There is nothing cuter than puppy slumber. Looking over at my Great Pyrenees I wonder can dogs dream? Ruby is fast asleep with legs moving as if running through a field I wonder whether she is dreaming about our last hike from our list of dog friendly national parks or a romp on the beach from our list of bucket list dog beaches or simply experiencing muscle twitches. If dogs can dream is Ruby dreaming of me?
What We Know About Dog Dreams – Do Dogs Dream?
There is no consensus on whether dogs dream. But a growing body of evidence shows that dogs do dream. Dogs and cats dream when they reach REM sleep, also known as the rapid eye movement stage of sleep. During these dreams, scientists believe pets dream about a delicious treat or fun interaction with other furry friends. That explains why pet parents will sometimes see their sleeping pal wagging their tail, twitching paws, running in place, or even grunting or barking says Best Friends Animal Society.
Dr Deirdre Barrett, a Clinical and Evolutionary Psychologist at Harvard Medical School, has spent years studying sleep behavior in humans and she has learned quite a bit about animals along the way.
She applied her deep knowledge of human studies to opine on dogs. She says that although there is no way to know for sure what dogs see when they dream, or even if they dream at all, most mammals have a similar sleep cycle to humans, going into a deep sleep stage, in which the brain is much less active, and then into periods of activity called Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep, in which dreams occur for humans. “That certainly makes it the best guess that other mammals are dreaming, too,” she said.
Elephants may sleep differently than a mouse but both are thought to dream due to their REM cycle unlike Reptiles and fish who don’t have the REM/non REM cycles, so they probably have dreamless sleep.
When dogs dream, are our dogs dreaming of us?
Now that we believe that our dogs dream we then consider what they are dreaming about on any given day of slumber. Maybe was it us?
Dr. Barrett told People “that humans dream about the same things they are interested by day, though more visually and less logically” “There’s no reason to think animals are any different.
Dogs likely are dreaming of us since dogs are generally extremely attached to their human owners, it’s likely your dog is dreaming of your face, your smell and of pleasing or annoying you.
Which means maybe my Great Pyrenees was thinking of me in her deep slumber. How cute to think that those fluffy white paws kicking away deep in her slumber were the result of her thinking of our last hike!
Final Thoughts for a Cuter Than Puppy Slumber
For pet lovers who were curious about how to make sure their animals have good dreams.
Dr. Barret said: “The best way to give ourselves or our children better dreams is to have happy daytime experiences and to get plenty of sleep in a safe and comfortable environment. It’s a good bet this is also best for pets’ dreams.”
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Other posts you may be interested in about sleep but rather dogs appearing in our own dreams. Check out our article on Dog Dream Symbolism: do the dogs in my dream mean something.
