Are Dogs Picky Sleepers?
It is common knowledge that cats sleep about 20 hours of the day - that's where the phrase "cat naps" comes from, after all.
When cats sleep, it is for some reason just the most adorable thing in the entire world.
This is probably for two reasons: they sleep in the strangest and sometimes most contorted manner and because when they're asleep they can't be moody.
For some reason, however, it is less cute and more just sort of weird when dogs decide it's time for a "dog nap.
" This could have something to do with the fact that dogs are much more enjoyable awake than cats are - but is more likely because the bizarre sleeping habits of dogs are not as well studied or as widely discussed.
Lola Lola, for example, is a 3 and a half year old Teacup Yorkie.
Being thus, she is a little firecracker when she is awake.
She runs around, barks, and chases balls with seemingly endless energy.
How odd then, that she wakes up at about 7:00 a.
m.
to eat breakfast, go potty, and grab some cuddle time with her owners before they leave for work - and then takes a nap at about 8:00 a.
m.
She naps until about 10:30, at which point she gets up and plays with toys until 11:45, when her owners come home for lunch, at which time she hangs out with them, and even gets to go back to work with one of them until 4:30.
At 4:30, she comes home, goes for a walk, goes potty, and - takes a nap from 5:30 until 6:30.
At 6:30 she gets dinner, and then she bums around with her owners until bedtime - 10:00 p.
m.
, which she often serves as a reminder for.
If she is not in bed by 10:00 p.
m.
, she will lie on her back in the middle of the floor in front of the TV and wait for someone to take her to her crate to sleep - now, this is not the sleep habits of all dogs, nor is it the sleep habits of all mini pinschers, but you will hear about dogs who take siestas, dogs who are "not morning people," and so on.
REM Sleep for Dogs So why do dogs like Lola have such strange and often specific sleeping patterns? Well, first off, dogs are incredibly complicated creatures.
They have a comparable sleep cycle to the human Rapid Eye Movement cycle - REM cycle, for short.
Dogs dream, especially puppies and older dogs.
Lola twitches her legs and yips when she dreams, a common visual cue that a dog is dreaming.
Lola's owners assume she is chasing the neighbor's cat or passing clouds when she starts her, "twitching number.
" Indeed, it's not uncommon to see Lola (maybe you can relate with your dog), literally running as she sleeps.
The saying, "let a sleeping dog lie" rings pretty true - dogs broken too swiftly from REM sleep will startle and often bite out of confusion.
"Dog Tired" Secondly, think about a dog's seemingly endless energy - a dog's level of high energy is incredibly high - especially in comparison to other species - like us.
If you spent an entire hour running - running, not walking - after a ball, you'd be dog-tired too! Where do you think that saying comes from? Dogs use incredible amounts of energy regardless of what they're doing.
Think about how much gusto and enthusiasm dogs seem to have for, well, just about everything - eating, driving, playing, you name it.
The average dog sleeps about half of their lives, which amounts to about 12 - 16 hours a day, depending on age, breed and activity level.
Dogs May Not Be Picky Eaters, but They Are Picky Sleepers Dogs are very particular about their sleep, just like humans tend to be.
Dogs can be broken down into 4 sleeping positions - Lola, for example, is a side/belly sleeper.
Her friend Toby, who is a bulldog, sleeps curled up in a ball.
Tiny, the Chihuahua next door, cannot sleep without being back to back with his litter mate, Teeny.
The most comedic sleeping position found in dogs is the "play dead" sleeping position - Speedbump, the Corgi likes to sleep in this position - on her back with her paws sticking up in the air.
If you are a dog owner, our guess is that you have taken a ton of photos while your lovable pooch has slept.
As entertaining as they are when awake, they can be nearly as funny chasing a cat in their sleep, especially with their legs sticking up in the air.
When cats sleep, it is for some reason just the most adorable thing in the entire world.
This is probably for two reasons: they sleep in the strangest and sometimes most contorted manner and because when they're asleep they can't be moody.
For some reason, however, it is less cute and more just sort of weird when dogs decide it's time for a "dog nap.
" This could have something to do with the fact that dogs are much more enjoyable awake than cats are - but is more likely because the bizarre sleeping habits of dogs are not as well studied or as widely discussed.
Lola Lola, for example, is a 3 and a half year old Teacup Yorkie.
Being thus, she is a little firecracker when she is awake.
She runs around, barks, and chases balls with seemingly endless energy.
How odd then, that she wakes up at about 7:00 a.
m.
to eat breakfast, go potty, and grab some cuddle time with her owners before they leave for work - and then takes a nap at about 8:00 a.
m.
She naps until about 10:30, at which point she gets up and plays with toys until 11:45, when her owners come home for lunch, at which time she hangs out with them, and even gets to go back to work with one of them until 4:30.
At 4:30, she comes home, goes for a walk, goes potty, and - takes a nap from 5:30 until 6:30.
At 6:30 she gets dinner, and then she bums around with her owners until bedtime - 10:00 p.
m.
, which she often serves as a reminder for.
If she is not in bed by 10:00 p.
m.
, she will lie on her back in the middle of the floor in front of the TV and wait for someone to take her to her crate to sleep - now, this is not the sleep habits of all dogs, nor is it the sleep habits of all mini pinschers, but you will hear about dogs who take siestas, dogs who are "not morning people," and so on.
REM Sleep for Dogs So why do dogs like Lola have such strange and often specific sleeping patterns? Well, first off, dogs are incredibly complicated creatures.
They have a comparable sleep cycle to the human Rapid Eye Movement cycle - REM cycle, for short.
Dogs dream, especially puppies and older dogs.
Lola twitches her legs and yips when she dreams, a common visual cue that a dog is dreaming.
Lola's owners assume she is chasing the neighbor's cat or passing clouds when she starts her, "twitching number.
" Indeed, it's not uncommon to see Lola (maybe you can relate with your dog), literally running as she sleeps.
The saying, "let a sleeping dog lie" rings pretty true - dogs broken too swiftly from REM sleep will startle and often bite out of confusion.
"Dog Tired" Secondly, think about a dog's seemingly endless energy - a dog's level of high energy is incredibly high - especially in comparison to other species - like us.
If you spent an entire hour running - running, not walking - after a ball, you'd be dog-tired too! Where do you think that saying comes from? Dogs use incredible amounts of energy regardless of what they're doing.
Think about how much gusto and enthusiasm dogs seem to have for, well, just about everything - eating, driving, playing, you name it.
The average dog sleeps about half of their lives, which amounts to about 12 - 16 hours a day, depending on age, breed and activity level.
Dogs May Not Be Picky Eaters, but They Are Picky Sleepers Dogs are very particular about their sleep, just like humans tend to be.
Dogs can be broken down into 4 sleeping positions - Lola, for example, is a side/belly sleeper.
Her friend Toby, who is a bulldog, sleeps curled up in a ball.
Tiny, the Chihuahua next door, cannot sleep without being back to back with his litter mate, Teeny.
The most comedic sleeping position found in dogs is the "play dead" sleeping position - Speedbump, the Corgi likes to sleep in this position - on her back with her paws sticking up in the air.
If you are a dog owner, our guess is that you have taken a ton of photos while your lovable pooch has slept.
As entertaining as they are when awake, they can be nearly as funny chasing a cat in their sleep, especially with their legs sticking up in the air.
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