How Many Hours a Day do Dogs Sleep?

It is customary that those who have just adopted a puppy want to spend all day with them, playing and watching them grow. However, this is not that good for them. The smaller they are, the more they must sleep to regain their strength, so as not to become sick and to be healthy and happy, as we wish them to be.

The first few days are usually a bit chaotic, especially if there are children at home. Our little one must get used to the new noises and movements of the family. We must find a good place for them to rest, away from the hustle and bustle (not in the hallway or hall, for example). Place a blanket or mattress in the place that will be their resting place from now on. Creating positive habits is always easier in puppies than adults, do not forget.

• Up to 12 weeks of life a dog can sleep up to 20 hours a day. It can be boring for many owners, but this is very healthy for the puppy. Remember they are going through a phase of adaptation to their new home and family. After that, they will start to stay awake for more hours. Do not forget that the pup's sleep hours are also very beneficial to improve capacity for learning and memory.
• Adult dogs, considered to be over one year old, can sleep up to 13 hours a day, but not in a row. It can be 8 hours during the night and small naps to recover from walks, after playing or simply because they are bored.
• Old dogs, older than 7 years, usually sleep several hours a day, as do puppies. They can sleep up to 18 hours a day but depending on other factors, such as suffering from a disease like arthritis, they may sleep even longer.

As you will imagine, the time of year is very influential on how many hours our dog will sleep. In winter dogs tend to become more lazy and spend more time at home, looking for a warm place and without much desire to go for a walk. In these times of cold and rain dogs usually sleep longer.

On the contrary, on summer days, heat may disrupt their sleep. We can see that our dog goes more often during the night to drink water or to change places to sleep because they are very hot. They will usually look for cold floors such as the bathroom or kitchen. Or, for those lucky dogs, under some fan or air conditioning. Help your dog withstand high temperatures with our tips on how to keep them cool.

It is important to keep in mind that the dog will sleep according to their characteristics and daily routine. On days when they experience a lot of physical activity, theywill probably need more sleep or you will notice that short naps will become longer and deeper.

The same goes for dogs that get very stressed when we receive home visits. They are very social and want to be the center of the meeting. When everything ends, they sleep more than expected to recuperate after the excitement. The same goes for during trips. They can either sleep the whole trip, or be so exhausted when they arrive that they will only want to sleep and not eat or drink anything.

What we should not forget is that dogs, like people, need to sleep to recover, rejuvenate their body and maintain their full energy. Lack of sleep, as with us, can alter their character and common behavior. Sounds logical, does not it?

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