Let Sleeping Dogs Lie...

[Carol and Banjo]

We've been spending a lot more time indoors the past week and as a result Banjo has been sleeping alot!    I'm really surprised at just how much of his day is taken up with Laying Around Doing Nothing!

It's difficult to tell just how soundly he is sleeping and being the nosy curious person that I am I've started "testing" his levels of alertness.   For example this morning as DH and I were having coffee, just sitting around talking about our day I noticed Banjo was in a dream state.   You know.....the funny little half-woofs and the four paws flicking as though he's running after something.   So right in the middle of my sentence to DH I slipped in the words..."and then we'll go bye-bye in the car"....WELL!   Banjo's head popped up whipping around to look at me with that "expectant" look they have when they think something really good is about to come their way!   It was hysterical.   I've been doing this all week ... using other key phrases like ..."do you want some cheese"....always getting the same result.   But this time I really thought he was in a deep sleep....catching rabbits in Doggie Dreamland.   Now I'm feeling a bit sorry for the little guy....wondering if he ever really gets a good night's/day's sleep.   I wonder if dog's have the same stages of sleep we do.    Anyone know?

[F, Calla & Luca]

I don't know if dogs' sleep is like ours but I guess they have REM sleep since they clearly dream. Of course I will check this out sometime : )

[Lisa, Daisy & Dexter]

and in true fashion F. checked it out in less than 4 minutes....LOL

[F, Calla & Luca]

The more I think about it, it would from an evolutionary point of view, pay for a dog to have one ear open when sleeping, so to speak. You wouldn't want to have some bigger predator sneak up on you out in the wild. So dogs must usually be light sleepers. When my son's poodle lived with me I couldn't leave a room without him following. So I sometimes turned on the TV  and then I could sneak out ot the room without waking him.

so he didn't have to get up

Here is what one site said:

"Sleep Patterns

Dogs have the same sleep patterns as humans. When your dog first goes to sleep, he enters the slow wave or quiet phase of sleep. He lies still and is oblivious to his surroundings. His breathing slows, his blood pressure and body temperature drop, and his heart rate decreases.

After about ten minutes, your dog enters the rapid eye movement (REM) or active stage of sleep. He rolls his eyes under his closed lids, he may bark or whine, or may jerk his legs. During this stage, the brain activity is similar to that seen during the dreaming sleep of humans, and is evidence that dogs have dreams.

Incidentally, adult dogs spend about 10 to 12 percent of their sleeping time in REM sleep. Puppies spend a much greater proportion of their sleep time in this type of sleep, no doubt compacting huge quantities of newly acquired data."

[Traci -Bexter & Maggie]

That is funny! No wonder the little guy is sleeping a lot...you're interrupting his sleep!

[Donna K & Quincy]

Banjo, you have my permission to do the same experiment with your Mom when she is feeling better. Every now and then just go to her side of the bed and give a little woof to find out if she is really sleeping. :>)  We are good as long as the phrase uttered is not "do you wanna play ball".

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

ROFL, Donna!

[Carol and Banjo]

Banjo lost his computer privileges after the "Laundry Caper"....so he'll not be seeing this Donna.   ; -)

[Jane, Rooney & Stuart]

Well I am going to have to try this myself and see what happens!  But what phrase to use?  "Puppy park" might get a response.  Stuart sleeps more soundly than Rooney does, he just now at almost a 1.5 yrs will sometimes keep sleeping if I walk out of a room.

[Carol and Banjo]

Oh my Jane....I still can't leave the room.   No matter how quiet I try to be.....Banjo will jump up and run after me as though I'm attempting a jail break!

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

I can tell when my guys are in a deep sleep by their position.  When they're sound asleep, they look totally relaxed...usually on their back...legs spread.  You know that pose.  When they're like that, they are usually not listening to every little thing, although they would hear someone at the door.  Other times they're curled up with their eyes open part of the time....this is when I know they're listening to every word, and they're just "dozing". My DH does this "dozing" thing too in his chair, and when he's in this state he will only hear the things I don't want him to hear.

[Carol and Banjo]

Jane....I think this is called "Selective Dozing".

[Doris]

Bodi does not fall into a deep sleep during the day.  I can not turn off the tv or leave the room without him following!!