There might be a variety of reasons why you might want to wake up your dog, and some of them might be very valid. Maybe you notice that your dog is huffing and puffing, or it might seem like they’re having a nightmare. Maybe it’s time for an appointment and you have to take them. Whatever your reason may be, take these into consideration:
Required Sleep
An average sized dog needs between 14-16 hours of sleep a day. This is because their bodily functions operate at a much stronger rate than ours. If you needed that much sleep but kept getting interrupted for little things, then you would grow irate and would grow more tired as time went on. Dogs work the same way, so try to avoid waking up your dog as much as you can.
What if they’re having a nightmare?
This is a perfectly valid question, but the answer still stands.
Like humans, dogs have different stages of sleep. They dream – and thus twitch and move – in the REM stage. If you notice your dog having nightmares or moving in a concerning fashion, then they are deep, deep in sleep and shouldn’t be woken up. I know, it sounds weird, but it’s better for them to wake up on their own or fully live the dream than for you to wake them up. If you wake them from REM, then they might startle and have a difficult time getting back to sleep, thus resulting in them getting more tired throughout the day.
But what if I have to take them somewhere?
Again, this is a valid question. If you absolutely have to take them somewhere but you know that they’re in deep sleep you have to approach them in a certain way. If you wake them up too abruptly, they might startle and nip at your hands. Obviously, you don’t want that. Instead, approach them with a gentle voice and light touch to coax them awake. They might still startle, but at least they won’t go into fight-or-flight mode.
Short Answer:
Yes. Leave your dog alone and let them sleep. If you have to wake them up, be gentle instead of abrupt.