Vet explains reason dogs sleep so much – not because they’re lazy

Does your dog spend a lot of time during the day napping, yet still manage to get a full nights sleep? Despite what you might belive, this doesn’t necessarilly mean that they’re unwell or being lazy.

It is something that dog owners should monitor, but a vet has provided reasurance to owners that their pets aren’t just laying their days away.

Understanding our pets can be challenging given they cannot communicate with us verbally. However, dogs utilise their entire bodies and particular behaviours to express their emotions and concerns.

This is why observing what your four-legged companion is doing can prove extremely valuable for owners, helping to provide insight into their thoughts and feelings.

When owners identify these behaviours, they’ll be much better equipped to understand what their pet is trying to communicate. According to Dr Ben Simpson-Vernon, a Cambridge-educated small animal veterinary surgeon, if your pet sleeps for up to 18 hours a day, it is considered “completely normal”.

Why do dogs sleep so much?

Dr Ben said: “It’s easy to assume that eight hours might be enough [sleep for dogs], the same as us humans, but actually the requirement for dogs is more like 12 to 14 hours. Some individuals need 18 hours of sleep, giant breeds, puppies, very active dogs.

“Dogs are diurnal, same as us, which means that they predominantly sleep at night time, but unlike us they are classified as polyphasic sleepers, which means they have multiple bouts of sleep throughout the day. It’s not laziness or boredom, it’s just normal dog sleep.

“The problem is that many dogs simply do not get enough daytime sleep. For instance, dogs that go to a doggy daycare may be kept stimulated throughout the day, or dogs that live in a busy home with small children, for instance, may not have the opportunity to take themselves off to have those daytime bouts of sleep that are very important.

“Amongst other things, this lack of sleep will have an impact on their behaviour. You know yourself, if you don’t get enough sleep, you get a bit grouchy, and the same is true of dogs.

“They may get more easily frustrated with humans and with other dogs, and we know that anxiety-like behaviours are more common in humans and other species as a result of inadequate sleep. So it turns out there is some literal truth to the phrase, let sleeping dogs lie.”

PetMD said there are a total of five reasons why dogs might sleep a lot during the day; their age and breed means they need more shut eye, homelife, boredom and illness and depression.

The site said: “Much like people, dogs fighting off illness or recovering from medical procedures require more sleep than usual.

“Similarly, dogs dealing with major lifestyle changes, like back-to-school season, a move, a new family member, or the loss of a loved one, can be at risk for depression and might opt to sleep more as a coping strategy.”