Understanding your dog’s sleeping habits

2nd February 2023

Dogs of different breeds and ages will have different sleep requirements. Older or larger dogs who tire easily tend to sleep more than younger dogs or smaller breeds.

Active breeds will also sleep less, particularly service dogs who spend much of the day working. Their high levels of activity will mean they will have more energy, so they won’t need to nap as much during the day, but they’ll be ready for a good night’s sleep after their active day.

Animo tracks your dog’s sleep at night

During the day you’ll be able to observe your dog napping but at night, you probably won’t have any idea how well they are sleeping because it’s likely you’ll be sleeping too. Thanks to Animo, our new activity and behaviour monitor, you can get an insight into how well your dog is sleeping. Animo tracks your dog’s sleeping patterns and gives them a nightly sleep score. You can then track their sleep score over time and if you notice any changes, you can investigate what might be causing their sleep quality to degrade.

Improving your dog’s sleep score

As well as tracking sleep, Animo can track your dog’s activity, so if you notice your dog’s sleep score is poor, you could try encouraging them to be more active during the day to see if this will improve their sleep. Poor sleeping could also be down to discomfort in their sleeping environment. For example, they might be too cold at night, so you may need to invest in a warmer bed or blanket for your dog. Also, arthritis and other illnesses can affect your dog’s sleep, so a trip to the vet to get them checked out might be needed.

Sharing a bed with your dog

Many dog owners will share their bed with their dog. If this is you, make sure your bed is big enough to accommodate you and your dog and provide a firm mattress to reduce the chances of you disturbing each other at night. If you use Animo and you notice your dog has a poor night’s sleep when they are in your bed, you might like to try giving them a separate dog bed at night to see if their sleep improves.

Staying active to improve sleep

If a dog is inactive for much of the day they may spend a lot of time napping, which could affect their sleep at night and even cause insomnia. To help your dog sleep, be sure to keep them active throughout the day by taking them for walks and leaving toys for them to play with when they’re left at home alone. Rotating toys could be a good idea so that they don’t get bored of the same ones. You could also ask someone to look in on your dog during the day to take them for a walk or play with them for a while.