How we (and our dog) get quality sleep in our van

We all sleep pretty well living on the road. (My own sleep schedule is actually better than it’s been since childhood, with more consistent wake up times and fewer nightmares. Yay! )

But it’s not always simple to get quality rest… especially for our hyper aware herding dog.

Here are the challenges and how we manage.

Canine versus human sleep needs

Adult dogs need somewhere around 11-14 hours of sleep each day to function at their best. (Puppies and seniors need more, to the point where they might only be up for 15 percent of the day.)

Sleep is logistically the hardest thing for Scout living in a van. Sean and I are usually in bed for six to eight hours overnight. That means our cattle dog needs an additional three to eight, depending on the day, when the two of us are awake.

Scout’s challenges sleeping in a small van

In our apartments and house? Getting enough rest was no problem for Scout. Our heeler would nap while we were at work—in our early days we both went into an office full time, an…