If your dog had a dream journal, what do you think it would say? Although we can’t speak to our dogs to know for sure, scientists studying this fascinating question have uncovered some interesting facts about our dog’s dreams.
During sleep, dogs have the same two stages of brain wave patterns as people: a slow, steady wave pattern of quiet, still sleep and a fast, irregular wave pattern of REM (rapid eye movement) sleep, when the mind is more active and the eyes dart rapidly beneath the eyelids. Your dog may whine, breath rapidly and move their legs during REM sleep.
We dream, and since dogs have the same sleeping brain wave patterns as people, scientists have concluded that it is safe to assume that our furry companions do indeed dream, too!
During REM sleep, the brain functions much like it does when awake, so people—and it is believed dogs as well—dream about the events of their day. It is a chance for the brain to process all that happened while awake and sometimes even relive it through the dream. So your dog may “sleep run”, as they chase a squirrel or fetch the ball in their dreams.
The answer to the age-old question, ‘Does my dog dream about me?’ is YES! Dogs are generally attached to their humans, it’s likely that your dog is dreaming about their day with you—your face, your smell and playing with you!
Puppies, who have a lot of new information to process as they explore their new world every day, tend to dream more often than adult dogs.
Interestingly, a dog’s size also affects the number and length of dreams they have. Smaller dogs have more dreams than their bigger friends. A toy poodle may dream every 10 minutes, while a Labrador retriever may only dream once every 60 to 90 minutes. However, the poodle’s dream may last only a minute while the Labrador’s dreams may be 5 to 10 minutes long.
Additionally, dogs who are tuckered out from staying active may sleep more soundly and experience longer phases of REM sleep, giving them more time to dream.
Because dogs’ dream patterns are similar to humans, it’s likely that they have bad dreams too. And while they may not dream about scary monsters, dogs who are startled out of a dream may wake feeling defensive or alarmed. In fact, many of the dog bites that occur in children happen because the child wakes a sleeping dog.
So, always remember to let sleeping dogs lie...and dream peacefully.
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