Having a pit bull in your home must have made you realize that your dog is no ordinary pet. It can be more of everything a pet can be.
But while a pit bull is an amazing, loyal, and very loving companion, which may not be easily seen in other pets, you, yourself, is amazing to have chosen a pit bull as your pet.
This type of dog is one of the most misunderstood among dog breeds.
It’s not uncommon that pit bulls are feared by many people, which may have been preconceived because pit bulls are agile, energetic, and a powerful breed of dogs.
News of pit bull attacks can be heard every now and then, gaining a bad reputation for pit bulls.
It may be quite difficult to change that misconception. But pit bulls are very adaptable.
This means that when they land on the right hands, they can be the most obedient and most affectionate dogs. Undoubtedly, this all starts with the right training.
But can you train your pit bull without knowing its innate characteristics?
Understanding the exact needs of your pit bull can lead to a better relationship with your pet.
One of them is to know its sleeping patterns.
How Much Do pit bulls Sleep Per Day?
If you are a new pit bull owner, it is important to know that almost all dog breeds spend most of the day sleeping or resting.
This information should stop you from worrying that there might be something more serious happening with your pit bull. Pit bulls may spend half of the day sleeping and a quarter resting. Yes. Pit bulls can sleep for 12 hours and rest for six hours.
These hours may even be extended if there are no activities that your dog can indulge in. Lock your pit bull in an empty room and the whole day may be spent sleeping and resting.
How Much Sleep Do pit bull Puppies Need Per Day?
Just like humans, puppies should be sleeping more, which is good for its growth and development. A total of 18 – 20 hours may be spent by pit bull puppies for sleeping.
While a pit bull puppy may be very energetic at some point during the day, you may see it all curled up in the corner the next minute. This is normal and you should just leave the puppy undisturbed.
If you just acquired your pit bull puppy, its sleeping hours may be even more extended. There’s no need to worry. This is only a sign of exhaustion and anxiety being separated from its family for the first time. Give a little more time and the puppy will be all around you.
How to Help Your Pit Bull Sleep During the Day
Helping your pit bull get ample time to sleep and rest during the day will give more energy when it’s time to play or you have some activities to do with your favorite pet. Here are some tips.
• Leave Your pit bull Undisturbed
It may be hard to resist cuddling a sleeping pit bull puppy. Sometimes, you may also want to wake your sleeping pit bull just to play with you. Instead of disturbing your furry baby from its sleep, you should provide a place where disturbance is minimal when it is taking its daytime siesta.
• Follow a Schedule
Do you have more time to play with your dog in the morning? If so, then you should schedule your dog’s daytime nap in the afternoon when you are busy with your own thing.
• Be Cautious of the Signs
If you can see that your dog is sleepy because of fatigue playing here and there, encourage it to sleep. Show its sleeping quarters so it can relax and recoup.
How to Help Your Dog Sleep Well at Night
If you want to ensure that your pit bull will be playing with you during the day with so much energy and enthusiasm, you should ensure that it sleeps well during the night by doing the following:
• Make a Comfortable Sleeping Environment
Make sure that your dog’s bed is comfortable. You should also know if it wants to sleep in the dark or in a quiet place with some light.
• Give Plenty of Exercise During the Day
Giving activities to your pit bull during the day that may consume his energy will surely help your pet get a good night’s sleep. This will help to bring your dog into deep sleep. But be careful not to over-fatigue your dog. It will surely cause restlessness during sleep.
• Don’t Sleep With Your Dog
While you may think that you are a more loving pet owner if you sleep with your pit bull, it may not be a good idea. It may be awakened with every change of position you make. It may also spend the whole night watching over you.
• Check Out Any Health Issue
Be sure that your dog is feeling well. Health issues will surely get in the way of a comfortable sleep. Have a regular visit to the vet.
How Much Sleep Does an Average Dog Sleep in a Day?
Dogs have different behaviors and the training given by the owner can make a big difference. Sleeping habits can change drastically with the environment they are in. According to studies, the adult domesticated dog sleeps during the day for an average of 8 -13.5 hours a day. For senior dogs, they may spend 18 hours or more sleeping during the day. But although dogs spend these hours sleeping, they are still alert which makes them excellent house guards. They are polyphasic sleepers, which means that their sleeping pattern is on and off throughout the day.
How Much Sleep Does the Average Puppy Sleep Per Day?
Three month old puppies sleep for an average of 11.2 hours per day while the younger ones sleep for 18-20 hours. Just like human infants, puppies need more sleep for their physical growth and overall development. All dog owners should be informed of this, so puppies should be left undisturbed during their daytime nap.
Should I Let My pit bull Puppy Sleep With Me?
A pit bull puppy which you just acquired elsewhere will surely experience anxiety. One of your immediate solutions can be letting your puppy sleep beside you to imbibe a sense of security. If you have some allergies, you know that it is not right in the first place. You may see at once if your puppy is comfortable or not. For sure, it will soon find a place further from you if it is not comfortable. When this happens, you should have a nice place for your cute furry baby to sleep.
Should I Let My pit bull Sleep With Me?
It is not only recently that some dog owners sleep with their dogs. In olden times, some cultures, like the aboriginal Australians, slept with their dogs. While some raise health issues, it may be the owner who knows best. If he does not have any issues with allergies and he keeps his favorite pet free from any skin disease by regularly going to the vet, there may be no issue regarding health concerns.
The main issue is the quality of sleep your pit bull may be getting. Dogs may wake up at the slightest movement, sound, light, and scent. And because some dogs are over-protective of their owners, your dog may be guarding you for the most part during the night. Your dog may also find it harder to cope with separation anxiety if you sleep together. But if you don’t see any problem with these and your dog has adjusted very well with the setup, sleeping with your dog or not is not a major issue at all.
Can pit bulls Get Angry and Grumpy Because of a Lack of Sleep?
Like humans, sleep is very much essential to dogs. Lack of sleep in dogs has many adverse effects. If you have a pit bull, making sure that it takes quality sleep will benefit your dog and you. Sleep deprivation can make your dog cry and whine during the night which may disturb you from your sleep. During the day, you will surely miss the energy it imbibes on you as your pit bull may become sluggish and disoriented.
Your pit bull may also become grumpy because of lack of sleep. This is because of the buildup of stress hormones that can trigger aggressiveness and other behavioral changes. Moreover, sleep deprivation can also weaken the immune response of your beloved pit bull.
Will a pit bull Sleep More if It Has More Exercise?
One of the best ways to induce your dog into quality sleep is exercise. Of course, you won’t let them do pushups with you. You only have to ensure that they have physical exertion during the day like running in your yard, playing with toys, or simply jumping over and over again just to sit on your lap. The most that you may do to exercise your dog is take it with you when you go for your morning walk.
Like humans, exercise will make your dog sleep better at night. Doing all the things that it desires during the day will prevent restlessness in dogs during the night.
Closing Thoughts
Having a pit bull as your pet means that you should take time to understand its personality (or is it animality?) Always be reminded that dogs develop bad behaviors when not trained the right way, mishandled, abused, unsocialized, or socialized with a wrong pack of dogs. Knowing that sleep can alter the behavior of dogs should let every dog owner make sure that their pets get the necessary sleep during the night and day.
pit bulls can be aggressive if they are deprived of sleep. One way to ensure that it is always a loyal and affectionate pet, which always reciprocates our affection and care, is to help it have enough quality sleep all the time.
