Owners of Pets Articles about dogs, cats, birds and all other pets!

Did you know that dogs sleep half of their life. It varies depending on the breed and age of the dog.

Our dogs have unique sleeping habits. Some love to stretch out. Other love the secure feeling of sleeping in a ball like they did when they were puppies with their siblings.

Dogs sometimes do funny things in their sleep like when they look like they are running while asleep.

Some will even sleep with their eyes open. Some people do this too.

Dogs go through the same sleep cycles as humans do but they spend most of their time in a light sleep state.

Of course they will awaken quickly if they hear a noise or if there is sudden movement around them.

Your dog needs sleeping routines just like he needs routines for potty time, walks and exercise and eating.

Routines help your dog feel secure and lets them know what to expect when. Set these routines up the day you get your dog and stick to them. Decide if you want to let your dog sleep in your bed with you, have his own bed or sleep in a crate.

Even if you let your dog sleep with you, it’s a good idea to have a dog bed in the family room or wherever the family spends most of the time during waking hours. This is because your dog sleeps so many hours out of a day but he will want to be close to his pack (your family). The best type of bed to get your dog is a dog bed that can be washed. Washable dog beds will extend the life of the bed. By washing the dog bed, you can get rid of fleas and ticks in the bedding that would attack your dog.

Washable dog beds come in many styles, sizes and fabrics and you can get them for crates too. Here’s some tips on how to help your new puppy adjust to his new bed.

Puppies are used to sleeping with their mom and other puppies in the litter. You can cover a hot water bottle with a piece of warm fleece and put it in the dog bed.

A ticking clock placed somewhere in the bed will mimic a beating heart. Also wear an old t-shirt that you know longer want to keep for a day and then place it in the puppy bed. The smell of you will comfort the puppy when you are not with him.

You can find a variety of washable dog beds at washabledogbeds.org