If you’re a dog parent, you know they love to sleep. But why do they sleep so much, and are they really dreaming when you see their paws twitch in their sleep?

Keep reading to discover the answers to these questions and more.

How much do dogs sleep?

On average, dogs spend 12 to 14 hours per day sleeping. Your dog’s particular sleep needs may vary around that range, depending on his age, size, breed, activity level, and overall health:

Larger breeds tend to sleep more than smaller breeds.Working dogs with activity-filled days sleep less, while those who lead sedentary lives will sleep more.Puppies can spend up to 20 hours sleeping a day. Growing and learning how to be a dog takes a lot of energy!As dogs age into their senior years, they spend more time sleeping since they tire more easily.

Wild dogs and wolves may sleep even more than domesticated dogs. They have to hunt for their food, which expends more energy. When food is scarce, they need to conserve their energy. An expedient way to do that is by sleeping.

Do dogs experience the same sleep cycles as humans?

Like humans and other mammals, dogs progress through different stages of sleep. Also like us, dogs experience REM sleep.

The main difference between dog sleep and human sleep is how much time they spend in the different stages, as well as a dog’s tendency to sleep in bursts throughout the day. Dogs tend to experience sleep-wake cycles of 16 minutes asleep, 5 minutes awake – quite the contrast with our typical sleep-wake cycle of 7 to 9 hours asleep, 15 to 17 hours awake.

When dogs fall asleep, they enter deep sleep. Their breathing and heart rate slow while their blood pressure drops. About 10 minutes in, they enter REM sleep and dream like humans. You can often identify this stage because their eyes roll under their eyelids, and they may start twitching in their sleep as they dream of chasing after squirrels.

Since dogs are always on the alert to protect their pack from intruders, they’re able to wake more easily. It’s common for them to wake up before completing a full sleep-wake cycle, from deep to REM sleep. As a result, scientists estimate they need to sleep more often overall in order to get their sufficient amount of REM.

What does a day in the life of a dog look like?

The typical dog spends half of his day asleep, and nearly a third of his day just lying around. The rest of his day is reserved for playing, using the restroom, and begging for treats.

Dogs are flexible sleepers. They have no problem adjusting their sleep schedule to their owner’s needs. If you work a 9 to 5 job, your dog may adapt to spend more of the daytime sleeping, so he can be awake and available to play with you when you get home at night. Working dogs like police or service dogs have more energy, and can stay awake for longer stretches of time performing their important duties.

Dogs don’t sleep as deeply as we do. That’s why they can wake up immediately if necessary and bound out of bed to raise the alarm for an intruder or gobble up the kibble as you pour it.

When is my dog sleeping too much?

If you note drastic changes in the amount of time your dog spends sleeping, or he seems excessively lethargic, it could be indicative of a larger problem. Lethargy is a common symptom of diabetes, parvovirus, Lyme disease, depression, and hypothyroidism in dogs.

If a major upset occurs in the life of your dog, such as the death of a loved one or a big move, he may sleep more or less than usual. This is a normal reaction, as dogs find comfort in routine and a major change affects their emotional wellbeing, but keep an eye out if their sleep doesn’t return to normal within a reasonable amount of time.

Some dogs with shorter noses are also at risk for sleep apnea, which can make your dog more tired during the day due to experiencing less restful sleep.

What are the common dog sleep positions?

Does your dog have a favorite sleeping position? Dogs tend to sleep in one of three positions, and they have a reason why for each.

On their side with four legs stretched out: This is a comfortable position for your dog when he’s feeling very relaxed. It also exposes some of his belly to the air which can help him cool down.On their back with all four paws in the air: When a dog is in this position, he’s at his most vulnerable. It’s the toughest for him to get up from and it exposes his neck and belly. If you catch him in this position, you know that he feels safe and secure. It’s also a good way for him to cool down since his belly is exposed.Curled in a ball: This is the least comfortable position for a dog to sleep in, as it requires them to use their muscles to stay curled up. However, it is the easiest for them to spring up upon waking, making it a defensive position. Dogs who have been abused or are unsure of their environment often sleep in this position. However, sometimes dogs sleep curled up simply to keep warm.

Your dog may sleep in any of these positions with their back to you, or another human or animal member of the pack. In dog packs, dogs sleep to each other for comfort and safety, so consider this a high honor. Your dog views you as part of the pack!

How can I help my dog get better sleep?

Follow these tips to give your pup more restful shuteye.

Give your dog plenty of exercise and playtime during the day to stimulate his mind and tire him out by bedtime.Feed your dog well. Some pet foods contain fewer nutrients than others, which can lower your dog’s energy during the day.Don’t miss your vet check-ups. These regular appointments are a good way to identify any health conditions early on.Give your dog a comfortable place to sleep.

If you choose to share your bed with your dog, like nearly half of dog owners do, make sure you get a mattress that’s big enough for everyone to fit, and offers excellent motion isolation so you’re not woken up by them moving around. Memory foam and latex mattresses are good options for pet owners.If you prefer your dog sleeps in a kennel or dog bed, make it cozy like a den would be in the wild. Give them a blanket or even a dirty old t-shirt that smells like you to provide comfort. There are various dog beds available to suit your dog’s favorite sleep positions – big ones made for stretching out vs. small nesting beds for those who like to curl up.

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Think of the breed of dog as like a race of people, or a nationality. So, in the same way that within the race of English people you get a complete mix of personalities and characters, you will get a complete mix of personalities and characters within the Husky breed. So not all English people are kind and gentle; some are, some aren’t. Not all English people are noisy; some are, some aren’t. The same is true for every characteristic imaginable. There are all sorts of English people out there… And the same is true for Italians…and Chinese and American and Australian, and New Zealand...Brazilian, Spanish, Moroccan the list is endless… The funny thing is that many of us become prejudiced against a race of people or a breed of dogs because of a negative experience…from which we create a negative belief. And that experience then clouds our judgement and we can’t see past it… As time goes by we end up creating more of these experiences which confirm our initial one! Yet it all started with a belief that WE CREATED! What I’ve found is that within every race of people there is the full spectrum of personalities and characters, and within every breed of dogs the same is true. Breed and race have nothing to do with how beautiful a being can be whether they are dog or human. There is so much more. So today...I’m going to challenge you (again!) Do you have a breed of dog that you really don’t like… And is it time to maybe give that breed a second chance? After all - your dog is very likely picking up on YOUR negative feelings towards them, so maybe it’s time to turn it all around! Whatever you choose to do, have a great day and thanks for choosing to be here to the end. ~Doggy Dan P.S. It’s one of my own adapted quotes today! “If you always judge dogs by their breed, you’ll miss out on meeting some pretty amazing dogs” - Doggy Dan

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> We get it! We are pet owners and animal lovers too. We understand that this is your baby, and that we are entering your home. Our Pet Nannies are mature, have ongoing training and also have been police checked.

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In infected cats, feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) attacks the immune system, leaving the cat vulnerable to many other infections. Although cats infected with FIV may appear normal for years, they eventually suffer from this immune deficiency, which allows normally harmless bacteria, viruses, protozoa, and fungi found in the everyday environment to potentially cause severe illnesses. The median survival time for a cat diagnosed with FIV is approximately five years.

FIV-infected cats are found worldwide, but the prevalence of infection varies greatly. In the United States, approximately 1.5 to 3 percent of healthy cats are infected with FIV. Rates are significantly higher (15 percent or more) in cats that are sick or at high risk of infection. Because biting is the most efficient means of viral transmission, free-roaming, aggressive male cats are the most frequently infected, while cats housed exclusively indoors are much less likely to be infected.

The primary mode of transmission for FIV is through bite wounds. Casual, non-aggressive contact does not appear to be an efficient route of spreading the virus. As a result, cats in households with stable social structures where housemates do not fight are at little risk of acquiring FIV infections. On rare occasions infection is transmitted from an infected mother cat to her kittens, usually during passage through the birth canal or when the newborn kittens ingest infected milk. Sexual contact is not a major means of spreading FIV.

Clinical Signs Early in the course of infection, the virus is carried to nearby lymph nodes, where it reproduces in white blood cells known as T-lymphocytes. The virus then spreads to other lymph nodes throughout the body, resulting in a generalized but usually temporary enlargement of the lymph nodes, often accompanied by fever. This stage of infection may pass unnoticed unless the lymph nodes are greatly enlarged.

An infected cat's health may deteriorate progressively or be characterized by recurrent illness interspersed with periods of relative health. Sometimes not appearing for years after infection, signs of immunodeficiency can appear anywhere throughout the body.

Poor coat condition and persistent fever with a loss of appetite are common in infected cats. Inflammation of the gums (gingivitis) and mouth (stomatitis) and chronic or recurrent infections of the skin, eyes, urinary bladder, and upper respiratory tract are often present. Persistent diarrhea can also be a problem, as can a variety of eye conditions. Some infected cats experience seizures, behavior changes, and other neurological disorders.

Slow but progressive weight loss is common in cats with FIV, often followed by severe wasting late in the disease process. Several kinds of cancer and blood diseases are much more common in affected cats.

Diagnosis To diagnose FIV infection, blood samples are examined for the presence of antibodies to the FIV virus. FIV antibodies can be detected using a number of techniques, including enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), western blot, and immunofluorescence (IFA) assays. These techniques are dependent upon the host cat mounting an immune response to FIV virus. If a host cat has not had sufficient time after exposure to mount an immune response or if the host cannot mount an immune response due to immunosuppression, antibodies may not be detected in a cat that is actually infected with FIV.

Positive results Because few, if any, cats ever eliminate infection, the presence of antibodies indicates that a cat is infected with FIV. This test can be performed by most veterinary diagnostic laboratories and also is available in kit form for use in veterinary clinics. Since false-positive results may occur, veterinarians recommend that positive results be confirmed using a test with a different format.

Infected mother cats transfer FIV antibodies to nursing kittens, so kittens born to infected mothers may receive positive test results for several months after birth. However, few of these kittens actually are or will become infected. To clarify their infection status, kittens younger than six months of age that test positive for FIV should be retested at 60-day intervals until they are at least six months old.

FIV vaccines cause a vaccinated cat to produce antibodies against the FIV virus that can be difficult to distinguish from those produced by a cat in response to natural infection with FIV. For this reason, it is necessary to know a cat’s FIV vaccination history (where possible) in order to accurately interpret test results.

Negative results A negative test result indicates that the cat’s body has not produced antibodies directed against FIV. In most cases, this suggests that a cat is not infected. However, it usually takes eight to 12 weeks after infection for detectable levels of antibody to appear in the bloodstream, so testing performed during this interval may result in false negative results. Therefore, antibody-negative cats that have had contact with a cat that is either infected with FIV or has an unknown FIV status, such as through the bite of an unknown cat, should be retested a minimum of 60 days after their most recent exposure. This allows the cat’s body time to develop antibodies to the virus.

On very rare occasions, cats in the later stages of FIV infection may test negative on FIV antibody tests because their immune systems are so compromised that they no longer produce detectable levels of antibody.

Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests are designed to detect short segments of a virus's genetic material. This test does not rely upon the detection of antibodies to FIV that are produced by the host cat, but rather tests for the presence of the FIV virus itself (by detecting viral DNA). While antibody-based tests are ideal screening tests for infection, in certain situations (such as confirming infection in antibody-positive kittens or determining infection of cats vaccinated with antibody-eliciting FIV vaccines), PCR-based tests are theoretically superior. Although PCR testing methods offer promise, these techniques result in relatively high numbers of false-positive and false-negative results, so they are not routinely being recommended. Recent advances in this technology, however, have prompted hope that PCR based techniques may eventually improve our ability to accurately diagnose FIV.

Treatment/Management/Prognosis Unfortunately, there is currently no definitive cure for FIV. It is important to realize, however, that while it is impossible to predict the survival of a given cat infected with FIV, cats infected with FIV can live ostensibly normal lives for years if managed appropriately. Once an FIV infected cat has experienced one or more severe illnesses as a result of infection, however, or if persistent fever and weight loss are present, the prognosis is generally less favorable.

FIV-infected cats should be spayed/neutered and should be confined indoors to prevent spread of FIV infection to other cats in the neighborhood and to reduce their exposure to infectious agents carried by other animals. They should be fed nutritionally complete and balanced diets, and uncooked food, such as raw meat and eggs, and unpasteurized dairy products should be avoided to minimize the risk of food-borne bacterial and parasitic infections.

Wellness visits for FIV-infected cats should be scheduled at least every six months. A detailed physical examination of all body systems will be performed by your veterinarian with special attention to the health of the gums, eyes, skin, and lymph nodes. Your cat's weight will be measured accurately and recorded, because weight loss is often the first sign of deterioration. A complete blood count, serum biochemical analysis, and a urine analysis should be performed annually.

Vigilance and close monitoring of the health and behavior of FIV-infected cats is even more important than it is for uninfected cats. Alert your veterinarian to any changes in your cat's health as soon as possible.

While some antiviral therapies have been shown to benefit some FIV-infected cats with seizures or stomatitis (inflammation of the oral cavity) and to decrease the amount of virus that they shed into the environment, there is no definitive evidence that any antiviral therapy will prolong the lives of cats with FIV. The development of effective treatment options for FIV is the subject of significant research.

Prevention The only sure way to protect cats is to prevent their exposure to the virus. Cat bites are the major means by which infection is transmitted, so keeping cats indoors, away from potentially infected cats that might bite them, markedly reduces their likelihood of contracting FIV infection. To reduce the chance of indoor cats becoming infected, it is ideal to assure that only infection-free cats are brought into a household occupied by uninfected cats. In some cases, separation of infected from non-infected cats is possible in a household, and this is ideal if infected cats must be brought into occupied by non-infected cats.

Unfortunately, many FIV-infected cats are not diagnosed until after they have lived for years with other cats. In such cases, all the other cats in the household should be tested. Ideally, all infected cats should be separated from the noninfected ones to eliminate the potential for FIV transmission. It is important to realize, however, that since FIV is transmitted primarily by bite wounds, transmission from an infected cat to an uninfected cat is much less likely in households that have stable social structures (i.e. households in which cats do not fight).

FIV will not survive for more than a few hours in most environments. However, FIV-infected cats are frequently infected with other infectious agents that may pose some threat to a newcomer. For these reasons, to minimize transmission of FIV and/or other infectious diseases to a cat that is brought into an environment in which an FIV-positive cat has lived, prudence dictates a thorough cleaning and disinfection or replacement of food and water dishes, bedding, litter pans, and toys. A dilute solution of household bleach (four ounces of bleach in 1 gallon of water) makes an excellent disinfectant. Vacuuming carpets and mopping floors with an appropriate cleanser is also recommended. Any new cats or kittens should be properly vaccinated against other infectious agents before entering the household.

Vaccines to help protect against FIV infection are now available, although these are not considered core vaccines for cats. Not all vaccinated cats will be protected by the vaccine, so preventing exposure is important, even for vaccinated cats. As discussed above, vaccination will impact future FIV test results, and any vaccination carries the risk of inducing vaccine–associated-sarcoma (a type of cancer) in cats, so it is important that you discuss the advantages and disadvantages of vaccination with your veterinarian to help you decide whether FIV vaccines should be administered to your cat.

Human health concerns Although FIV is similar to HIV (the human immunodeficiency virus) and causes a feline disease that is similar to AIDS (acquired immune deficiency syndrome) in humans, it is a highly species-specific virus that infects only felines. There is currently no evidence that FIV can infect or cause disease in humans.