How To Improve Sleep in Dogs: 4 Essential Tips for Quality Rest and Relaxation
Struggling to improve sleep in dogs? This guide covers the importance of getting good quality sleep, why dogs may not sleep enough, and how to create routines that improve both sleep and behaviour. Lack of adequate, quality sleep can lead to behavioural issues, while deep and restful sleep can support calmness, focus, and overall behaviour. Discover practical steps to help your dog unwind, relax, and get the sleep they need.
The Importance of Quality Sleep for Dogs
We all know the wonders a good nightâs sleep can do for usâit leaves us refreshed, energised, and mentally clear, helping us make conscious choices throughout the day. Sleep is crucial for resetting and rebuilding the body, and the same is true for our dogs. Quality rest allows their bodies and minds to recover, keeping them balanced and ready for each new day. Improving sleep in dogs can be a transformative step toward calmer, more manageable behaviour.
Deep, quality sleep is essential for emotional regulation, physical health, and cognitive function. Dogs with regular and adequate rest throughout the day are generally better behaved, calmer, and more capable of making good decisions and following directions.
On the other hand, dogs that struggle to get enough sleep or achieve the high-quality rest they need often display signs of frustration, stress, anxiety, and reactivity. When sleep is lacking, these dogs can become more unpredictable, bark or whine excessively, struggle to settle, and overreact to daily eventsâwhether through constant jumping, barking, lunging, pulling or hyperactivity.
When dogs encounter arousalâwhether from excitement, anticipation, or fearâit’s normal. But without proper sleep, stimulation, or outlets, this arousal builds up, leading to overstimulation and a pattern called trigger stacking. With insufficient sleep, trigger stacking can become more prevalent as the dogâs resilience to new stimuli weakens, causing increased stress and reactive behaviours. On a long enough scale, this constant stress can create larger issues, including anxiety, chronic reactivity, and even mental health challenges.
Building better sleep routines and addressing overstimulation are critical steps to reduce this build-up of triggers. Explore my post on trigger stacking in dogs to learn how it can help prevent these patterns from building up and improve sleep in dogs over time.
Essential Sleep Requirements for Dogs
Most people are surprised to learn just how much sleep dogs actually needâanywhere from 15 to 20 hours a day! Think about it: is your dog even close to hitting this range? Puppies will require the higher end of this scale, but generally, adult dogs should fall within this range too. This sleep is usually broken up throughout the day, but if your dog isn’t reaching these levels, it could be a major factor behind their heightened arousal and stress.
Some dogs, however, have a hard time winding down. They might experience major FOMO (fear of missing out), making it hard for them to relax, while others havenât learned that itâs okay to switch off. Some dogs simply donât get enough physical or mental exercise to feel genuinely tired, and others may be too stressed or anxious to settle down.
Whatever the cause, itâs our responsibility to help our dogs reach the rest they need every day. Recognizing these issues and addressing them is key to promoting healthy sleep habits.
Common Reasons Dogs Donât Get Enough Sleep
There can be many reasons dogs struggle to get enough sleep or a good enough quality of sleep. The key is getting to the bottom of the issue and solving this so your dog can get the sleep they require for growth and recovery.
#1 – Just Not Tired
A lot of dogs don’t sleep purely because they just aren’t tired. These are the dogs that aren’t getting their physical and mental needs met.
Going for a walk is not enough as an outlet for many dogs. Even going for a 2 hour hike is not fulfilling enough to tire out many dogs.
Dogs need an efficient outlet, one that will tire them out both mentally and physically. Without an adequate outlet, dogs will struggle to properly rest and relax.
#2 – Stress
Stress can cause a lack of sleep and a lack of sleep can cause stress.
We all know the repercussions of stress. For dogs this is no different, stress over an elongated period of time can cause stress which can lead to sleep issues.
The issue with stress is that one of the best cures is rest and relaxation but if this isn’t possible then we need to look at things such as movement, games, what does the dog love to do, are we meeting their needs, do they have a routine, are things predictable?
Reducing stress and arousal levels is the key to being able to start increasing sleep levels. Finding an outlet your dog enjoys can be great for busting stress and encouraging sleep.
#3 – FOMO
One thing I see in common from dogs that struggle to sleep is the inability to settle down because they feel they’re going to miss out on something.
Now this isn’t exactly separation anxiety but more so anticipation. A lot of dogs lie in anticipation of the next activity. These are the dogs that shoot up when you move slightly.
Staying in a state of anticipation is basically staying in a state of stress. The dog is still on edge even though it may not be as noticeable.
Getting to the bottom of this is super important because even though it may not seem like a prevalent matter to work on, if the dog is like that for the majority of the day then they are stressed for the majority of the day.
Teaching a dog it’s okay to settle down or introducing windows of opportunity can make their life a lot more relaxed when it comes to relaxing at home.
#4 – Pain
Pain is a common trigger when it comes to lack of sleep. If you find your dog struggles to sleep and you feel like you’ve cycled through the issues then a vet visit may be in order to make sure there are no underlying issues.
Issues like arthritis, stomach issues, and hot points can all affect your dog’s level of sleep.
Pain can cause plenty of issues down the line including behavioural and unpredictable behaviours, which is why we need to always rule this out as priority!
#5 – Anxiety
When you have waves of impending doom crashing through your body, sleep is incredibly difficult to achieve.
Dogs can experience anxiety from many different things, fear, excitement, anticipation, frustration.
When it comes to anxiety, it is very easy for a dog to get stuck in cycles due to this. Some dogs may struggle to settle and over time as their anxiety builds, pacing starts becoming a primary behaviour. Some dogs start getting stuck in cycles of barking, whining, tantrums etc. These behaviours can become primary and prevalent behaviours if a dog constantly experiences anxiety and starts to repeat these unwanted behaviours.
Our responsibility is to guide our dogs through those anxiety, rules and boundaries are great for anxious dogs as it makes things predictable. Routines can also help with anxiety but having a routine set in stone can also cause an increase in anticipation if things aren’t running to plan.
#6 – Lack Of Training
Some dogs actually haven’t been taught that it is acceptable to calm down. They feel they must be awake doing things and when they aren’t given anything to do they find their own things to do.
A lot of dogs struggle with settling and calmness simply because we forget to reinforce the calm behaviours. As owners we tend to reinforce things such as excitement and pushy behaviours and overlook the calmer behaviours.
Simply marking and rewarding calm behaviours is all you need to do consistently to start seeing them more often. Giving your dog affection and reinforcement when they are calm instead of when they are pushy will lead to them choosing the behaviour that provides the most reinforcement (calm behaviour now).
It might feel a little pointless to mark and reward for calm behaviours as many dogs will get disturbed or get up but they will try to figure out what they did for that behaviour, once they find out its for calmer behaviours, you will start to see more of these.
#7 – Poor Sleep Environment
Itâs a common misconception that dogs will simply find a place to sleep and settle on their own. If a dog isnât taught to settle, they might struggle with rest. A proper sleep environment is essential for good quality sleep and should ideally be dark, kept at a comfortable temperature, and equipped with fresh water. Options like sleep plug-ins, gentle music, cosy blankets, and minimal distractions or traffic in the area can all help create a peaceful space.
For Jasper, I use a crate because it can be covered on days when he really struggles to settle, but you can also use dog beds, x-pens, or crates to make your dogâs sleep area feel more comfortable and secure.
#8 – Poor Sleep Routine
A good sleep routine goes hand in hand with a good sleep environment, and having both can do wonders for your dogâs sleep pattern. The routine doesnât need to be rigid, but predictability is key. When your dog has a reliable routine that suits their needs, youâll notice a big difference.
For example, if you take your dog out in the morning to meet their physical needs, a good routine might be to engage them in a calming activity upon returning home, such as a lick mat or a Kong, before initiating their rest period. If your dog is more energetic in the evening, consider feeding them through a scatter feed, followed by a gentle massage before beginning the wind-down for sleep.
Establishing a consistent sleep routine can significantly improve sleep in dogs.
#9 – Poor Diet
Diet also plays a big role in your dogâs sleep quality. Providing the right nutrients supports healthy growth, recovery, and stress resilience, particularly for dogs who struggle with anxiety. Inconsistent feeding routines, on the other hand, can make dogs feel too hungry or overly full, affecting their ability to rest.
Try to keep feeding times, portions, and types of food consistent. This predictability helps prevent stress around feeding time and fosters a sense of security.
#10 – High Dopamine Levels
Dogs with consistently high dopamine levels tend to have reduced serotonin levels. Low serotonin can lead to problems such as poor appetite, increased stress, difficulty with memory, and, importantly, trouble sleeping.
To reduce dopamine and support serotonin production, regular exercise, mental stimulation, and a balanced diet are crucial.
Signs of Sleep Deficiency in Dogs
Lack of sleep in dogs can become a very serious and very frustrating issue to deal with. If this is something that is not nipped in the bud early on, this can spew out into many areas of your dog’s day to day life.
Many behavioural issues and unwanted behaviours can stem from a lack of sleep and irregular levels of arousal.
⢠Weaker immune system
⢠Reactivity
⢠Anxiety
⢠Jumping on people
⢠âSelective hearingâ
⢠Pacing
⢠Pushy behaviours
⢠Hyperactivity
⢠Mouthing
⢠Stress
⢠Frustration
4 Essential Tips To Improve Sleep In Dogs
#1 – Address Underlying Issues
The first step in helping your dog get the sleep they need is to identify any underlying issues. Consider these questions: Are they getting the right kind of food and enough of it? Are they receiving adequate exercise? Is their daily routine providing sufficient mental stimulation? Do they have regular outlets for their energy? Could they be in pain?
For most dogs, unless pain is involved, addressing these areas consistently should help promote better sleep. Once you identify the main cause, you can start working toward a balanced routine that encourages the restorative sleep they need for growth and recovery.
#2 – Establish a Calming Routine
A calming routine serves as the essential pre-sleep wind-down. Many dogs struggle to sleep, settle, and fully relax because theyâre expected to go straight from highly stimulating activities to sleep without time to decompress.
Think of it like your own bedtime routine. After a busy day, you donât just jump straight into bedâyou wind down first, perhaps by reading, journaling, or simply relaxing. Your dog benefits from a similar approach. Engage them in calming activities, such as scent work, mental stimulation games, lick mats, or Kong toys, to help them decompress after active play and prepare for sleep.
#3 – Create a Sleep Protocol and Schedule
Creating a structured sleep protocol can teach your dog when itâs time to settle down and rest. This should usually follow the calming routine, ensuring theyâre in a relaxed state of mind.
Set up a designated sleeping area thatâs comfortable, quiet, and free of distractions. This area should have dim lighting or closed curtains, calming music, fresh water, and perhaps a plug-in diffuser to create a serene atmosphere. Consistency in timing can also make a big difference. By setting a rough schedule, your dog will start to understand, “Iâve had my walk, my needs are met, and now itâs time to rest.” At first, they may resist, but with consistency, youâll likely see them begin to settle faster as they adjust to the routine.
#4 – Use Physical and Mental Outlets Throughout the Day
One of the best ways to improve sleep in dogs is to ensure they have adequate outlets for their energy throughout the day. Relying solely on a single long walk, even if itâs two hours, often isnât enough. Some dogs will return home from that walk and still be ready to go!
Efficient outlets, both physical and mental, help satisfy your dogâs needs in a more balanced way. Incorporating play, training, and mentally engaging activities like sniffing, puzzle toys, and obedience work throughout the day will leave them feeling both physically and mentally fulfilled, making it much easier for them to settle into restful sleep.
When a Detox Might Help Reset Sleep Patterns
One of my top recommendations for calming hyperactivity or high arousal in dogs is a stress detox. A stress detox involves taking a break from stimulating activities and focusing on reducing arousal, lowering stress, and increasing serotonin levels and quality sleep.
For some dogs, a detox means stepping back from potentially stressful walks and instead meeting their needs through targeted outlets, which can significantly improve sleep and reduce overall arousal levels. Detox periods can range from 3 days to a few weeks, depending on your dogâs individual needs.
Many dogs with behavioural issues like reactivity or hyperactivity become more responsive, make better choices, and are easier to train after completing a detox. Iâve often seen significant improvementsâor even complete resolution of certain behavioursâfollowing a focused period of stress reduction.
You can download my FREE 5-Day Stress Detox Plan to guide you through the process. This customizable plan is packed with resources: a detailed detox plan, workbook, journal, trigger-stacking guide, a guide to creating a sleep protocol, an introduction to scatter feeding, the ultimate activity guide, and a socialisation guide and checklist.
>>Claim your free detox bundle here!<<
Final Thoughts
As we’ve explored, quality sleep is crucial for maintaining balance in your dogâs health, behaviour, and emotional resilience. Use the tips in this post to improve sleep in dogs by establishing a calming routine, creating the ideal sleep environment, and sticking to a regular sleep schedule. While it may take time for your dog to adapt initially, the long-term benefits of restful sleep will make life smoother for both you and your dog.
