Do Dogs Dream? (Part Two): What Are They Dreaming About?

By Leslie Brown

Scientists have established the fact that dogs dream when they sleep. Given that dogs can't tell us their dream, the question is--what are dogs dreaming about? In fact, dogs are probably reliving what they have experienced during the day.

Have you ever watched a dog while he is sleeping? Have you watched as his legs begin to move back and forth as if he is running? Did you wonder what the dog was dreaming about? Is it true--do dogs dream? Of course, no one will ever be completely certain as to what goes on inside canine minds, but it certainly looks as though they are dreaming.

Watching our dogs dream is like being given the chance to see their private moments. However, not all dreams are happy dreams. Everyone has experienced having a nightmare. Dogs cry and shake in their sleep. Could they be having a nightmare? It is likely that dogs dream in a similar fashion to humans, dreaming up canine fantasies and the everyday things that make up their existence, like chasing, playing, and eating.

In most cases, a perfectly healthy dog that intermittently shakes while sleeping is simply having a dream. Dogs cry, bark, howl, twitch, wag their tails, and shake. What are they “saying”?

Once they enter deep sleep, dogs are more difficult to wake and their brain wave activity is greatly increased. Like humans, once in deep sleep, they enter the stage where their breathing becomes more irregular and they have rapid eye movements (REM), where actual dreaming takes place. They enter and exit this dreaming stage several times per night. The stage “rapid eye movement” has this name because behind their closed eyelids, dogs’ eyes move rapidly back and forth. Presumably, they are watching the images that they are dreaming about. Any actions or movements are done involuntarily.

You can watch your dog slurp food from an imaginary doggie bowl or swat an imaginary insect with his tail. You can also watch as your dog "chases bunnies."

Research suggests that small dogs dream more than larger dogs. For example, a Bullmastiff will dream once every 90 minutes, while a toy breed will chase rabbits in his sleep every 10 minutes. Dream frequency also seems to be related to age, where puppies dream more than adult dogs.
Despite all the studies conducted on dog behavior, no one can really understand the workings of a dog's mind. Some dog experts believe that when a dog shakes in his sleep, he is reliving any hardship or fear he has gone through.

Abused people tend to have nightmares and bad dreams. Studies performed on dogs show that severely neglected and abused dogs are more likely not to dream at all. Owners of dogs from shelters have found that their adopted dogs shake violently while sleeping. Dogs have long memories. The shaking can be attributed to a traumatic experience. Puppies are also known to shake in their sleep. Of course, there is the possibility that they are cold. However, dog experts have observed that a puppy separated from his mother and littermates will shake when they sleep, at least for the first few days, in a new home.

Dreams are our brain’s way of processing experiences in life. Dogs have experiences too, and they need processing time as well. What a dog experiences might or might not impact their dreams, but it is a likely possibility that it does.

The human brain and the dog brain are remarkably similar, as is the basic neurochemistry. The genetics shared between dogs and humans are as high as 95 percent. Just as we cherish our own dreams and often share them with those close to us, we can often view our dogs’ dreaming activities in much the same way. What makes this so amazing is that when we have a dog lying at our feet and dreaming, we feel connected to him somehow when we watch him. We can sometimes tell if dogs’ dreams are happy or not, and for the most part, dogs do basically seem like they are having happy dreams.

If you have any comments to share, please add them here.