Dogs slept around 20% more when wearing a Natural Hound coat overnight. That's the headline finding from the first year of a continuing research programme with Massey University's School of Agriculture and Environment, now published in the peer-reviewed journal Animals.
What the researchers did
Massey's team fitted eight adult, short-coated working-breed dogs with collar-mounted activity sensors (accelerometers) and tracked their sleep, rest and activity around the clock for ten days in October 2024, in Palmerston North, New Zealand.
The trial used a crossover design: every dog spent five nights wearing a Natural Hound coat (3pm to 9am) and five nights without one. That way each dog was compared against itself. Overnight temperatures ranged from 2.7°C to 18.4°C (37–65°F), averaging 12°C (54°F), with rain and wind typical of a New Zealand spring.
What they found
- More sleep. Dogs spent 48.1% of the day asleep with a coat, compared with 40.0% without. That's nearly two extra hours of sleep a day.
- Biggest difference in the evening. The effect was strongest between 6pm and 11pm, as temperatures dropped.
- Less restlessness. Time spent awake-but-alert and time spent active both fell when the dogs wore coats.
- Same overall movement. Total activity across the day didn't change, and neither did how well the dogs digested their food.
The researchers concluded that coats "can improve sleep behaviour, likely through improved thermal comfort," and that the results offer "promising evidence that coats may offer welfare and functional benefits" for working dogs.
Why sleep matters for dogs
Adult dogs sleep around 11 hours a day, and good rest supports recovery, mood and learning. A dog that settles properly at night is better set up for the day's work, or the day's walks.
What's next
This was the first of three trials Natural Hound has run with Massey University. It took place in mild spring weather with a small group of dogs, and the researchers noted the effect may be larger in colder conditions. Two further trials have since been completed over the last two winters, and those results are now being analysed for publication. We'll share them once they're published.
About the study
Wang T., Smit M., Cai X., Corner-Thomas R.A., Draganova I., Andrews C.J., Thomas D.G. (2026). Accelerometry-Based Assessment of Overnight Coat Use on Dog Sleep and Activity Patterns: Implications for Farm Dog Welfare. Animals, 16(13), 2035. Read the full paper.
The study was funded and carried out independently by the Centre for Canine Nutrition at Massey University. Natural Hound supplied the coats.
