Fido Is A Great Sleeper!
I bet you would do a lot of sleeping if you have nothing to do and you are in a temperature controlled room and lying on a comfortable bed. Pretty much the same would happen to your pampered pet. Dogs are not only voracious eaters, they are great sleepers as well. These animals spend more than half of their life having a close eye! This has resulted to the notion that dogs are lazy animals.
Dog owners would know that dogs are energetic animals. Dogs that are not given enough opportunities to exercise will be bored and have the tendency to develop destructive habits. Dogs like humans would derive benefits from sleeping. Dogs though have the habit of closing the eyes and sleeping whenever there is an opportunity to do so.
The kind of sleeping pattern a dog would have would depend on the personality, health condition and level of activity. Although dogs generally have high energy levels, some breeds like the Newfoundland and St. Bernard are naturally "slow moving" dogs. These breeds have the inclination to sleep for hours in front of the fire thus they are often called mat or rug dogs. Would you believe these breeds known as rug dogs can sleep for about 18 hours a day.
Working dogs on the other hand would be up and about most of the time. A dog utilized to herd or protect livestock would be seen constantly patrolling the area where the animals being protected are located. The same thing is true with dogs utilized by the law enforcers to sniff narcotics and bombs. All around farm dogs would not be seen sleeping the day away because of the work they need to perform.
Dogs of apartment dwelling owners would have more time to sleep unlike farm dogs that are given ample chance to roam freely thus they would not be seen sleeping the day away. Owners would ensure that the pet has all the comforts it can have. From being barn dogs that sleep anywhere and in any kind of weather condition, dogs now live in temperature controlled homes and sleep in softly padded beds complete with doggie blankets. Dogs would be seen sleeping a lot because their environment is conducive to sleeping. Dogs may appear to be soundly asleep but they would wake up at the lightest sound. Dogs have the ability to be alert the instant they are roused from sleep. Dogs may sleep a lot but the heightened senses enables these four legged friends to be awake in an instant thus they can be depended to protect the human family.
