A dog’s rest is very important for its health and quality of life, both in puppies and older dogs, although with differences.
According to the American Pet Products Association’s 2021-2022 National Pet Owners Survey, 75% of U.S. households (or 90.5 million families) own a pet. This is an increase from the 56 percent of U.S. households in 1988, the first year the survey was done, and the 67 percent in 2019.
It is estimated (according to surveys) that 69% of the data represents dogs, followed by cats (45%), birds (10%), fish (3%), and reptiles (6%).
Each animal has a different life expectancy, but if we have a furry one, it can live up to 20 years if it is a large breed dog.
How many hours does a dog sleep a day?
Sleep and its quality are very important for our dogs. And just like people, dogs go through different phases: times when they sleep very well and a lot, times of insomnia, times when they dream a lot… Yes, dogs dream and can have nightmares. Therefore, we can say that the hours a dog sleeps per day depending on many factors.
How many hours a puppy sleeps?
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In this case, we find that dogs that are a few months old will need many more hours of sleep for their growth. In addition, the puppies do not stop, and therefore, they need more hours to recover their strength and not get sick. Specifically, when the dog is less than 12 weeks old, it can likely sleep up to 20 hours.
Adult dogs
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In the case of adult dogs, that is, from one year of life, the normal thing is usually about 8 hours at night, ideal because it coincides more or less with the owners’ routines. In any case, and as it also happens to people, dogs like to take short naps throughout the day to recover energy after long walks or intense hours of play.
The elderly dogs
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Again, the dogs we consider “elderly” (over 7 years old) sleep many more hours than adult dogs. They would return to the sleep cycles more typical of puppies. They can sleep up to 18 hours a day. In any case, we must consider whether our dog has any illness due to the passage of time because this will also influence his rest.
Depending on the time of year
Like us, dogs sleep more in the winter than in the summer. What happens is that the summer heat makes rest and the quality of the hours spent sleeping much more complicated. However, winter with the cold leads more to stay at home and become a little more “lazy .”The same thing that happens to owners happens to pets.
