Research published in Scientific Reports by Ivana G. Schork and colleagues has uncovered a direct connection between sleep quality and behavior in kennelled laboratory dogs. The team recorded 1,560 hours of data from adult dogs over five days to analyze their 24-hour sleep cycles and daytime behaviors.
Unlike previous reports, the dogs in this study experienced limited nighttime sleep and almost no daytime rest. They exhibited a modified sleep architecture with fewer nighttime awakenings but had to compensate by being inactive during the day. This shift came at the cost of reduced playfulness and alert behavior while increasing time spent eating.
Male dogs were more susceptible to sleep fragmentation than females, and dogs of different ages showed varying behavioral reactions to sleep deprivation. These findings not only document how sleep loss affects dog behavior but also hint at a novel approach to assessing animal welfare in kennel and laboratory environments.
Because sleep affects both physical and mental health, measuring sleep-related changes in behavior—such as decreased play or altered alertness—may become a non-invasive indicator of stress or well-being in dogs. The authors call for further research to validate this method as a reliable welfare metric across broader contexts.
Source: Ivana G. Schork, Isadora A. Manzo, Maria R. B. Oliveira, Fernanda V. Costa, Robert Young, Carla S. Azevedo. “The cyclic interaction between daytime behavior and the sleep behavior of laboratory dogs.” Scientific Reports, Volume 12, 2022-01-10. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-04291-0
