What Do Dogs Dream About?
Let’s just admit it: as pet parents, we can sometimes be obsessed with our dogs. We concern about they’re eating, drinking, and exercising habits. We wonder if they can understand us or recognize our emotions – and the list can go on and on. None of this makes you crazy, and in actuality, it probably makes you a better owner by being so invested in your canine.
Wondering what’s going on when your pooch is snoozing is a strong curiosity many of us pet parents have. Are they chasing squirrels? Imagining they can fly? Are they picturing themselves on a mountain of tennis balls and dog biscuits? Or are they not even dreaming at all? Let’s dive into the topic every pet parent has wondered at some time or another: what is my dog dreaming about?
Do Dogs Even Dream?
To figure out what your furry friend could possibly be dreaming about, you should first figure out if they can even dream.
To many people’s surprise, dreaming is not a unique characteristic found in humans. According to scientists, most vertebrates (an animal distinguished by the possession of a backbone or spinal cord). Some research even suggests dreaming abilities to be possibly among small fruit flies, whose life span only reaches an average of 45 days.
Like us, when it comes to sleeping, our pups go through several sleeping cycles consisting of Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep, and non-rapid-eye-movement sleep. REM sleep is where the most memorable and vivid dreaming takes place, and with specialized equipment, scientists can track when and how often someone or something enters REM sleep.
What Could Those Pups Be Dreaming About?
Researchers have found that animals (including canines) due, in fact, have complex dreams. Studies have discovered that dream patterns in dogs seem to be very similar to some of those in humans. But what does that mean?
When you’re in REM and dreaming, you’ve probably had some pretty dull dreams in the past – ones where you might find yourself back at work or sitting on the couch watching TV. In those dreams, our brain is replaying our day’s events, sometimes in long sequences, even if we would’ve wished to be visualizing something much more exciting.
When our canines have been studied dreaming, their brian waves match those as someone whose dream is filled with the memories of events that happened prior that day or possibly even farther back in their past. So we can speculate that our furry friends are most likely replaying the beautiful walk they had with you that day, the round of frisbee you played with them after work, or maybe even the exciting game of chase they played with the cat while you were away.
Can My Canine Have Nightmares?
As mentioned above, the dreaming patterns of a sleeping pup are very similar to those of a human – so you may be wondering if, like yourself, dogs experience nightmares as well. And sadly, your furry friend does, which as a loving pet parent, can be hard to watch if you’ve ever witnessed one.
You may catch Fido whining and kicking in their sleep and be tempted to wake them from whatever fright they may be experiencing – but you should think again. If awakened, it may take your pooch a few beats to understand they’re not in nightmare land anymore and may act aggressively towards the person who woke them.
If you suspect your pup is having a nightmare, the best thing you can do for them is to wait until they wake up and then be there ready to comfort them.
Whatever your canine companion may be dreaming about, just knowing that they can and do frequently is just another interesting fact about your pooch that makes you love them even more.