As dog owners we know that our companions love to sleep, but sometimes we wonder if it is normal for them to sleep that much. Discover more about your dog’s sleep cycle and what you can do to improve it.

Depending on several factors, the average sleep of a dog varies from 12 to 14 hours. Their race, size, activity level and health influence their sleep hours; for example, larger breeds tend to sleep more than smaller ones, if it is a puppy or an senior dog then they will sleep up to 20 hours, or if it is a very active or sedentary dog, etc.

Similar to humans, dogs go through various stages of sleep, as well as experiencing REM sleep. The main difference between dog sleep and human sleep is how much time they spend in the different stages, as well as a dog’s tendency to sleep in bursts throughout the day (16 minutes asleep, 5 awake), besides dogs don’t sleep as deeply as we do, so they’re able to wake more easily.

Another difference with our sleep habits is that they have a very flexible sleep schedule, so they have no problem adjusting their schedules to ours. In this way, if we arrive until 5 at our house, they sleep during the day to be awake and available to play with us.

Although dogs sleep a lot, if you notice that the amount of time your dog sleeps changes drastically, it may be a symptom of diabetes, lyme disease, depression or hypothyroidism. Also the death of a loved one or a drastic change in the life of dogs can alter their sleeping habits.

There are ways in which we can help improve our companions’ sleep, such as:
1. Give them plenty of exercise and play time
2. Feed them well
3. Take them regularly to the vet
4. Provide them a nice space to sleep and that includes a cozy and comfortable bed, big enough so they can sleep in their favorite position.

Read the full article in Tuck: Advicing better sleep.