How do dogs sleep at night

Dog sleep is different from ours. How do dogs sleep at night?

Scientists have studied how dogs sleep and have come to certain conclusions.

During the day, when the owner is not at home, dogs can guard the house, and when the owner returns, take on the role of companions. At night, the dog performs both functions. And the active position of the guard can give people anxiety. Periodic barking can annoy both owners and passers-by.

The sleep of dogs is intermittent. For example, in an average of 8 hours at night, a dog falls asleep and wakes up 23 times. The average sleep-wake cycle is 21 minutes. The duration of one episode of sleep is on average 16 minutes, and wakefulness is 5 minutes. Of these 5 minutes, at least 3 minutes the dogs moved in one way or another.

If 2 or more dogs sleep in the same room, their sleep and wake episodes are out of sync. The only thing is that in response to a strong stimulus, the dogs woke up at the same time. Perhaps such asynchrony is due to the fact that in the pack someone must be constantly awake in order to notice the approach of the enemy in time.

If a dog is introduced to a new environment, it will most likely not have REM sleep on the first night. However, on the second night, sleep usually returns to normal.

Dogs prefer to sleep as close as possible to each other and to the owner.