Do dogs dream? What are Twitches and Running?

If I had to guess what my dogs dream about when they enter the REM (rapid eye movement) sleep stage, the pictures would definitely include squirrels, a peanut butter filled KONG and the flash of weeds as they tear along their favorite path. . Or maybe I catch them ‘woofer’ something with their mouths closed. It can be quite fun.

You’ve probably witnessed the telltale eye twitches and running motion of their paws that signal dreaming in our pets, but do dogs really dream? Here is some basic information about animal dream studies and how dogs dream!

According psychology today“Typically, a medium-sized dog will start dreaming about 20 minutes after falling asleep; their breathing may become shallower and more irregular compared to deep, sound, dreamless sleep.

The sting of the eyes behind the closed eyelids is the dog “seeing” images as if seen in real life. Some animals may even snap or growl when faced with imaginary prey. Humans woke up during this same sleep phase report that they were dreaming at the time.

Anecdotal and scientific research indicates both the likelihood and content of a dream state. Anatomically and physiologically, the dog’s brain is extremely similar to that of humans, which are known to dream of events and images taken from everyday life.

Based on brain wave studies, scientists have determined that smaller breeds dream more frequently, but with a shorter dream duration, than larger breeds.

The study of dreaming rats

The hippocampus, an area of ​​the brain associated with memory formation and storage, is of particular importance in the generation of dreams. Washington Post states that in rats, a species with a simpler brain structure, electrical recordings were made from the hippocampus while the rats were awake and completing a complex maze.

The brain waves generated by these rats running through the maze were highly specific, repeatable, and so precise that the researchers could determine which area of ​​the maze the rats were running based on the electrical wave. Later, when brain activity indicated that the rats were in the dream-generating part of REM sleep, the MIT scientists observed these identical waves.

This data was extrapolated to mean that the rats dreamed of the maze they had just completed, to the precise location of the maze where the rats were. “functioning” in sleep. In all likelihood, our dogs are dreaming about their version of the maze, dashing down a familiar path or playing with a favorite squeaky toy that the hippocampus has retained images of.

The Pons region of the brain

another part of the brain, the bridges, has been studied to determine the content of dreams. In addition to acting as a relay center for sensory messages in the brain and helping to regulate sleep and breathing, the bridge helps impede movement during sleep. Without this special structure, animals actively engage in movement in the same way during sleep as when awake.

In studies where the pons was removed or inactivated, sleeping dogs performed familiar actions even when brain waves indicated they were dreaming, such as chasing imaginary balls and flushing out imaginary birds. Watching this study is like watching a zombie dog apocalypse! Puppies, human babies, and the elderly all experience more movement, such as muscle twitching, during sleep due to underdeveloped or less efficient bridges. Fascinating! (online magazine “Pet Butler”)

If dogs dream about their daily lives, surely they can have nightmares of being home alone during a storm or being attacked by another animal? If it happened in real life, it’s very likely that they will. Or maybe they had a scary circumstance that day! It can be difficult to watch your restless pup daydream and become restless while sleeping. Should we wake them from their nightmare or leave them alone?

From personal experience, it can be very disorienting to have a frightening dream interrupted by waking up; it takes a few minutes for my breathing to slow down and my mind to register my surroundings. Instinctively, your dog may react aggressively and unpredictably if awakened during a nightmare. It is best to let them sleep during this period; when they wake up, give them lots of cuddles and playtime so their future dreams will include those joyful memories!