Sleep is massively overlooked when it comes to dogs and their behaviour. Canines are naturally very calm and relaxed creatures, conserving their energy for the hunt, dealing with danger and play (status finding) with other pack members.
They generally they sleep between 15-20 hrs a day!
Most dogs in our human world don’t sleep this much due to miscommunication that creates stress, anxiety and excess adrenaline, therefore the dog can’t relax and sleep as they should be.
Here are some examples, to name just a few:
Reading dogs behaviour as boredom or being naughty - when its the dog asking questions about their responsibilities and status.
Believing that a dog need X amount of exercises in order to behave - lots of people over exercise their dog which forces the dog to sleep/behave as they are exhausted.
Unknowingly giving a dog the responsibility to look after us and deal with any dangers - dogs will always ask questions about their status, its how we respond to these questions that is really important.
Communicating with your dog in a way that shows them, you know what you are doing. They can have confidence and trust in you to take care of everything, which will allow your dog to go AHHHHHHHHHH and then they can choose to sleep and relax for 15-20 hours a day. This, in turn, is going to have benefits on how calm and relaxed you are - it’s a win win solution and everyone will be happier and healthier for it.
Want to learn how to help your dog have the AHHHHHHHHHH moments? You can! By learning and applying the 4 areas of Dog Listening - Status, Danger, Food and Hunt. Learning this approach will help you overcome all the undesirable behaviours your dog displays, not just the one that is driving you crazy, as all behaviours feed into one another!
When you know how - it makes so much sense and you will be thinking - why didn’t I learn this sooner!
Got questions?? No problem, book a call with me here :)