Why dogs growl and bite: study reveals unexpected cause

A recent study has shown that dogs can be more irritable if they don't get enough sleep. Experts emphasize that the pets should take a nap for almost two-thirds of the day.

Dogs that sleep less than 10 hours are more likely to show confrontational behavior. That is, they can growl (10%) or bite other pets (4%) or dogs outside the house (6%), TheSun writes.

According to the researchers, these numbers are more than halved if dogs sleep for more than 13 hours. Thus, this shows a connection between sleep duration and how dogs react to stressful situations.

"Although the perfect amount of sleep will vary between dogs, what the evidence suggests might actually be surprising for many owners. Dogs should in fact get over 13 to 16 hours of sleep every day. This means your dog should ideally spend more than half of the day snoozing!" said Lynne James, author of the study, a veterinarian at the PDSA charity organization.

The expert noted that the results of the study show that a large number of dogs do not get enough sleep. "We’re all aware of the saying ‘waking up on the wrong side of the bed’, and it’s no surprise lack of sleep plays a part in how we are feeling but it is also true for dogs," the veterinarian emphasized.

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