How much sleep does my dog need?

You might be surprised to hear that it’s common for dogs to sleep for around 16 hours a day, and for puppies or elderly dogs, this could be nearer 20 hours. Contrary to the popular saying; a tired dog is NOT always a happy dog. While dogs do need daily exercise and activity, they also need a decent amount of sleep.

Trying to keep your dog occupied all day will result in an over-tired and increasingly difficult dog. Tired dogs don’t cope so well with stress, they struggle to make good choices, and they’re unlikely to be thinking carefully or learning effectively in a tired state.

How do you feel when you’re tired? Does everything feel more difficult, frustrating, and stressful? We often struggle to make good choices when we’re exhausted, and our dogs are no different.

What are the signs that your dog needs to sleep?

1. Unwanted behaviours

Young dogs particularly struggle to regulate their behaviour when they’re tired, they can find it hard to make the choice to sleep, and this can lead to increasing stress and arousal levels as their body isn’t having the rest time it needs.

Increased arousal levels create challenging behaviours. Mouthing and play-biting are typical behaviours which are exacerbated by tiredness, it can be an outlet for frustration in an over-aroused state.

2. Restlessness

This can feel counter-intuitive but a dog who needs to sleep can behave like they’re full of energy. We can be fooled into thinking they need more exercise and we’re not meeting their activity needs, when they desperately need some time to sleep.

Much like an overtired toddler, an overtired dog can become more restless and ‘wild’. If you feel like you’re constantly trying to occupy your dog and keep them entertained, ask yourself, how much are they sleeping each day? If the answer is “not much” then prioritising more structured sleeping time could make a huge difference to their behaviour. After all, calmness feeds calmness… encouraging calm rest time should lead to a dog who is more able to regulate this themselves.

3. Attention seeking

When dogs struggle to regulate their sleep properly, they might learn to display behaviours which are hard to ignore and this can create a cycle of attention seeking. Stealing items around the house, inappropriate chewing, or barking at you, are all hard to ignore behaviours which are commonly reinforced and therefore repeated by our dogs.

When your dog is in a state of overtiredness, they won’t be thinking clearly or calmly and if they struggle to know how to switch off and settle down, they are more likely to turn to naughty behaviours to gain attention. Each time you react to your dog’s naughty behaviours, they are more likely to repeat these. Thus, creating the cycle of attention seeking.

Rather than getting into a loop of telling your dog off and trying to stop their behaviour, think about whether they are bored or tired. Try offering a calm activity to encourage settling, such as a long-lasting chew, or pop them into a quiet safe place for a sleep. Attention seeking behaviours are typically hard to ignore so taking a management approach can help to break the cycle.

4. Barking

Barking is a normal and natural behaviour for our dogs, but it can be difficult to live with a dog who barks excessively. If your dog is barking more than normal or the behaviour is becoming more problematic, it could be a sign that they’re tired and stressed.

Dogs who don’t sleep much are likely to be spending large periods of time alert to their environment and this is very tiring. If you have a dog who barks or startles more easily in the evening, it could be the result of being on alert throughout the day.

Try to notice patterns which may indicate links between alert behaviours and your dog’s routine. Do you notice your dog is more alert and likely to bark at noises in the house after a walk in a busy environment? Is your dog more vocal after having visitors in the house or other exciting/stressful events?

Looking for patterns in behaviour can help to understand where barking behaviours are coming from. If your dog appears more alert or vocal on days where they’ve slept less, then aim to factor in more structured sleep and rest time during the day, or follow a busy day with a quieter, restful one.

5. Overexcitement

It’s easy to assume excitable dogs have too much energy or ‘need more training’, while this may be true, sometimes it can also be a sign a dog needs more sleep. Stress can come from negative events, like being scared of something, but it can also come from positive events, like playing exciting games. Increased stress levels, whether positive or negative, can be tiring and a tired dog will struggle to cope with additional stressful events.

After busy, exciting days and less sleep, you may notice your dog becomes more excitable and crazier! You’d expect them to become calmer and quieter as their tiredness increases, but for many younger dogs the opposite can happen.

Excitable dogs benefit from learning how to calm down and relax after exciting events, and this will involve learning to sleep. We might enjoy watching our dog’s loving life and being involved in all the fun and games, but we forget they also need help to regulate their sleep. If we dont step in and encourage calmness, their behaviour may become more frustrating and challenging.

It's beneficial to set aside time for sleep so they can continue to be involved in activities in a more positive way, without tiredness causing problems.

How to encourage more sleep

Think about how often you wake your dog up so they can participate in your plans or activities? How often does your dog get disturbed because they’re trying to sleep in the middle of a busy house?

One of the reasons why our dogs don’t sleep enough is because we don’t let them. We expect them to be able to switch off amidst the chaos of daily life or we decide we’d like them to accompany us somewhere. We can be guilty of underestimating their sleep needs.

1. If your dog is sleeping then leave them be, even if it means they miss out on coming with you somewhere.

2. Make sure they have their own space where they can go and sleep in peace.

3. If they can’t regulate their sleep themselves then help them out and put them somewhere quiet and safe to sleep.

4. Don’t try to constantly exhaust them, remember a restless dog can be overtired.

Sleep is often underrated when it comes to our dogs. Problem behaviours are commonly blamed on a lack of exercise or stimulation, but life is a balance, our dogs do need exercise and activities, but they also need to sleep regularly. And they need the space to be able to do this in peace to fully relax and rest.

Finding the balance isn’t always easy, especially if you have a high energy breed or a challenging adolescent dog. At The Hound Spot, we can help you assess your dog’s routine and create a better balance of activity and sleep. We have years of experience working with dogs who need a little more guidance to self-regulate their rest, so get in touch today to find out more.