Is YOUR dog getting enough sleep? Vets reveal exactly how many hours pups need – and it’s more than you think

We all hear regularly how important it is to get enough sleep.

But have you ever stopped to think about how your pet sleeps?

New research from PDSA has revealed exactly how long dogs need to sleep – and it’s longer than you probably think.

The veterinary charity reports that more than half of dogs in the UK do not get enough exercise each day.

‘We’ve all heard the saying “getting out of bed on the wrong side” and it’s no surprise that sleep deprivation plays a role in how we feel. But the same goes for dogs – the amount of sleep they get contributes to their wellbeing,’ says Lynne James, veterinary surgeon at the PDSA.

According to the NHS, adults need an average of seven to nine hours of sleep per night.

However, according to Ms. James, dogs need considerably more time.

“While the ideal amount of sleep varies from dog to dog, the evidence may be surprising to many owners: dogs should actually sleep more than 13 to 16 hours per day,” she explains.

This means that ideally your dog should spend more than half the day sleeping!

‘But our findings show that a significant number of dogs are not getting enough sleep – in fact, 5.6 million dogs in the UK sleep 12 hours or less per day.’

If your dog doesn’t get enough sleep, he’s more likely to exhibit “hostile behavior” such as growling, snapping, and even biting.

Research from PDSA found that four percent of dogs who sleep less than ten hours confront other dogs in the household, while six percent confront familiar dogs that are not in the household.

Both numbers are twice as high as in dogs that sleep more than 13 hours.

“This underlines the importance of providing dogs with the opportunity and the right environment to sleep, so that their emotional health is protected,” added Ms James.

According to PDSA, a dog’s home environment appears to play a role in the amount of sleep he gets.

If your dog doesn’t get enough sleep, he’s more likely to exhibit “hostile behavior” such as growling, snapping, and even biting (stock image)

The study found that significantly more dogs with three or more people in their household sleep less than 10 hours.

‘This is also true for households with children, with more dogs with children in the home getting less than eight hours of sleep (8%, 800,000 dogs) or 8-10 hours of sleep (24%, 2.5 million dogs) compared to households without children in the home (5%, 490,000 dogs and 19%, 2 million dogs respectively),’ Ms James said.

‘In contrast, in households with only one or two people, we found that 4.7 million dogs (44%) and 4.5 million dogs (43%) got adequate rest, with more than 13 hours of sleep per day.

“This shows the impact that ‘busier’ households can have on our dogs’ ability to get some rest.”

Based on the findings, the researchers urge dog owners to take steps to increase the amount of sleep their pets get.

This means that you need to give your dog enough time alone, that he gets enough exercise and that you have several places to sleep in the house.

“If your dog isn’t getting enough uninterrupted sleep due to a change in routine or a suddenly busier household, he or she may be showing signs of stress,” adds Ms James.

Signs of stress in dogs include a stiff or tense body, turning away when someone approaches or withdrawing from company, ears back, a fixed stare or “whale eye,” not eating and low energy, plus panting when not warm and yawning when not tired.

If your dog is showing any of these symptoms, he/she may be stressed and it is important to take steps to help him/her.

‘If you do nothing, the stress in your dog can lead to more intense stress signals, such as growling or aggression.’