Heavier set dogs with full coats, such as Newfoundlands, Golden Retrievers or Malamutes need cooler sleeping spots so as not to overheat. Whether you want your dog sleeping on, or under, your duvet or not, ensure he or she has access to a few sleeping options at different levels and with different surfaces (cool and smooth or warm and cosy). How can we make sleeping areas appealing? Research has found poor sleep to be one of the risk factors for chronic stress, which can make your dog (and you!) more prone to illness and behaviour problems such as irritability, aggressive responses and difficulties concentrating and learning. Sleep is essential to help the body to heal and repair, to rebalance neurotransmitters and hormones (the messengers in the brain and body) and to generally regroup ready for the next day. It may also help them to feel safer and better able to get some proper rest Dogs are an innately social species, and so this makes sense. ‘Social’ sleep - studies rarely saw dogs sleeping in isolation.An elevated sleeping area, most likely to feel safer and to stay out of damp and draughts.Like us, REM sleep is when dogs appear to dream, with paws twitching, legs galloping and even muted little woofs, whimpers and growls Space to stretch out - this is when REM sleep tends to occur. Sleeping spots that are comfortable, particularly for elderly dogs or those with painful joints.Access to cooler or warmer spots to regulate their body temperature.Humans are diurnal animals, preferring to sleep in one single block at night.Įthological studies of domestic dogs living in free-ranging groups outside human settlements in places such as India, Mexico and Italy have taught us a lot about the preferred sleeping habits of man’s best friend. Dogs follow a polyphasic sleep cycle, taking multiple naps during the day and night. The way dogs and humans sleep differ too. Humans sleep on average for 8 hours, or 30% of the day. We asked clinical pet behaviourist Helen Greenley for advice on how dogs sleep, and what we can do to ensure everyone sleeps like a baby or pup.ĭogs sleep on average for 14 hours, more than 50% of the day. But if you’re one of the nearly half of British cat and dog owners that shares your bed with a pet, how do you sleep? Soundly? Or do Fido’s twitching paws and muted howls jolt you awake. Nothing beats snuggling up under the duvetat the end of a long day.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Details
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |