How much do dogs sleep?

My dogs sleep a lot.  A really lot.  So I decided to see if I could find the real answer to "how much do dogs sleep?" According to Sleep and Dreams in Dogs and Cats:

Under controlled laboratory conditions both cats and dogs sleep about 13 hours per day but they wake up more frequently than people do.

According to Planet Dog:

• Adult dogs spend approximately half their life sleeping,   typically 12 hours a day.

• Some breeds need more sleep than others –   as much as 18 hours per day! (typically larger breeds).

I think mine sleep more than average - closer to the 18 hour limit.  They sleep 8 hours a night with us.  They sleep while we read or watch TV in the evening.  And they sleep all day if we leave them inside.  I'd bet they are only awake 4-5 hours a day during a normal day.

How much do your dogs sleep?  For other dog related posts see my blog Humans for Dogs.

Photo by mikecpeck.