Sure, you’ve seen your dog twitch his paws, move his legs, and even let out a soft cry while sleeping. Perhaps you have even witnessed your dog exhibit more dramatic movements or sounds when he sleeps and wondered, do dogs dream?
Dream of dogs?
Dr. Stanley Coren, Professor Emeritus in the Department of Psychology at the University of British Columbia, literally wrote the book about it: “Do dogs dream? Nearly everything your dog wants you to know. “
Dr. Coren’s answer to the question in his title is: Yes. “All the evidence seems to indicate that dogs dream,” he said. “That’s probably the case all mammals dream of.”
In humans, most dreams occur during the rapid eye movement (REM) phase of sleep, while increased electrical activity persists in our brains. And scientists discovered that many species of mammals, from rat arrive dogThere is also a phase of REM sleep with increased brain electrical activity.
Dr. Chad WestHead of neurology and neurosurgery at Schwarzman Animal Medical Center in New York City, have seen this in dozing dogs monitored with an electroencephalogram or EEG.
Dr West said: ‘The wave patterns show that the brain activity during sleep is exactly the same in humans.
This evidence has led many researchers to conclude that dogs are capable of dreaming.
What do dogs dream of?
If they dream about dogs, what do they dream about?
“That’s the million dollar question,” said the vet Zarah Hedge, Medical Director at the San Diego Humane Society. “We don’t know exactly what they’re dreaming about. It’s a lot easier with humans because we can just say to you, ‘This is my dream.’ “
Research shows that mammals can dream about the experiences they have during the day. Scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) monitored the brain waves of rats as they ran through a maze and then while they slept. They found that many of the mice had similar brain patterns during each activity – so the mice thought about the maze while they were sleeping.
Deirdre Barrett, a psychologist and teacher at Harvard Medical School, who wrote “Committee on Sleep“” indicates that people often report their dreams in correlation with what they were focused on during the day. So if you apply the findings of all this research to your dog, you might get the answer you’ve always dreamed of: They think about you!
“I think most dogs will dream about their owners on a regular basis,” says Dr. Barrett. “Their favorite food, toys, and walks would be other likely candidates for most dogs.”
How can you tell if your dog is dreaming?
Dogs typically enter the REM phase 20 to 40 minutes after falling asleep and stay there for about two and a half minutes. The dog’s breathing becomes irregular and their eyes move.
“You’ll start to see the dog’s eyes darting around,” says Dr. Coren.
You may see legs shaking, feet fluttering, tail wagging, or hear groans or groans. That’s all normal.
But what if a dog’s dream seems overdone? Or noisy? Me and my partner stayed up all night recently. A fierce howl followed by a menacing growl echoed throughout our house.
Eyes blurred, our feet touched the floor. We wander around in the dark. What happened? Is there a werewolf? Full moon? Someone left on TV?
We found the culprit, our Labrador, Jackson. Although he was sleeping in his bed, he turned into a sound machine in a horror movie. Is this a nightmare?
Is my dog having nightmares?
If you think your dog is in for a bad dream or a nightmare, experts say stay calm.
“Don’t worry if your dog seems to be having a noisy dream. Dr. Coren said.
If your dog is particularly vocal or vocal in a dream, it doesn’t necessarily mean that there is a problem. “If they growl or bark, that’s what they usually do during the day and it doesn’t necessarily mean they’re upset,” says Dr. Hedge.
Learning this made me feel better about the Oscar-winning Jackson’s sleeping performance. We think he has PTSD and is reliving the days when he was lost – resistant to coyotes and predators chasing him in the dark – and in need of treatment.
But Dr. West doesn’t think so. After telling him about Jackson’s behavior and Labrador-like nest of prey, Dr. West wondered if Jackson had been dreaming about not catching a squirrel he had been tracking for the day.
The mammalian brain is said to prevent humans and animals from realizing their dreams, but sometimes certain activities, like Jackson’s, slip through.
“What he wanted to do was get over it,” Dr. West said. “His brain seems to be connected to this huge prey drive. If you have a very, very strong, strong stimulus, your brain stem is not strong enough to block it all. “
Sleep disorders in dogs
Some dogs pass the hospital on Jackson’s sleep and need medical intervention because they have REM-related conduct disorder.
These dogs can wake up during sleep and move around. Or even push or flip yourself off the couch or bed, but haven’t woken up yet. It is similar to a sleepwalker.
“That’s because they don’t have the normal inhibitory function to prevent that,” Dr. West said. “This is worrisome in some pets because you’re worried they’ll injure themselves while they sleep.”
Dr. West does not suggest that Jackson has REM-related conduct disorder, but if your dog is having physical dreams, contact your veterinarian. There are medications that can help.
Should I wake my dreaming dog?
Since no one knows exactly what your dog dreams about, be careful not to startle them while they are sleeping and risk being bitten.
“If they feel threatened in a dream, and you suddenly wake them up, there will be times when the line between dream and consciousness is blurred. The dog may react negatively to you. They can snap at you,” says Dr. Coren.
Experts say it’s only for dogs to dream, but if you have to wake them, don’t touch them or keep your face close to their bodies.
“You can try calling their name or shaking the bed gently to get their attention,” says Dr. West.
Why is REM sleep important for dogs?
Another reason not to wake a sleeping dog is because REM sleep is when the mammalian brain revisits what happened during the day and consolidates it into their memory.
“It’s like looking through your computer to see what files you can get rid of because you don’t need them anymore,” says Dr. Coren. “So you look at each file, and if you don’t use it again, you delete the file.”
If dogs don’t get a chance to fall back asleep and dream, researchers believe they have a harder time creating long-term memories.
“It’s important for dogs to get a good night’s sleep, especially if you’re trying to teach them things that you want them to keep,” says Dr. Coren. “If you wake them up, they won’t get rest and their brain won’t recover.”
Can you give your dog sweet dreams?
While no one knows how to ensure dogs have sweet dreams, Dr. Coren has a suggestion. “Because dreams tend to represent what’s going on on a normal day – if you give your dog lots of good, positive days, they’ll have a lot of good dreams,” he says. positive,” he said.
And although Jackson can’t tell me what he’s thinking or dreaming about, I have a feeling he supports Dr. Coren’s theory, especially as far as processing is concerned.
