Sleep Startle: What Is It And How Do You Manage It?

Quite  coincidentally we have had several people message in asking for advice  on sleep startle!   So, we thought it might be time to revisit this  subject for anyone who is unfamiliar with the behavioural phenomenon!

Have you ever heard of the ‘Sleep Startle Reflex’? Or ‘Sleep Aggression’?

Chances  are you haven’t, as it is an uncommon behaviour and while it can  develop, or be naturally present, in any dog breed, it is more commonly  seen in greyhounds and dogs from low-contact upbringings such as puppy  farm dogs and street rescues.

This is primarily because of their upbringing but it can be as a result of stress.

In  the context of greyhounds, they spend most of their formative years in a  kennel environment. As a result, they are not used to having humans,  particularly children, in their space 24 hours a day. Their lives are  very structured and routine, always knowing when the humans are coming  or going and spending large portions of the day (and especially  overnight) comfortably in their own company and that of the other  hounds.

The downside to this is  that they are used to having a lot of time to themselves and, most  importantly, completely undisrupted sleep! Which is very important  because greyhounds do really cherish their sleep…and they do a lot of  sleeping!

Not all dogs get sleep  startle, but it is most commonly witnessed during the settling in period  of bringing your new hound home, or as a result of ongoing stress and  stressful events.

The reason it  occurs during the settling in period is, because of their upbringings,  greyhounds aren’t familiar with the day to day sounds and activity of a  domestic setting. They are more likely to overreact to these foreign  concepts out of fear or stress, which increases the potential for sleep  startle.

Sleep startle occurs  when the dog is disturbed suddenly from a deep sleep. Whether it is due  to an unexpected bang, someone flopping down on the sofa next to them or  standing on their tail because they have insisted on sleeping right in  the doorway, it could be in any context in which they’re suddenly  awoken.

It doesn’t help that  greyhounds have a habit of sleeping with their eyes open! This can be a  bit confusing for people, particularly children, who may approach and  touch a dog without realising they’re asleep.

The  behavioural phenomenon quite often only lasts as long as the settling  in period but for others, it can be an ongoing issue. It is, thankfully,  manageable but it can be scary if you don’t know what to expect.

So, what is it?

As  in all animals, even us humans, the sleep startle reflect is a defence  mechanism that protects an individual from danger. When disturbed from a  deep sleep the instinctual reaction is to act in a defensive manner  against a potential threat.

While  it is sometimes referred to as ‘Sleep Aggression’, this wrongly implies  negative implications and that there is intentional hostility in the  animal’s actions. But it is by no means an intentionally aggressive  act…but it can be misconstrued as being aggression.

This  is likely due to the behaviours exhibited. A dog’s sleep startle  reaction can be minor, such as a growl or snarl, but it can be more  severe with behaviour such as lunging, warning snaps or in some cases,  an actual bite. It isn’t hard to understand why people might panic and  think there is dog aggressive should it happen! However, regardless of  the severity of the startle response, it’s important to remember that it  is an involuntary reaction that they have no control over.

Most  dogs will become aware after a couple of seconds and look confused,  fearful, and contrite, not understanding why their human is upset or  yelling! It is all the more upsetting and confusing for the dog if  they’ve just woken up and are being accused or told off.

While  only a small percentage get sleep startle, and an even smaller  percentage have it as an ongoing behaviour the absolute golden rule is  that when a dog is at rest, or sleeping, to leave them alone!
In  respecting their personal space, not only will you avoid any sleep  startle events, but it will also ensure a healthy and trusting  relationship with your dog moving forward.

To  help on this trend, if you do need to approach or move into your dog’s  space when they are asleep, call out their name first or announce your  presence to awaken them gently.

Other  ways of ensuring a healthy and safe transition into the home, and  moving forward, discourage your dog from sleeping in your bed or on  other furniture until they are more settled, familiar with the domestic  setting and trusting of the humans in the home.

However,  if you know your dog is prone to sleep startle, outside of the settling  in period, you will want to insist on the no furniture rule long term.

It  is a good idea to give your dog the option of a bed in the communal  space and one in a quiet corner. This gives the dog the option to be  included in the family but also have a quiet space to go to if they feel  they need it…and theoretically prevent them sleeping in doorways or  other awkward places!

It can be  very scary, experiencing sleep startle, and it can be a worry not  knowing if it is going to be an ongoing issue, but it is very easily  managed and worked around in following these steps and it brings a whole  new meaning to ‘let sleeping dogs lie!’