Do Dogs Dream? What Do Dogs Dream About?

You and your dog share many experiences—walks through the neighborhood, games of fetch, cuddles on the couch, and visits with friends. When you’re asleep, you might even dream about some of the things you’ve done with your dog.

But what’s going on inside your dog’s head while they’re sleeping? Do dogs dream, and if they do, what do dogs dream about?

Do Dogs Dream?

While we can’t ask our furry friends about what happens while they sleep, all evidence points to the fact that dogs do have dreams.

First, the sleep cycles of dogs and people are remarkably similar. We move through periods of wakefulness, drowsiness, slow-wave sleep (also called non-REM or NREM sleep), and REM (rapid eye movement) sleep. It’s during REM sleep that people report having the most vivid dreams.

Because the pattern of electrical activity that occurs during REM sleep in people is also seen during REM sleep in dogs, it’s a pretty good bet that dogs have dreams during REM sleep—just like we do.

In fact, research on other animal species reveals that dreaming is not unique to people. For example, rats have been shown to dream about the mazes they’ve run through earlier in the day, and zebra finches practice singing in their dreams.

Unfortunately, there hasn’t been a lot of direct research into dog dreams. But if rats can do it, finches can do it, and people can do it, dogs should be able to dream as well.

How To Tell If Your Dog Is Dreaming

A single sleep cycle usually lasts around 20 minutes in dogs, most of which is spent in the drowsy and slow-wave sleep stages. But for about six of those 20 minutes, your dog will be in REM sleep, when most dreaming occurs.

Signs that your dog is in REM sleep and probably dreaming include:

• Their eyes are closed but quickly moving back and forth

• Their breathing becomes rapid, shallow, and irregular

• Their muscles are twitching, or their legs are moving

• They may bark, whine, cry, or make other sounds

What Do Dogs Dream About?

While there haven’t been many studies into what animals dream about, research indicates that animals dream about what they do during the day.

We already talked about the study on rats showing they dream about mazes they had previously run through. Their dreams were so specific that investigators could tell where they were in the dream maze by comparing their brain activity to what was recorded while they were running through the actual maze.

Other research has shown that disabling the part of the brain responsible for preventing large movements during REM sleep causes cats to "act out their dreams," which involves a lot of stalking, attacking, running, and grooming behaviors.

In similar studies, dogs also “began to execute the actions that they were performing in their dreams,” according to Psychology Today.

Do Dogs Have Bad Dreams?

Because a dog’s dreams usually have something to do with what occurred during their waking hours, bad dreams are certainly possible.

For example, if your dog had an unpleasant encounter during their daily trip to the dog park, it seems likely they could have a bad dream related to it later. As we’ve all experienced, negative emotions have a way of following us into our dreams, and the same is likely true for a dog’s fears and anxieties.

What To Do If Your Dog Is Dreaming

Think twice before waking a dog up, even if you think they might be having a nightmare.

First of all, it can be hard to tell whether a dog is having a nightmare or a pleasant (or at least neutral) dream. Their vocalizations sound different when they are asleep, so a dog that sounds like they’re crying in their dream may not actually be having a nightmare.

It’s important for dogs to get enough sleep. Scientists believe that sleep plays a big role in memory consolidation, helping us all retain information about what’s significant in our lives and storing that as long-term memories while simultaneously forgetting what is forgettable.

A quiet crate or comfortable dog bed can certainly help with sleep, but routinely waking your sleeping dog could hinder their ability to learn—and make them grumpy.

The old adage is true in its most literal sense—let sleeping dogs lie. While we may not know exactly what they are dreaming about, dogs are almost certainly dreaming, and those dreams shouldn’t be disturbed.