Vet issues warning on why 'large number' of dogs are grumpy

-Credit: (Image: Getty Images/EyeEm)
-Credit: (Image: Getty Images/EyeEm)


A vet has shed light on why your pet dog might be grumpy a lot of the time. It is all to do with their sleep pattern - even if it appears they are asleep a lot.

Dogs can become less friendly when they don't get enough sleep, according to a study. Typically, dogs should spend nearly two-thirds of the day sleeping, but 5.6 million in the UK only manage a maximum of 12 hours.

Dogs that sleep less than ten hours are more likely to show aggressive behaviours. This includes growling, snapping or biting at other pets in the household (four per cent) or at dogs outside their home (six per cent).

The numbers drop by more than half for dogs that get over 13 hours of sleep, suggesting a connection between the amount of sleep dogs get and how they react to stressful situations.

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Lynne James, a vet at animal charity PDSA, which conducted the research, said: "Although the perfect amount of sleep will vary between dogs, what the evidence suggests might actually be surprising for many owners. Dogs should in fact get over 13 to 16 hours of sleep every day. This means your dog should ideally spend more than half of the day snoozing! But our findings reveal a large number of dogs aren't getting enough sleep - in fact, 5.6 million dogs in the UK sleep for 12 hours or even less a day. We're all aware of the saying 'waking up on the wrong side of the bed', and it's no surprise lack of sleep plays a part in how we are feeling but it is also true for dogs."

The survey also discovered that a dog's home environment affects how long they sleep for.

Pets residing in households with three or more individuals are likely to get less than ten hours of sleep.

In homes with children, a quarter of dogs only manage to get eight to ten hours of sleep, with nearly one in ten getting less than eight hours.

However, pets living in homes with just one or two people typically enjoy more than 13 hours of sleep.