How Many Hours Of Sleep Does The Dog Need?

Dogs are one of the animals that need more sleep to rest and be healthy. Depending on their age, they may need up to 20 hours of sleep throughout the day.

We can’t kid ourselves,  dogs sleep a lot. In fact, we sometimes think that they just eat and sleep. But exactly how many hours of sleep does my dog ​​need? Will it sleep more than the bill or perhaps less? Anyway, let’s answer these and other questions.

How many hours of sleep does my dog ​​need?

There are several factors that influence this response. One is the dog’s age, or its health. We will analyze them in detail below:

the dog’s age

As with people, age also influences a dog’s sleep. A puppy does not need to sleep as many hours as an adult or an elderly dog.

How many hours do you have to sleep?

Puppies, like babies, spend their lives sleeping and eating. They don’t do much more than that. After all, they expend a lot of energy on their physical development, so they can sleep 18 to 20 hours a day.

Of course,  this does not mean that the animal goes to bed at 10 pm and wakes up at 6 pm the next day. In fact, the animal distributes sleep hours over several naps  throughout the day. Of course, you can enjoy with your new friend a few hours a day, but only when he doesn’t need to sleep.

How much sleep does my adult dog have?

As the animal grows, these hours of sleep decrease. Even so, it will be many more hours than we need. In fact, twice as much, because  an adult dog needs between 15 and 16 hours of sleep to regain energy.

Not surprisingly, when we take him for a walk, he’s well rested while we’re exhausted after a long day at work.

If the adult dog is a giant breed, it will need a few more hours.  Usually around 18 hours, as the energy expenditure of these animals will be higher.

How much does my old puppy have to sleep

When a dog is older, he will need more sleep. Remember that  old age is in part a regression to childhood. Therefore, an old dog, in a way, is like a puppy again. Dreams are one of the factors that are similar in both phases.

Even so, it  may be that an elderly dog ​​is suffering from an illness, and this causes pain  that deprives him of sleep. Then, the animal will sleep less than the necessary hours and this will not be beneficial to its health.

If you find that your dog sleeps less than necessary and this causes him stress and nervousness, go to the vet to give him appropriate medication and help him fall asleep.

dog health

The amounts of hours mentioned above are the ones that a healthy dog ​​will need to sleep. If the animal suffers from an illness, it is possible that, depending on what it is, it will sleep more or less.

For example,  an animal with depression may sleep longer than necessary.  On the other hand, an animal in pain may sleep less. Both cases are dangerous for the dog’s physical and emotional health, so veterinary attention will be needed.

take into account

Keep in mind  that every animal is a world, as are all races. This sleep time is an approximation.  Despite this, there are small breeds with higher energy expenditure that could sleep more, or larger dogs that, due to their calm character, will need to sleep less.

In any case,  let your dog sleep as long as he needs it  and don’t interrupt his sleep cycle. The animal’s body is wise, like ours, and understands what it needs at any given moment.