How many hours does the dog have to sleep every day?

Sleep all day and the whole night - sometimes it seems that this is what all dogs want. Is it really?

If you have a dog, look what it does right now. Most likely, the answer will be very simple: it's asleep! Scientists and experts in the field of pets do not know why dogs sleep so much, but usually they spend at least half of their time in a dream. What is one of the theories? People are awake all day, and then rest all night, and 25% of this time falls on a fast phase of sleep. And dogs do not sleep for hours on end, so only 10% falls on the fast sleep phase.

Proceeding from this, it was proved that animals need more rest than people, because in a dream they restore their strength, get the energy that they need so much.

How much time do they really need?

A medium-sized dog sleeps about 12-14 hours a day. This is just the beginning. Puppies who spend a lot of energy studying the environment and training, it may take from 18 to 20 hours. Old dogs also need a long rest, like certain breeds.

In principle, both small and large breeds can be real dormouse, but still, as a rule, this is more the case for larger animals such as Newfoundland, Mastiff, St. Bernard. Sometimes it seems to the owners that their pets do only that they endlessly sleep.

How is the day in the dog?

If the day is divided by interest, then 50% of the time goes to daytime sleep, 30% they just lie, and only 20% of the animals behave actively. But, unlike people who feel better when they stick to a regular schedule, dogs are "flexible" sleepers. For example, they can easily wake up when something happens (for example, when a doorbell rang), and peacefully doze when bored. When a pet has something to do, it sleeps less. "Working" puppies, such as police or farmer, hunting, rest less than those who have no other job, except to just sit in the booth all day.

When you need to worry

Although with regard to sleep and rest all dogs are different, there is one thing that you need to pay attention to. This is a sharp change in mood and behavior. If your dog usually behaves actively, and suddenly she began to sleep more than usual, or vice versa, then this is an alarm bell, and you need to immediately contact the veterinarian to make sure that your dog has no health problems. The answer can be simple and trite, for example, changing his diet, or may indicate serious problems, such as heart disease or thyroid.