At times it can seem like your pet is always sleeping. As a human, it can sometimes be hard to understand the benefits that dogs get from sleep, and we may not understand how long they need to sleep.
How much sleep does a Labradoodle need? A Labradoodle should get around 10 to 12 hours of sleep every day. This may increase to 20 hours when the dog is a puppy, or if they have been especially active throughout the day. Labradoodles are very active dogs, and the more energy they spend during the day, the longer they will have to sleep.
We aren’t really sure why exactly why dogs need to sleep that much. A theory is that dogs enter the important REM cycle of sleep only about 10% of the time that they are sleeping and hence get less rest over any shorter period of time. By sleeping for longer, they are able to reach the same amount of good rest that we humans can achieve in our average 7 to 9 hours of sleep.
The Right Amount of Sleep for a Labradoodle
When we’re looking at a dogs’ sleep cycle, one thing to keep in mind is that they are not humans, which means they sleep differently than us.
One big difference between humans and dogs is that dogs have to sleep in shorter bursts rather than one long stretch as humans tend to.
This is also why Labradoodles are more likely to take a lot of shorter power naps instead of one long period of sleep that is usually associated with humans.
The reason for this is perhaps due to their ancestral nature as predators. Labradoodles are by nature hunting dogs. They descend from wolves (as every dog breed does), which are hunting-based predators and they are mostly active at night when hunting is easier for them and the temperatures get cooler.
Another reason why dogs’ don’t sleep all through the night as humans do could be that dogs don’t have any ability to sweat. Instead, they pant, and this is also why they are much better suited for short periods of intense activity followed by rest than long trips going hunting.
Dogs only enters REM 10% of the time that they are sleeping.
Knowing all these things, it’s not hard to understand how frequently a Labradoodle sleeps, but why does it sleep so much?
When any living thing goes to sleep, there are multiple stages they go through, and the most important of those stages is called REM. REM, which is short for Rapid Eye Movement, is the stage where we truly rest.
It’s during that period where we actively dream and enters the stage of a deep sleep, that is allowing our bodies to rejuvenate for the next day.
For humans, this stage takes place around 25% of the time when we are sleeping.
Dogs only seem to enter REM for about 10% of the time they are sleeping. So while dogs seem to require less REM sleep than humans, they still have to sleep more to get the required amount of the important deep rest they need.
Your Labradoodle will most likely spend more time sleeping the more active and large it is.
A very active dog could need from 18 to 20 hours of sleep. For Labradoodles, you should probably expect a daily schedule of 50% sleep, 30% lower or inactivity, and 20% high activity.
How to Get Your Labradoodle to Sleep at Night
If possible, try and synchronize the sleeping patterns of you and your Labradoodle, it will make it a lot easier, than if you have a dog that’s suddenly highly active during the night.
Despite the fact that dogs take more frequent naps, they will often sit down for long periods of time.
I time, Labradoodles will generally grow bored by themselves and will want to spend time with you, not really caring if you are awake or not.
They will often lie awake beside their owners, just to be able to spend some time with you. The fact that you are sleeping doesn’t really matter to them.
But sometimes you can suddenly hear the scuffing of paws on the floor as your Labradoodle decides to rush across the floor, enjoying itself and being noisy. What can you do about that?
Create a Routine
The best possible way to establish a sleeping routine for anyone, including dogs, is to have a set schedule you can follow.
You should consider scheduling the most important part of your dogs’ day and make those events consistent, so your dog will always know when it’s time to sleep or if it’s playtime.
Meals
The first you should look at is also the easiest thing to regulate and that’s the mealtime.
You are already the one who decides when your dog will get a bowl full of delicious food, so the only thing you have to do each day is making sure that you are feeding him at the same time every day.
It would also be wise to control how fast your dog is eating his food.
If you think he is eating way too fast, I would recommend that you look at buying something like the Outward Hound Puzzle Toy that will slow the mealtime process, which will allow your Labradoodle to properly digest their meal.
Exercise
This is also some to be very aware of and consistent with.
If you have a dog that is highly active when you aren’t, it will most likely lead to some conflicts between the two of you. Take your furry friend out on a walk, go play fetch or anything you can do that allows your buddy to work those strong legs of his.
This is exceptionally important for Labradoodles.
They are from nature highly energetic hunting dogs. Unfortunately, this also means that if you aren’t able to help them use some of that energy, they will get active themselves, so a better solution is if you can find a way to entertain them.
Just create a program for them and ensure that the schedule also works for you. It isn’t exactly highly desirable to have your dog jumping all over you when you just want to get some rest.
Bathroom Time
You will want to build this schedule for obvious reasons, but having a good sleep schedule really helps if the first thing you typically do is let your dog out to go to the bathroom.
Say “Good Morning” and “Good Night
Labradoodles are used to being around and with people, so much so that they can actually suffer from separation anxiety.
This fear may lead them to not being able to sleep at all.
Something simple like a small hello in the morning can hopefully moderate this fear as they will find out that even if you are all going to sleep, your dog will still see you the following morning.
Sleeping Problems Found in Labradoodles
Unfortunately, Labradoodles can get sleeping disorders just like humans.
Similar to not getting enough sleep in humans, a lack of sleep for dogs can lead to several health problems and can often result in inactivity or generally just feeling sad.
The list of sleep disorders possible in a dog (including Labradoodles) includes narcolepsy, insomnia, sleep apnea, and REM behavior disorder.
And sadly not all of these conditions are treatable.
However, it is always a good idea that if you find your dog is having trouble sleeping, you should take him to a vet so they might help you with your specific dogs’ situation.
Narcolepsy can be very dangerous for Labradoodles, as it can result in not only a loss of control but also paralysis of certain body parts.
The situations where this can be extra dangerous is that when the dog is near a body of water, their body can freeze up, which can lead to them falling in and drown.
So if you have a narcoleptic Labradoodle, you will want to avoid water as much as possible.
For insomnia, a likely improvement to their sleep may come from a therapeutic bed, which is a product my dog has used for many years, just as a preemptive measure.
Sleep apnea is most commonly seen in breeds like the English bulldog and Pugs and the reason is typical that the dog is overweight.
The solution is usually a simple weight loss diet of some kind for your pet.
REM behavior disorder is when your dog is being way too active while sleeping.
This can end up with your Labradoodle suddenly running into walls at night or scratching at things while sleeping.
This will often require a safe bed of some kind, to help prevent any harm that might happen to your dog while it is sleeping.
Related Questions
Why do dogs dream with their eyes open? Dogs developed the habit of having their eyes open just a bit when they are sleeping and dreaming to prevent any harm from happening to them. Because dreaming only happens in the deepest part of sleep, it’s also when the dog is at its most vulnerable. They keep their eyes open to help them be able to quickly react if anything dangerous is about to happen.
Can Labradoodles sleepwalk? Dogs can sleepwalk, and this can also put them in dangerous situations as sleepwalking can mean that they aren’t paying attention to what is going on around them. They could easily end up in a very dangerous situation if they have a habit of sleepwalking.
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