Casey, Rachel

Da Costa, Rosa

Kinsman, Rachel

Knowles, Toby

Murray, Jane

Owczarczak-Garstecka, Sara

Tasker, Séverine

Woodward, Joshua

English

Sleep is a vital behaviour that can reflect an animal’s adaptation to the environment and their welfare. However, a better understanding of normal age-specific sleep patterns is crucial. This study aims to provide population norms and descriptions of sleep-related behaviours for 16-week-old puppies and 12-month-old dogs living in domestic environments. Participants recruited to a longitudinal study answered questions relating to their dogs’ sleep behaviours in surveys issued to them when their dogs reached 16 weeks (n = 2332) and 12 months of age (n = 1091). For the statistical analysis, subpopulations of dogs with data regarding sleep duration at both timepoints were used. Owners of 16-week-old puppies perceived their dogs to sleep longer during the day and over a 24 h period, but for less time during the night than owners of 12-month-old dogs. At both timepoints, dogs were most commonly settled to sleep by being left in a room/area without human company. However, of dogs that had access to people overnight, 86.7% and 86.8% chose to be around people at 16 weeks and 12 months of age, respectively. The most common sleeping place was in a kennel/crate at 16 weeks (49.1%), and a dog bed at 12 months (31.7%). Future research within this longitudinal study will investigate how sleep duration and behaviours change with age and impact on a dog’s health and behaviour

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Sleep Duration and Behaviours:A Descriptive Analysis of a Cohort of Dogs up to 12 months of Age

https://research-information.bris.ac.uk/files/244080166/animals_10_01172.pdf

Sleep Duration and Behaviours:A Descriptive Analysis of a Cohort of Dogs up to 12 months of Age

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