August 3, 2024, 9:15 pm | Read time: 5 minutes
Just like us humans, dogs dream when they sleep. Many dog owners have observed their four-legged friend twitching in their sleep, kicking their legs, perhaps even whimpering and snapping at the air. I wonder what the dog is dreaming about.
If you’ve ever observed your dog sleeping, you might wonder what dreams are playing out in its slumbering mind. The legs twitch, and some even bark in their sleep. Is the dog chasing after prey? Or is it even dreaming of a game with us humans? PETBOOK uncovers the frequency of canine dreams and explores whether their human companions feature in them.
Overview
Do dogs dream like humans?
US psychology professor Stanley Coren delves into the intriguing question of whether and how dogs process nighttime impressions in his book “Can Dogs Dream?” He discovered that the brain waves of sleeping dogs and humans are similar. He concluded that dogs indeed dream, though not all in the same manner. “Small dogs dream more than large dogs. A miniature poodle can dream once every ten minutes, while a large dog like a Great Dane or a Mastiff often has up to an hour between episodes.” Large dogs dream for longer. But what are the subjects of their dreams? An exciting hunt? An exciting outing that we went on with them?
What do dogs dream about?
Do dogs dream about their two-legged friends? Evolutionary psychologist Dr. Deidre Barrett from the Faculty of Medicine at Harvard University assumes that they do: “Since dogs generally have a very intimate relationship with their owners, it stands to reason that they dream about their face, smell, and experiences with them.” But this is purely speculative. The only animals that have told us humans about their dreams are the gorillas, Koko and Michael. Researcher Penny Patterson thus knew that Koko dreamed of exciting places and people, while Michael was plagued by nightmares involving the poachers who wiped out his entire family. “Bad people killing gorillas,” he told the scientist.
Do dogs have nightmares, and should they be woken up?
When our four-legged friends howl and whine in their sleep, they are probably having a nightmare. However, it’s not advisable to wake them up. Waking dogs from their deep sleep phase can cause confusion and disorientation. Scientists Matthew Wilson and Kenway Louie from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have studied animal sleep habits and discovered that dogs process new things they have learned during the REM phase. Therefore, it’s crucial to allow your dog uninterrupted sleep, as it plays a significant role in their learning and memory consolidation.
What sleep phases do dogs go through?
When dogs sleep, they go through almost the same sleep phases as we do. These phases and cycles are repeated several times. However, while we go through around five cycles per night, our four-legged friends go through up to 20 cycles. Sleep is divided into different phases: Slow wave sleep (SWS) and rapid eye movement (REM).
During the initial sleep phase, a dog’s eyes close, and its muscles relax, but it remains responsive to external stimuli. Subsequently, the dog enters a stage of light sleep, which consists of almost half of a sleep cycle. The dog breathes regularly and calmly. Following this, the dog falls into deep sleep. Its heart only beats slowly. It is now almost entirely unaware of external stimuli and will not react.
Dogs dream the most during the REM phase
After around 20 minutes, the four-legged friend enters the REM phase, during which most dreaming occurs. Blood pressure and body temperature drop. The eyes now move rapidly back and forth under the closed eyelids. The dog’s legs may twitch, and it might snap at the air with its mouth. Occasionally, the dog may also bark or wag its tail. During this REM phase, researchers Matthew Wilson and Kenway Louie from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology deactivated the part of the brain that causes the body to be paralyzed during sleep. They observed that the dogs dreamed of typical activities in which they displayed hunting or defensive behavior.
While the REM phase accounts for around 20-25 percent of the total sleep time in humans, it is only 10 percent in dogs. This is followed by a short waking phase in which the dog checks whether everything is OK. This vigilant behavior, crucial for the survival of wolves in the wild, persists in domestic dogs. After this brief period of wakefulness, the dog returns to slow-wave sleep, marking the start of a new sleep cycle.
How much sleep do dogs need?
Research from Harvard indicates that dogs with stimulating experiences and active lifestyles enjoy deeper, more restful sleep. In this aspect, they mirror human sleep patterns. How much sleep a dog needs depends on age, breed, and health. Puppies and seniors need more rest and sleep phases. Large breeds such as St. Bernards and Great Danes also sleep and doze more than a small Yorkie. Generally, dogs require 14 to 20 hours of sleep each day.
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Sources
- besserschlafen.de, „Wie schlafen eigentlich… Hunde?“ (accessed on 2/9/2024)
- citydog24.de, „Bloß nicht wecken! – Schlaf ist so wichtig für Hunde“ (accessed on 2/9/2024)
- dailymail.co.uk, „Your dog probably dreams about you: Sleeping pooches think lovingly about their owners‘ faces or smells“ (accessed on 2/9/2024)
- people.com, „What Is Your Cat or Dog Dreaming About? A Harvard Expert Has Some Answers“ (accessed on 2/9/2024)