Sleep Requirements

westonian2785 · 06-17-2008, 10:04 AM

Afternoon everyone,

Quick question that I hope some people can address. I have a very good 10 week old Collie mix that I've had now for the past three weeks. She's extremely well behaved, housebroken, and responds well to my commands.

I tend to work outside most of the day, so I keep her leashed up right next to me. I've been noticing that she won't sleep if she's on her leash, but if I put her in her travel crate, she almost instantly falls asleep. I'm starting to figure out that her signal to me that she's tired is to get growly, aggressive, and will often tug at my pants.

My question is, how long should I "let her out" of her travel crate during the day to play and relax? As it stands, I'd guess she's getting close to 16 - 18 hours of sleep a day, but that doesn't seem like it's enough for her.

Any advice on how I can improve her life would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

TooneyDogs · 06-17-2008, 10:32 AM

16-18 hours of sleep a day is pretty normal for most dogs. They 'need' about 10.8 hours. There are many factors that affect the need for sleep...amount of daily exercise and weight being two of the biggest.

westonian2785 · 06-17-2008, 10:39 AM

[EDIT]: Forgot to say thank you Tooney for your quick response.

Well, she's still under 10lbs (haven't had her weighed in two weeks), and we stay pretty active. We've got lots of green areas (imagine living on a giant park), so we go for at least two walks per day. Typically though the walks are used as a training tool- We go for a good 15 - 20 minute walk and that means "meal time!" for her. Then I usually play a herding game with her since she's got a really strong herding instinct... So, overall, I'd say she's "very active."