Have You Tried Sleep?
By Laura Harper
In the past few months, I’ve noticed a bit of a trend. When troubleshooting a dog’s behaviour in classes or private sessions, I’m finding one common theme: Sleep. Or rather, lack thereof.
Dogs need a lot of sleep, and young dogs need even more. The vast majority of puppies and adolescent dogs I meet aren’t getting enough sleep. There’s a very predictable pattern that most owners experience with their young dogs. Let’s look at a typical day for Sassy, a 12-week old Labrador mix.
Dogs like Sassy need a balance of exercise, good nutrition, social time, training, enrichment - and sleep!
Sassy’s been doing really well with toilet training and is now sleeping in her crate through the night. During the day she gets a minimum of two 20 minute walks to the local park, where she can meet other dogs and chase balls. She gets between 3-5 training sessions throughout the day, and in the late afternoon she gets to pick up her kids from school. In the evening she gets lots of playtime before bed at about 8:30pm. When she’s at home during the day, she assists dad with chores around the house and sometimes accompanies him to take care of errands.
Sassy’s life is pretty busy! But her family believes she needs more than she’s getting. Every night, around 6 or 7pm, Sassy starts to tear around the house as if possessed. She sometimes barks, and will nip at the kids if they get close. Sassy’s people talk about how they can add in more enrichment or exercise for Sassy - maybe they could take her and the kids to a park in the evening before bed? Fitting in more for Sassy in their busy schedule is tough, but they want to make sure they’re doing what’s best for their pup.
This is all too common a scenario. A busy family with a young dog, who is often sweet and cuddly, but has bursts of sporadic, almost frantic behaviour. Seeing these high-energy moments, the family increases the exercise or mental stimulation of their puppy, hoping to have a nice, tired dog at home.
The problem, of course, is that Sassy isn’t bored, or needing more exercise. In fact, the opposite is true. She’s exhausted! She’ll nap throughout the day, but has little structure and is never sure what’s going to happen next. So her naps are not truly restful - she’s always keeping an ear out for what dad is doing next, and her mornings and evenings are a roller coaster of fun and chaos.
Much like an overtired toddler, puppies who lack in sleep often exhibit the ‘Zoomies’, or what are more technically called Frenetic Random Activity Periods or FRAP. Though FRAP can be amusing to watch, it’s important to recognize that often these bursts of hyperactivity are a signal your dog needs a nap. Typically when a dog engages in FRAP behaviour, there are other, unpleasant behaviours that go along with it.
These are things like increased barking or vocalizing, nipping or chasing, lack of self control, climbing or stealing objects - all common complaints we see in puppies and adolescent dogs. When a client describes a dog who exhibits any of these behaviours, the first thing I ask is how much sleep are they getting. Oftentimes, the dog may be crated overnight but is out for much of the day, meaning they choose when and where to sleep.
The problem is, young dogs are not adults. They are young dogs. Like human toddlers, they may need leadership from their people to help them settle and nap during the day. Quality of sleep is also important; while your puppy may be napping on the floor next to you, they are aware of your movements, the sound of the outside world, and the cat walking through the room. For young dogs who are crate trained, going in their crate for a nap is a signal that nothing exciting or relevant is going to happen, so they can switch off and truly rest.
Puppyhood is full of adventures and learning! But ensuring your puppy is getting enough structured rest time is key to setting them up for success. Here 13-week old Molly is settling down for a nap in her crate at Day Training.
So how much sleep should your dog be getting? The answer, of course, is it depends! Typically puppies need about 16-20 hours of sleep each day, while adult dogs need around 11-12 hours every day. This will vary by breed and individual, so you may have to see what works best for your dog. If possible, I recommend starting with 2-3 periods of napping throughout the day, of about 2-3 hours each. If your puppy starts crying in the middle of their nap, take them out to toilet and then return them to the crate for the rest of the nap. It may be helpful to record how much designated naptime your puppy is getting, and what the effects are on their behaviour. That way you can adjust your plan to find out what works best for your dog.
Zero is an active, fun-loving dog! He needs lots of exercise and brain games each day, but he also requires an incredible amount of sleep.
Another important factor to consider is who your dog is. I see a lot of high energy breeds who are overexercised and underslept. I live with a young, high energy sport dog. Zero loves to work, and walk, and go places. But he also needs a phenomenal amount of sleep, and does not self-settle well. I have recently introduced a button he can push to ask to go in his crate, and while we’re at home, he’ll hang out for about twenty minutes before pushing the button so he can go for a nap. If I wanted to, I could have Zero out with me all day, and he would be willing to engage in whatever activity we chose. But when he’s overtired he also stops listening to me, steals food, barks out the window… and on and on. He does best and is happiest with lots of sleep.
Ensuring your dog (of any age) has enough quality sleep is not going to magically cure all their challenges, but it sure makes things easier. Sleep is also just one piece of the puzzle; your dog does need to have their needs met for exercise, social time, mental stimulation, nutrition and so on as well. But I find sleep is most often the need that is overlooked by dog owners. When their dog is misbehaving or hyperactive, owners typically reach for more activity, more enrichment, and more play. But the question I want to ask is: have you tried sleep?