By now I’m sure you’ve heard of Jasper, the sleepy greyhound who is still waiting for his forever home. By the estimates of his rescue, Jasper has been overlooked by nearly 2,000 people in the past six months because he’s almost always asleep when potential adopters stop by. While this story is adorable, it does bring up a good question: How much sleep do dogs need?
Just like people, the amount of sleep needed varies from dog to dog. On average, an adult dog should be getting between 12 to 14 hours of sleep per day, but this differs depending on the size of the dog. In general, the larger the dog, the more sleep they need.
Breeds such as Newfoundlands or Saint Bernards may need between 16 and 18 hours of sleep, whereas smaller breeds like Chihuahuas or Toy Poodles may need closer to 10 hours.
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Puppies, on the other hand, need significantly more sleep than the average dog while they grow, often spending 18 or more hours a day snoozing.
This may seem like a long time to be asleep, but unlike humans, dogs do not sleep in one long stretch. Instead, they sleep in short bursts, waking up more frequently due to the level of activity in their environment.
Can you imagine being woken up every few hours, or even minutes, while you try to sleep? That sounds like a form of torture to me.
This works for dogs though because they are able to adjust their sleep schedule more easily than we are. Our furry friends have the unique ability to be awake and alert when there is something to do, and sleep during the down time. This works especially well for working dogs, such as search and rescue or farm dogs, which need to be able to recharge between jobs.
If the life of a dog didn’t sound good before, it certainly does now. Our furry friends get to spend 70% of their day snoozing and only have to worry about eating and being adorable the other 30%. That’s not a bad life if you ask me!
Sources: Pet Place, People, Petful