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How much rest does a dog need?
A dog's need for rest
Our dogs need more rest than most dog people would think. A dog is physically able to lead everyday life with us humans. From a biological point of view, a dog needs much more rest than a human. An adult, healthy dog needs around 16-20 hours to doze and sleep. Puppies or old dogs need more than 16-20 hours of rest. If a dog does not calm down on its own, it needs the help of a human being to instruct it to calm down. Some dogs, on the other hand, find their rest on their own. On the one hand, this can be related to the fact that the dog has learned it from the beginning, or on the other hand, because its personality and character favor it so much. There can be a variety of reasons why your dog won't rest. Body build also influences stress resilience. You can find out more about physique and the ability to self-regulate in the explanation of terms impulse control. The more people integrate the dog into their everyday life, the more there is a need to teach and learn to be calm.
Dog's urge to be busy
After the overworked children, the phenomenon of being overwhelmed is now gradually appearing in the dog world. Agility courses, mantrailing and various workshops are designed to keep the dog busy. In addition, the dog accompanies us to visits, to the restaurant and to the weekly market. Where is the necessary time to be able to switch off in order to really relax?
Well-intentioned utilization, poorly implementedUnknowingly, as dog people, we can encourage restless behavior in our dog. Excessive sport or ill-considered games that rely on movement without brains encourage restlessness and prevent the dog from calming down. Stupid ball games without a concept promote, among other things, ball junkies who rush after a ball like crazy.
Too much and too little exercise can show the same signs of restlessness in your dog. If your dog does not come to rest, it can be due to too much exercise or too little exercise. In addition to the dog's lack of exercise, incorrect activity can lead to your dog overreacting. Finding a healthy amount of exercise and activity for your dog is not always easy. In order to be able to teach your dog to be calm and at the same time keep him busy, you can access exercises from the impulse control or use concentration exercises. We already have for you impulse control training for Beginner, advanced and professionals compiled.
The thought often buzzes in the heads of dog people that a dog that is working to capacity hears better. It is understandable that your dog needs to be busy and busy and that boredom triggers some problem behavior in dogs. However, the reason for employment should not be exhausting yourself, but a healthy amount of stimuli, impressions, movement and opportunities to rest. Elevated levels of cortisol encourage exercise in dogs to help metabolize excess cortisol through activity. A vicious circle is created: a stressed dog becomes a hyperactive dog that is stressed. Lack of rest and sleep leads to nervousness, lack of concentration and tension. As a dog person, the dog's behavior suggests that the dog needs more exercise. Not correct! What such a dog needs is rest!
Lack of sleep is not only a consequence of stress, but also the origin of other health problems and problem behavior. As a dog person, it's your job to teach your dog to be calm if your dog won't calm down. This not only helps in general behavior and health, but also promotes the processing of training, exercises and experiences.
How do you know that your dog is overexcited by the situation?
- your dog is hardly or not at all responsive
- you are hardly noticed and there is little orientation
- the muscles are tense and the ears alert
- the dog does not lie down and is constantly in motion
- Despite movement, your dog does not come to rest
- your dog shows a lot of howling, squeaking, whining, barking, shaking
- there are often skipping acts such as biting the leash, excessive digging, nervous jumping at people, etc.
- your dog shows no signs of tiredness and demands more exercise
- Food is refused
Rest and stress - what happens in the dog's body?
Sleep and rest have a major impact on our dogs’ experience of stress. Stress is not always directly bad and is first and foremost part of life. Packing your dog in cotton and protecting it from any kind of stress is impossible and unnecessary. However, what happens if your dog is stressed over a long period of time and is generally very overexcited can be found in the blog "Rest and stress - what happens in the dog's body?".
Reasons for restlessness in dogsAssuming your dog's needs are being met, other factors may be the reason the dog isn't resting. It should be understandable that lack of sleep and hunger lead to restlessness. A feeling of hunger can cause nervousness and reduce impulse control. We have already discussed how nerve food can have a positive influence in the article on impulse control mentioned. You can practice calmness with your dog, but other conditions play a role in your dog. More information can be found in the blog "Causes & reasons for a restless or stressed dog“. These include:
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Aid in the event of a lack of rest - the dog does not come to rest
Rest can be supported by various aids in addition to exercises. It is important to note that aids encourage, but without training, they do not provide effective rest. In our blog you will find effective rest training with free training plans. The tools work on different levels. The effectiveness is different for each dog and must be tested individually for you and your dog.
Music
Music therapy is very common in some areas in humans. Music can promote relaxation in dogs. Results from Lindig et al. (2020) suggest that animals (not just dogs) appear less stressed or anxious to classical music. So far there has been little research that deals with music and relaxation in connection with animals. Music can offer relief from turmoil in the home environment. In most studies, rest time and barking duration were assessed and measured as indicators of stress. Measured by cortisol levels and heart rate, classical music could induce calm. In addition to the genre, conditioning and the association with experiences and the music can also have a good effect. If your dog always lies relaxed next to you while you listen to your favorite music, the positive experience can calm your dog down.
CBD
CBD can be used in many ways in dogs and humans as a natural supplement. Dogs have their own endocannabinoid system, which is why for them CBD can also be supportive. CBD is an active ingredient of the hemp plant, which is obtained from the female plant. Unfortunately, there isn't much verifiable evidence that CBD has the same beneficial properties in dogs as it does in humans. However, it is believed that CBD in dogs can help with pain, cramps, anxiety and stress, to support the immune system or to fight inflammation. But the important thing to know is that it is used as a support and not as a stand-alone problem solver.
If you plan to give your dog CBD, pay attention to the quality and organic cultivation. There are special CBD manufacturers for dogs. The dosage should be increased slowly. It is best to get advice from a specialist. We personally use Hunreys oils for our dogs, which you can get 10% cheaper with the discount code "VITOMALIA10".
herbs and fragrances
Chamomile, lavender and valerian have long been said to have a calming effect - in dogs and humans. The herbs can be given to the dog via food to work internally or as an essential oil via a diffuser. The herbs should be started during a quiet phase. Only use high-quality and gently prepared herbs and essential oils.
RelaxoPet
The RelaxoPet is a device that emits specially tuned sounds for dogs, cats or horses, depending on the device. We could not find any evidence or studies that confirm the effectiveness of the RelaxoPet. Some dog people have already had good experiences, others didn't notice any difference. However, if we think about the conditioned relaxation, you can condition the relaxation with the RelaxoPet without disturbing people because the sounds are hardly perceptible to people. If you set up the RelaxoPet at home in a quiet environment as a relaxation sound while the dog relaxes, after a while the RelaxoPet can also be used in stressful situations (e.g. when driving a car) without it bothering you.
Cycles and Adaptile
Zylkène and Adaptil can act as natural aids to promote relaxation. Both tools promote calmness in temporary, transient stressful situations.
Zylkène is made from skimmed milk. The calming effect is due to α-casozepine, which is produced in puppies' intestines as they digest mother's milk. The α-casozepine in turn increases the effect of the neurotransmitter GABA (gamma-amino-butyric acid). GABA is responsible for all functions related to emotions, including stress. Adult dogs no longer produce α-casozepine, but the effect remains. Zylkène thus creates the well-known comforting feeling in adult dogs and supports the dog in being able to react more calmly to stressful situations.
Adaptil is now available in different product forms: as a collar, as tablets, as an atomizer for the socket or as a spray. Adaptil works in the form of pheromones. Pheromones are messenger substances that help dogs to get information about each other. A mother dog releases pheromones through her teats, which are supposed to make the puppies feel safe and secure. Adaptil sends these same pheromones into your dog's environment and makes him feel safe. The feeling of security in turn creates relaxation.
Thundershirt and Tellington TTouch body tape
If your dog's restlessness is due to fear, a Thundershirt can help. Thundershirts are form-fitting t-shirts for your dog that apply even compression to the body, which is said to have a calming effect. This is related to swaddling babies. The compression is designed to mimic a close touch that conveys comfort. In contrast to the T-shirt, the Tellington TTouch body strap can be used more variably, but requires more practice when “tying”. We recommend using both tools several times in advance before using them in important situations. You will find out for yourself whether and how calming both have an effect on your dog by observing your dog. Dogs who find harnesses or other clothing annoying will likely find both the Thundershirt and body straps uncomfortable. The calming effect is therefore individually dependent on the dog.
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