Kelly wakes up in the morning, has breakfast, and then settles down for a nice nap. After a few hours laying around the house, she’s ready for another nap. We go out for our midday walk and, you guessed it–she comes in and naps again. Sometimes I worry that Kelly sleeps too much. Then again, I remind myself, she’s 12. An old lady. She’s earned those naps.
Then, we got Ike. He’s only 8. And he naps a lot too!
So I did a little research and discovered that the average dog sleeps 12-14 hours a day. This put my mind at ease a bit. The question I ask myself, however: are the dogs sleeping more out of boredom, or because they’re really tired? Since I work from home, and often I’m on deadline, I could sit at my desk all day and never get up. But that wouldn’t be good for me or good for the dogs. So I try to make it a habit to get up and moving every few hours. We take our midday walk. Sometimes I really don’t want to do it, but I know how much they love it. The only times I’ve skipped it recently are when it’s below zero, or when it’s pouring rain. (I’m sorry, dogs, but I’m just not that nice!)
Other times I throw the tennis ball–inside and outside. Ike is always up for a game of fetch but sometimes I have to generate enthusiasm to convince Kelly. I shout, “Get it, get it, get it!” and chase after it myself. This is good exercise for me. Kelly doesn’t fall for it.
It’s
tempting to be lazy and not exercise. Some of us (like me!)
have to force ourselves to get active because we know it’s good for us. It’s a little easier to do because I know it’s good for the dogs. Their joy and vigor when they’re running and playing shows me that it’s worth the effort.
When my husband was well, we walked the dogs together in the evening. It was a great way to unwind, and so much more conducive to chatting about our days than sitting in front of the television. When he is feeling better, I’m sure we’ll resume those walks.
Does your dog sleep more or play more during the day?
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