How much sleep should dogs get?

Dogs sleep upwards of 16hrs per day (older or ill might sleep up to 20).

I have three dogs. One FLIES out of bed in the am. One pretends not to hear anyone stirring, and the other goes to the ‘warm’ spot when you get out of bed.

I don’t think your dog is lazy, just enjoying te warmth of the bed and doesn’t want to leave it!

My dogs sleep 75% of the time. That includes my year old pup.
I think cats have dogs beat—mine sleep all the time, only get up to eat and poop.
My five dogs go to bed when i do (anywhere between 9 and 1 am) and get up when i do, only because the pup has a built in alarm clock that wakes us all up at 5:30 am. None of the other dogs would get up at that time, but I get up to let him out and then everyone goes out. They eat…the younger ones play and then they all go back to sleep while i go to work. When I come home the young ones are ready to rock and abuse me if I fall asleep on the couch, by jumping off my stomach. The older dogs yawn and snooze. then it’s bedtime and it begins again.

Life really isn’t fair.

PHEW! I thought it was just mine. Having had two cats for 9 years and then getting a dog 3 years ago, I just assumed she had assimilated to the cats’ “pack” and adopted their sleeping patterns. It is nice to know that she is actually just sleeping a normal amount.

I do still think they make a cute pack tho…two 20 lb. cats and one 6 lb. dog. = )

It depends on the breed and the amount of other activity in the house too. We had a dalmation who slept only short amounts of time and was always on the go. Other dogs we’ve had slept most of the time.

If dogs were not 16 hour sleepers, they would not fit nearly so well with our working lifestyles.

Just to clarify – my dog is a chihuahua. She is smaller than most, but otherwise has the same characteristics as other dogs of that breed.

Little dogs (in my experience) tend to be chilly. They love body heat, warm blankets & heating pads on low. Your cats are kind to keep her toasty ;)