Just like humans, dogs also sleep. But do they dream when they sleep? And if they do, what do they dream about?
The American Kennel Club mentioned on their website that dreaming is not exclusive to humans. In fact, scientists believe that most vertebrates, including even inconspicuous fruit flies, often dream.
Similar to humans, dogs and other animals also go through several sleep cycles, including wakefulness, Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep stage, and Non-Rapid Eye Movement (NREM) sleep stage. REM sleep is when people experience the most memorable and vivid dreams. It is also considered a part of memory processing. Scientists can track the sleep cycles and related brain activities of both humans and animals using specialized equipment.
One of the most famous dream experiments involved laboratory mice. Researchers found through this experiment that animals often dream in a similar way to humans. Mice dream about the activities they did during the day, much like how you dream about your work.
Dogs lead more interesting lives than mice. To understand what dogs may dream about, researchers conducted tests to temporarily disable the pontine brainstem of dogs.
The pons is part of the brainstem responsible for controlling sleep cycles and deep sleep. It also inhibits movement of large muscle groups during sleep. If the pons malfunctions, what the dogs dream about may manifest in their actions, with potentially disastrous consequences.
Researchers suggest that one way to understand the dreams of dogs is to temporarily disable the pons during their REM sleep. In this way, under strict conditions, they can observe dogs acting out their dreams and study their behavior.
Researchers found that, essentially, dogs dream about things related to them. Their dreaming patterns seem very similar to those of humans.
Just as humans have nightmares, dogs may also have nightmares. When dogs have nightmares, trying to wake them up and comfort them could be dangerous, especially for children. Just as it takes a moment to remember who you are after waking from a nightmare, dogs may not have fully regained consciousness upon waking and may show aggression towards those trying to wake them.
The best thing you can do for a dog you suspect is having a nightmare is to let them wake up on their own and then stay by their side to comfort them.
Although we cannot be certain about the specific content of a dog’s dreams, we can observe their actions while they sleep and make some guesses.
A dog’s REM sleep usually begins about 20 minutes after falling asleep and lasts for 2 to 3 minutes. During this time, you may notice your dog twitching or making noises. How does a dog’s behavior during this sleep period resemble their daily activities?
One dog owner interviewed by Harvard University psychologist Deirdre Barrett expressed suspicion that his dog had a nightmare about bathing. This was based on his observations of the dog’s behavior.
He mentioned that the dog did not enjoy baths. After one bath, it would always run to him and hide between his legs, a behavior it did not exhibit at other times. One day, he found the dog had a dream, as upon waking up, it rushed between his legs, leading him to conclude that the dog had just had a nightmare about bathing.
Does a dog’s breed impact their dreams? Stanley Coren, Honorary Professor of Psychology at the University of British Columbia in Canada, noted that small dogs dream more frequently but for shorter periods, while large dogs dream less often but for longer durations.
According to PetsCare website reports, several studies have shown that dogs do dream about their owners. Barrett explained that dogs have a high level of attachment to their owners, making you likely a star in your dog’s dream.
Dogs sleep for 12 to 14 hours a day, offering them ample opportunity to dream about their favorite person. Their dreams typically involve reenacting daily activities, such as walking with their owner, playing, and cuddling.
Some behaviors exhibited by dogs during sleep indicate that they are dreaming of interacting with their owners:
• Wagging their tails.
• Softly whimpering or barking quietly.
• Twitching their paws, mimicking running or playing movements.
• Facial movements, including twitching whiskers or moving their lips.
The strong emotional bond between dogs and their owners plays a crucial role in their dreams. This means that meaningful interactions with their owners often appear in their dreams.