How Long Do Beagles Sleep? 6 Positions He Does While Sleeping

Anywhere between 10 to 12 hours is the regular duration of a Beagle’s sleep. The younger he is, the longer you’d have to wait before you’d be able to bond with him again. The length of your Beagle’s slumber is often contradictory to his regular outbursts of energy. At times when he’s awake, you’d see him investigating almost anything he stumbles upon and when his energy levels sink, your Beagle peacefully curls up on his dog bed.

Some newbie Beagle owners might be mind-boggled with their pet’s dozing nature. So, to clear out misconceptions, this article will lay out all information on the impact of sleep time and ways to grant the merry dog a well-rested period.

Do Beagles Love to Sleep?

Not necessarily that they love to sleep, but rather, they just have to doze off for most of the day to recollect their vigor. Normally, a Beagle that gets to play a lot will eventually end up in a corner with his eyes shut. Some owners have shared that when this happens, they would wait for an hour for their dog to wake up only to realize, later on, that their waiting is in vain.

One thing to realize from this is that a Beagle’s pattern of sleep is vastly different from ours. The gap shows that while humans are associated with monophasic or having a single-phase sleeping, Beagles, on the other hand, have a series of short power naps.

Additionally, the pooch’s Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep contrasts ours significantly. While humans experience 25% of it during sleep, a Beagle only undergoes 10% of the phase hence the alertness and sudden jumps once the dog hears an unexpected thump or noise. With that, your Beagle has to rest a lot longer to get a full rest.

What Makes My Beagle Sleep Longer?

Boredom and exhaustion are just a few of the primary reasons why your Beagle has a prolonged sleep. Understandably, an adult Beagle needs a maximum of 12-hour sleep to ensure that he rebuilds his muscles and regains the lost energy. For puppies, no matter how much you want to play with him often, you’d have no choice but to let him zizz which typically lasts for 18 hours a day.

One thing owners should know while keeping a Beagle puppy is to never keep the dog awake for more than 4 hours. This is because he is still growing and would need lots of time for his physical development. The sleep cravings manifested by your puppy have been instilled that he would succumb to it without being told to. Disrupting his sleep is not advised, so try to keep the urge from pinching his cheeks to wake him up.

On unfortunate events, a dog might be sleeping longer due to a dawning health concern. Take note that a Beagle is prone to hypothyroidism. If his thyroid hormone is insufficient, this will result in a lack of energy, fatigue, and excessive daytime sleepiness. Bringing him regularly to the vet can help detect the early signs and symptoms of this disease which include:

Lethargy
Weight gain despite the low appetite
Thinning hair or baldness
Intolerance to cold
dry and dull coat

The Right Duration for Your Beagle’s Sleep

The right duration of your dog’s sleep depends on his activity level, age, and size. They all correlate to his need for sleep and every Beagle owner must learn to observe and monitor all these mainly for health reasons.

Activity Level

True to their nature, Beagles are very active and dynamic canines known for their wanderlust whether it be just inside the house or somewhere out like the yard. If this breed spends most of his time running, jumping around, or playing, once liveliness recedes, he will eventually fall to sleep. Worries might kick in if your Beagle sleeps a lot but has no active lifestyle.

Beagle Age

As mentioned, a Beagle pup needs to be granted his 18-hour of sleep. In some cases, this can even reach up to 20 hours! The same happens to a senior dog as he will easily get tired physically and mentally. At 7 to 8 years old, your Beagle will noticeably be less zestful and sleepier.

Beagle Size

The bigger the dog is, the more sleep he would need. Being a medium-sized dog, the Beagle will have the same average sleep as other dog breeds have. It will take longer once he starts gaining more weight. His metabolism rate will change rapidly and his quality of sleep will deteriorate. With that, an obese Beagle will end up getting more rest.

Can Beagles Have Trouble Sleeping?

Unfortunately, they can have sleeping problems. The very common ones dogs suffer from are insomnia, narcolepsy, and REM behavior disorder. Most of these are not treatable but they can be improved by constantly bringing your Beagle to the vet.

Particularly for insomnia, a Beagle will benefit a lot if he changes from an ordinary bed to a therapeutic one. There are lots of factors that can contribute to this but the good news is that insomnia appears quite rarely in Beagles. If your dog happens to experience this, the culprits are most likely physical health issues, pent-up energy, stress, and anxiety.

A more dangerous episode is if your Beagle happens to have the dreaded narcolepsy. This greatly affects the nervous system which even if your pooch is physically active, a sudden loss of movement like collapsing would occur any time of the day. This is concerning especially if he is near or in bodies of water.

Lastly, the REM Behavior Disorder might sound odd and funny once you witness it yourself, but this is something that must be taken seriously. Beagles who have this disarray will exhibit episodic clinical signs such as violent movements, howling, barking, or growling during sleep.

Things to Do to Solve Your Beagle’s Sleep Issues at Night

Keep him healthy. This is the utmost priority to ensure he gets a good night’s sleep. If you notice him sleeping longer or less than usual, consulting your vet for advice will avoid negative long-term health effects.

Let him stick to a high-quality and healthy dog diet. Beagles tend to put weight on effortlessly if not monitored. If he doesn’t show restraints when it comes to free food access, scheduling his mealtimes in the right amounts of food will prevent him from getting obese. Your vet can talk you through several options for your Beagle’s diet.

Give him plenty of exercises. Pair a nutritionally balanced meal with a 30-minute walk or jog for your high-spirited Beagle. If he releases pent-up energy throughout the day, he’ll get a sound and peaceful sleep afterward.

Encourage a sleeping routine. Beagles, like other dogs, know what time of the day it is without having to learn how to read the clock. Give him a sleeping schedule he can adhere to, so he would have a healthy sleeping pattern.

Let him have his crate. If your Beagle has been crate-trained, he’d have a better time sleeping in it. Crates are where dogs should feel the safest. These are their “space” or “property” whatever you may call it. If he associates his crate with his sense of security and peace, he’ll most likely doze off in no time.

Commonly Asked Questions

Why Does My Beagle Sleep With an Eye Open?

It is his third eyelid presenting itself when a Beagle sleeps with an eye open. It is believed that this is an evolutionary advantage to make predators think that the dog is still awake and for this reason, they can’t ambush him. If it isn’t the third eyelid showing, you have to monitor your Beagle pup while he sleeps as long-term exposure can cause him dry eye syndrome.

Can My Beagle Sleepwalk?

It seems like sleepwalking doesn’t apply to dogs such as the Beagle. If there is a dog version of human sleepwalking, it might be the rapid and sudden jerky movements like his legs paddling he’ll create while he’s busy dreaming.

Why Does My Beagle Sleep Less at Night and Get Sleepy During Daytime?

Beagles, just like other dogs, have hunting ancestry. The probable reason why most of them sleep less at night is that this is the period when they hunt for prey, so they have to remain vigilant. Even if they get into a slumber, it is more like a chain of forty-winks compared to the one long sleep humans get at night.

Can a Beagle Have Dreams?

Scientists have researched in controlled environments using lab rats to test this out and it was found out that just like humans, an animal such as a dog can dream about his day too! Moreover, scientists have given an impartial answer as to what a dog like your Beagle might dream about- well, he dreams about dog stuff!

Do Dog Dreams Vary Based on Breeds?

There is speculation that what a dog does in a day or what his purpose is as a breed often contributes to what he will experience in fantasy land. Also, small dogs have shorter, frequent dreams while larger dogs have longer, fewer ones.

6 Beagle Sleeping Positions

It’s comforting to watch an adorable Beagle, puppy or adult, fall into a deep sleep. This state makes him even more innocent and endearing- qualities that might make anyone display cute aggression! When it comes to Beagles taking siestas, there are different sleeping positions he might succumb to depending on his mental state and surroundings:

He sleeps on his side

Chances are that your Beagle feels relaxed and safe. If he sleeps while exposing his tummy, that means he feels comfortable. This is also the kind of position where you’ll see him “running” while he’s dreaming.

The Superman position

Photo from: *stan_royal_status_cat (IG)*

This can be seen more often on Beagle puppies! When his front paws and legs are stretched out while he’s snoozing like how superman flies, that signals a Beagle priming himself for the next exercise or play.

Curled up like a ball

This can mean a lot such as conserving his body heat or merely concealing his most vulnerable part which is the stomach. If your Beagle is placed in the wild and he sleeps like this, it can be dubbed as a sleeping position in a defensive form!

Snuggled up with others

If your Beagle loves cuddles, he will occasionally sleep while getting snuggled with your other housepets. You’re lucky if he does this with you although it can be a struggle to remain unmoving to prevent disrupting his sleep. Snuggles are a great means for your Beagle to accumulate heat and develop a more intimate bond with others.

Paws in the air

If your canine’s paws are in the air and his chest is exposed, you can say that he is extremely comfortable, laidback, and independent or that he trusts his environment well. This position is quite the opposite of the ball form.

Passed out

In certain cases, this could indicate overheating and your Beagle does this to cool off. Also, if your Beagle’s paws are curled over his chest, you have to read it as “do not disturb”. It wouldn’t be a great idea to pursue waking him up from this position.

In conclusion, Beagles sleep as long as their body requires. This can be affected mainly by the activity level, age, and health. Nevertheless, our pups need lots of rest for their well-being. If there is anything worthy of concern, consult your vet right away.