Assessment of the relationship between sleep and welfare in dogs using AWAG data

Sleep is a fundamental biological process crucial for physical restoration, emotional regulation, and cognitive functioning. However, there is limited understanding of how sleep affects welfare in dogs. This study explored the relationship between sleep duration and welfare status in dogs using retrospective data from the Animal Welfare Assessment Grid (AWAG). Retrospective data from 105 dogs assessed between January and March 2025 were analysed. Of these, 77 dogs had recorded sleep scores. AWAG data were analysed in R Studio to examine correlations between sleep scores and cumulative welfare assessment scores (CWAS), and additionally individual factors were examined using Spearman’s rank correlation and linear regression. Most dogs (62.3%) are reported to sleep less than the recommended 14 hours per day. A significant positive correlation was found between sleep score and CWAS (r = 0.46), indicating that shorter sleep duration was associated with poorer welfare. Sleep score showed the strongest positive relationship with fears, anxieties, and frustrations frequency (r = 0.92), and moderate positive relationships with reaction to stressors (r = 0.59), and mobility and activity (r = 0.43). These findings suggest that suboptimal sleep may be linked to poorer overall welfare in dogs, with strong associations with psychological health. While causality cannot be established, these data offer insight into canine sleep for veterinary and animal welfare professionals. Discussing sleep in consultations maybe be a valuable welfare indicator and facilitating good sleep environments may promote better welfare in dogs.