With the pressure to think about your dog's environment and a big movement on stimulation, there's been a shift in wondering whether your dog's sleeping patterns is due to tiredness or boredom from under stimulation. Time to ask the question, is your dog tired or under-stimulated?
First things first, what is stimulation for a dog?
Stimulation for a dog is looking at more than just a walk for their wellbeing, it's about looking at their wellbeing at a holistic scale: mental and physical stimulation. Research shows that mental stimulation is just as important as their physical stimulation to help fight off anxiety, depression and to improve their overall happiness.
Most people think that a dog napping can be a sign of happy, content dog but it may be a sign that they may under stimulated. It's worth asking yourself is your dog tired or under-stimulated?
So, how much sleep is too much sleep?
Dogs can be sleep between 10 - 12 hours a day typically but take note, this can range between age and breed of your dog. Anything over 15 hours a day can be considered too much sleep, this can be due to health conditions, environmental changes (weather), increased playtime or can be due to under stimulation if other factors have been ruled out.
Signs your dog is tired or under-stimulated:
Tired | Under-stimulated |
Yawning, particularly after a exercise | sleeping more than the recommended amount |
Taking themself off to their safe space for a break | destructive behaviour e.g. destroying things, digging, etc. |
Not responding to their name or commands | feeling like they are hyper alert: barking at everything and can't seem to settle |
So.. is your dog tired or under-stimulated?
If you think your dog is under-stimulated, there are easy ways to resolve this. Think about spreading their kibble in the garden instead of giving it to them in a bowl, look at adding their treats and healthy snacks in a treat ball, add yogurt, fruit and peanut butter to muffin trays and freeze. You get the idea, what-do-they-love-and-how-to-make-it-harder-to-get vibe.
These are simple changes to improve your dog's overall wellbeing.
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