Do Dogs Dream?
That is the question. Many people believe they do dream. Have you ever had a peaceful moment reading a book or eating a meal when suddenly you hear whimpering, chirping or tiny woofs from your little sleeping buddy? You look over and your pups twitching and making all kinds of noises. It certainly gives the impression that they are dreaming.
Well, just like people, dogs do dream.
They go through the sleep cycle every time they go to sleep. Take note of their eyes. You’ll see them moving. Dreams happen in rapid eye movement (REM) stage of sleep.
Take a good look when they’re “dreaming” and you may notice their eyes moving behind their closed lids, because they’re actually looking at what they’re dreaming about. As if they are in the real world. Eye movements are most characteristic of dream sleeping.
Do dogs dream?
Consider when humans wake up during REM sleep they almost always report they were dreaming so it makes sense that dogs dream too.
Do you ever wonder if they’re dreaming or what they’re dreaming about?
I wonder if they’re dreams are just as strange, crazy or illogical as ours or maybe they’re simply re-living a memory from an activity or a snack from the day. Maybe, they’re actually catching that squirrel they saw at the park. Unfortunately, dogs don’t have human language so we may never know what they dream about.
What should you do when your dog is barking or twitching while sleeping? Of course, you want to comfort them, but should you wake them up?
Many experts say not to wake them. A dog may not necessarily be having a bad dream, just maybe they’re excited, playing with other dogs or a new toy or chasing a bird or other animal.
Being awoken in the middle of REM sleep can be even more frightening than the dream or disorienting and could cause your dog to not recognize your or even snap at you..
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Barking or whimpering during sleep is simply normal doggy behavior. Don’t read anything into this behavior. It doesn’t necessarily mean they’re unhappy or scared. You can help your furry child sleep well by making sure he has a good diet and gets plenty of exercise and play during the day.
Do Dogs Dream? There’s really no way to be sure. Remember dreaming for humans and animals is important to help process their experiences and learn from them. So let sleeping dogs lie.
Debi
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