What Do You Really Know About Your Dog's Sleeping Behaviors?

There is something about watching your dog sleep that is comforting and sometimes even comical. Do you know, several of your dog's sleep behaviors are similar to ours and others are inherent?

The average dog sleeps 12 - 13 hours per day. It may not seem that way, but puppies snooze even longer! That is almost half their life! Dogs are skillful at catching a few winks whenever they can. That form of napping is similar to Stage 1 sleep, where they are sleeping, but just barely.

Sleep is a vital part of the health, physical and emotional well-being of your dog's life. It is during sleep that puppies grow, wounds heal and energy is conserved and stored for what lies ahead.

Companion dogs kept indoors, sleep longer and deeper than dogs kept outdoors and working dogs. Dogs kept outdoors and working dogs try to slip in an extra nap here or there, but rarely relax enough to reach a healthy, deep, restful sleep.

Do Dogs Dream?

It appears dogs follow similar stages of sleep as humans. Stage 1, is barely sleeping. This is where most outdoor dogs, wild dogs and working dogs sleep. At Stage 2, the animal's blood pressure, heart rate, breathing, and body temperatures gradually lower. Stage 3 is a transitional state between light and deep sleep. Stage 4 is the slow wave stage where usually the dog is now oblivious to their surroundings. If awakened suddenly, they often appear confused. Stag 5 is where the fun begins! This is the REM (Rapid Eye Movement) phase of sleep. Here, their body relaxes, but their brain remains active. At this stage, your dog's eyes roll under the lids and they slowly ease into those dreams we find so amusing. They whimper, growl, make lapping and eating sounds and motions, whine, bark, and/or appear to be chasing something!

Most indoor dogs spend up to 12% of their sleeping time in REM. Puppies spend a greater percentage of time in REM. During this stage, it is thought puppies process and merge what they are learning every day, into behaviors they will follow.

Interestingly, smaller dogs tend to dream more than their larger cousins.

Shaking during sleep can be perfectly normal for the average dog. Dogs that have suffered trauma and puppies removed from their mom too soon, may also shake in their sleep. Shaking could also be an indicator of health problems in dogs, such as hypothyroidism, pain, chills, and gastrointestinal discomfort.

If your dog is shaking while sleeping, calmly call their name and gently pet or touch them, to reassure them that everything is OK. Do not shake them awake! It is not known, if dogs have nightmares, but given the fact many rescues and dogs that have suffered severe physical and emotional trauma shake in their sleep, a little assurance goes a long way.

Favored Positions of a Sleeping Dog

The sleeping position of your dog tells you a lot about him or her. Some like to sleep on their stomachs, almost like in a "down" position. This allows them to jump up at the slightest perceived threat or fact they may be missing out on what you are doing.

Others prefer sleeping on their side. This is a restful position. Your dog is comfortable with their surroundings.

Then we have the "Superdog" sleeper. They choose sleeping stretched out, on their stomachs. They look like they are flying. They are in a restful sleep, but ready to go as soon as they hear you move!

The most inherent position for sleeping is curling up. You will see this as a favorite sleeping position of dogs kept outdoors. You will find them curled up into a ball, with their paws under their body and their tail wrapped around their face. It is the least vulnerable and least restful position for sleep. They are conserving body heat, they protecting limbs, face, throat and vital organs. This position gives them the advantage to be on their feet immediately. The dog's muscles are tense and ready to spring into action, if need be. Dogs that sleep in this position rarely relax enough to drift into the REM stage.

Curling is the normal sleeping position for wild dogs and wolves packing together. It offers a sleeping position for awareness upon awakening as their senses are heightened to movements, sounds and scents. They conserve space in the den; protect their offspring and share body heat. You will notice even most domesticated puppies inherently curl up together or around their mother.

Finally, we have what looks the "dead roach" position. There are dogs that favor sleeping on their backs; with their legs in the air...looking just like a dead cockroach! This is the position found only in a very secure and confident indoor pet. Sleeping on their back is the most vulnerable position for a dog to sleep. It is thought to be the most comfortable and most restful position. Plus, it's your dog's way of cooling down quickly. Indoor dogs that have expended lots of energy and/or are over-heated will sleep on their backs.

The sleeping on their back position has not been observed as behavior exhibited by dogs or wolves in the wild. Dogs kept outdoors will not sleep in this position either. This position sends a message of vulnerability and submission.

It should be noted; dogs sleeping on their backs with their paws "protecting" their chest are indicating they prefer not to be bothered. Use caution when suddenly awakening any dog sleeping in this position!

Now that you know more about what goes on when your dog sleeps, you will have some insight about their confidence and sense of well being. In addition, it will give you a clue of why your dog behaves the way it does, when they are awake.

Bottom line: Comfort equals healthier, more and deeper sleep. Whatever sleeping position your dog prefers, make sure their sleeping accommodations are safe and comfortable. A dog that is well rested is generally healthier and happier.

Natural Remedies For Constipated Dogs

Natural remedies for constipated dogs are not only safe and without side effects, for the greater they are also effective. Homeopathic remedies, in particular, can be rapid in their action.

But first, why do you need to take action? Let's examine some of the common scenarios with constipation and how they can affect your dog. 

• Probably the first is pain on passing a stool. Not only is this undesirable in itself, it may compound the problem, as your dog will become reluctant to stool, delaying the inevitable pain.
• Constipation can occur without any pain at all, but holding on to all that waste is going to make for trouble in the future. A constipated dog will inevitably become more sluggish and more unhealthy as time moves on.
• Sometimes a stool will partially extrude then recedes back in.
• If elimination is not complete, your dog will keep trying - trying for both of you on a walk.
• Constipation can alternate with diarrhoea which creates difficulty keeping the dog and the environment clean.

These differences need to be considered when choosing the most appropriate remedy that is likely to help your dog. How you apply this will depend on the different modalities of natural health. For example, personal differences are very important in homeopathy, but less important in, say herbs.

But this is not the end of the story. You also need to discover what the cause was, as this may need to be treated before the constipation can be permanently resolved. It isn't natural to be constipated, despite it being common.

Some common causes can be: 

• after surgery or after drugs
• during pregnancy
• during travelling which unsettles routine
• after a frightening experience

Once the cause has been elicited, then the appropriate natural remedy can be selected.

But perhaps the most common cause is diet. Most people feel that commercial pet food is the healthiest food for their dog, because the packets, the advertising, even the veterinarians tell you this is so. In reality, nothing could be further from the truth.

Most commercial pet food is made for the profit of the manufacturer. Whilst this is a worthy outcome, it isn't if the product falls short of the claims. And, sadly, perhaps the majority do.

When a switch is made from commercial dog food to a quality, natural and species specific food, most cases of constipation simply disappear. And preparing such food is easy once you know how. The difficult part comes with a change of mindset.

This means the number one natural remedy for constipation is diet.

Why Do Some Dogs Eat Grass And Throw Up?

If there is one behavior which may come as a surprise to dog owners, especially the first-timers, it would be the question "Why does my dog eat grass and then throw up after?" This is a question which veterinarians often get asked and yet, the answer remains to be a mystery to all of them. Indeed, fiber is not a common thing for dogs and grass definitely does not go well with their digestive tract. Yet, this continues to be a habit for most dogs such as your beloved Fido.

Tummyache 

One very common answer when asked about this question is gastric problems. Many believe that eating grass is one way in which dogs get to relieve themselves from gastric problems as this helps them vomit. Vomiting thus helps them get relieved of any toxic substance or irritant which they may have ingested. However, as one vet has put it, is the vomiting induced by the grass or does the grass induce the vomit

Roughage 

One other possible reason why dogs feel the need to eat grass is the need for roughage which dog food and meats cannot normally provide. Even in the wild, dog relatives such as wolves and foxes normally get to ingest the roughage which their pray have induced. As this scenario is not possible in a normal household, your loyal little pet may therefore hunt for the source somewhere else-that somewhere being your lawn.

Checking out their territory 

It's a known fact that dogs do have the habit of marking their territory. In the same manner, some say that dogs eat grass in order to check out their territory for any signs of invasion. As gross as this may seem, dogs do like owning their own spot and they do mind an invasion of territorial space.

Worms 

This reason seems pretty similar to "dogs eating grass because of a tummy ache." However, this time, worms seem to be the culprit. This could be true except that there are still some pets which get worms despite their grass-eating habit. Other than that, dogs do need to get de-wormed on a regular basis so this reason ends up to be quite questionable.

A matter of taste 

While all these reasons seem to be quite scientific, we also have to be consider the fact that dogs do have their personal tastes. That's the reason why dog food comes in different flavors, right So maybe they should come out with grass-flavored dog food as grass-eating is a habit developed by your doggy's palate Maybe some dogs were meant to be vegetarian

Whatever plausible excuse or reason one can come up with, there are indeed some dogs who just like to eat grass for no apparent reason. While there is no immediate danger or threat to this behavior, it would be safe to make sure that the grass which he eats is free from any fertilizer or pesticide which he may ingest. With your dog eating grass from your lawn, at least you won't have to worry so much about mowing it.