Can dogs dream and what do they dream of?

Dogs do have dreams, just like humans, cats, rats and most of other vertebrates. Their dreams occur, like us again, during the Rapid Eye Movement (REM) period of the entire sleep cycle. While small dogs have frequent but short dreams, larger breeds tend to dream longer but less frequently.

But as a new dog owner, how can you tell that your sweet dough is experiencing a dream? Well, the most obvious signs include: chattering, whimpering, twitching, running paws during a sleep. Puppies and senior dogs incline to show such signs more often than adult dogs, as their pons, the part of the brain stem responsible for inhibiting large muscles from moving during sleep, are either way, underdeveloped or less functional.

So, what do dogs dream of? It could be anything that they have experienced while awake, like running, barking towards other dogs, playing tug of war or having a delicious meal. If you have spent some quality time with your fluffy friend, you also win a chance of appearing in her/his dream! Congrats!

However, if you can tell, that your dog is having a nightmare...Should you interfere? The suggestion given by the professionals is BETTER NOT. Because if you’ve ever been woken from a scary dream, you know that it can take a minute to remember where you are and whom you are with. Like some people, dogs can react aggressively toward the person waking them. This can be dangerous, especially for children. The best thing that you can do for a dog you think is having a bad dream is to wait for your dog to wake up and be there to comfort him, following the old saying “let sleeping dogs lie”.


Sources and references:
https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/lifestyle/what-do-dogs-dream-about/#:~:text=Not%20all%20human%20dreams%20are,should%20share%20with%20your%20family.
Photo by Graham Holtshausen on Unsplash