We dream when we sleep, and science shows that vertebrates can dream, which includes dogs. And if they can dream, then, logically, dogs can have dog night terrors, or nightmares, too. Puppies can be active in their sleep, too.
A study by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology found that all vertebrates can dream (Neuron, Jan. 25, 2001). The researchers ran a group of rats through a maze all day, tracking what parts of their brains were activated by this activity and by when they slept. The same parts of the brain were stimulated, causing the researchers to deduce that the rats were reliving their earlier activity. And, they determined that it meant the rats were dreaming.
Dog Whimpering in Sleep
If you hear your dog whimpering in his sleep, you can bet heโs dreaming. Itโs part of his rapid eye movement, or REM, sleep cycle. Dogs also scream in their sleep, which is most likely due to a bad dream, just like us. That said, if a dog regularly screams during sleep, you may want to talk with a veterinarian to be sure itโs not a pain issue or other physical problem.
Basically, sleep โ in humans and in dogs โ comes in two main phases of sleep (both with subcategories):
- REM or deep sleep
- non-REM or lighter sleep
The REM phase is when both species have dreams โ and nightmares. This phase usually begins 10 to 20 minutes after dogs fall asleep โ you can often see their eyeballs moving underneath their eyelids during it.
Dog Dreams
The complexity of dogsโ brains, relative to humansโ brains, leads to this question: What do dogs dream about? Scientists believe that all animal dreams (and nightmares) are limited to their own, probably recent, experiences. Thatโs why dogs can seem to be chasing, barking at, or even eating something.
Researchers donโt believe that dogs can dream up monsters or assign fanciful personalities to real people or dogs. They believe that dogs can only relive something theyโve already done.
Therefore, a dogโs nightmare is likely based on something that he experienced, such as being beaten, starving, or being separated from his person.
Of course, we donโt know for sure that dogs can have nightmares because they canโt talk and tell us what theyโre really dreaming about.
The Sleep Foundation says that dogs often dream things that are indicative of their breed: Retrievers dream of chasing and finding birds, pointers point at their quarry, and terriers dream of chasing and catching balls.
Theyโve also found that small dogs and young dogs dream the most. They dream short dreams because their attention spans are short; large breeds have longer and fewer dreams.
All mammals have a part of the brain called the pons, which restricts large-muscle movement at sleep. Itโs what keeps us from punching our partner or the wall.
But when humans or dogs wake up during a nightmare, they can be confused about who they are, where they are, or what theyโre doing. Usually, humans regain control of their limbs before they hurt anyone, but dogs can accidentally bite or strike someone before regaining full consciousness.
Thatโs why, to remain safe, itโs best โto let sleeping dogs lieโ until theyโre fully awake.
I already knew this. I’ve watched Diana’s REM when her eyes were just slightly open. We’ve all seen the paw jerks or even leg movements like they are running. I’ve even heard some whines. A a puppy, Diana used to suckle in her sleep.
What I’m amazed at is that Freyja never has night terrors after the time she spent at the shelter and her two failed adoptions. She seems to sleep quite well. But I’ve always known that Diana was the more sensitive one.
We have one of our 2 GSP’s that is a night time howler. Almost like a siren. I have wondered what on earth he is dreaming about!