Dog Owner's Manual › Chapter 3: Daily Interaction With Your Dog › Dog Sleep Patterns ›

Dog Sleep Patterns

Dogs sleep roughly 14 hours a day. Older or larger dogs (such as Saint Bernards or Newfoundlands) will sleep even more. Instead of sleeping in one continuous stretch—as most humans do—dogs will take naps of varying lengths throughout the day.

Canine sleep patterns mirror those of humans. When a canine first goes to sleep it enters a "quiet" phase, followed shortly thereafter by "active" or REM (rapid eye movement) sleep. The dog’s eyes move under its eyelids, its legs jerk, and it may whine or softly bark. There is no way to know with certainty (because they have no way to tell their owners), but the dog gives every impression of dreaming.

expert tipEXPERT TIP: If your dog has trouble sleeping through the night, consider increasing its play/exercise time.

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Chapter 3: Daily Interaction With Your Dog

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my dog usually becomes lazy n even snores at night

barked by ashima sharma on Oct 6, 2008 AT 1:09 am PDT
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My dog wakes me up really early

barked by Elizabeth R. on Oct 8, 2008 AT 1:09 pm PDT
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Quirk BooksThe Dog Owner's Manual is a basic guide to dog care.
The book was written by a celebrated veterinarian and an acclaimed author. It provides dog owners with well-researched and helpful information presented in a lighthearted manner. The creators chose to write the book in a style similar to what you'd find in "operating instructions" for a car or computer. Of course they--and we--respect the fact that our beloved pets are not products or machines!