body needing more time to recover from daily activities and to heal routine wear and tear. It could also be due to pain making them sleep less deeply.
Typical middle aged dogs average out around 12-14 hours of sleep. So them sleeping through the night and the majority of your work day is in fact what they need to feel recovered.
Dogs that don't get enough sleep or struggle with sleeping will have a number of symptoms: pacing or whining during the night, needing attention during the night for no apparent reason, irritability or inability to focus, dozing off randomly, increased 'aggressive' behavior, increased reactivity, appetite changes or stomach issues, or less ability to handle stress. This restlessness or neediness at night is a form of insomnia, and dogs are also capable of developing narcolepsy of chronically sleep deprived.
It is important to manage stressors that are preventing your dog from resting. If you have young babies try providing a resting space away from them so they aren't woken during the night, provide a safe resting space for your dog likes a crate or pen where they won't be disturbed by your restlessness, keep windows covered during resting times so they don't keep a vigil at night, try white noise or quiet natural background sounds to drown out outside noises.
Its also important to ensure your dogs health is stable enough for them to rest. If your dog struggles with arthritis pain consider medications to make them comfortable, if your dog is injured they will need additional sleep to help heal those injuries, provide a comfortable but supportive bed to sleep on.
You can train and manage your dog to promote proper rest. Using a pen or crate in a quiet, dark area of the house will help them learn what times are for resting. You may also want to use this method during the day if you have a dog that struggles to settle in the house. You can train a settle behavior (you may need to start by tethering them) and practice it at set times each day to help them relax. Often providing chew or licking toy helps them ease into a relaxed state. When you go on trips with your dog try to maintain their sleep routine as much as possible. And you can always exercise them to help them feel tired enough to rest (but bear in mind strenuous exercise will prompt the need for more sleep).
