Do Dogs Dream?

If you are anything like me, you spend your days off obsessively watching your dog, even when they are unconscious. I’ve noticed when my dog is sleeping, she moves her little paws and growls. I’ve been assuming that she’s dreaming about boxing our mailman, who is her sworn enemy.

But this has led me to question if dogs can dream. And if so what do they dream about?

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According to Stanley Coren PhD., DSc, FRSC, in a 2010 article written for Psychology Today dogs do actually dream.

“[D]uring sleep, the brain wave patterns of dogs are similar to that of humans and go through the same stages of electrical activity observed in humans, all of which are consistent with the idea that dogs are dreaming,” wrote Dr. Coren.

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It is also believed that dogs dream about what they did in a day. For example, Dr. Coren asserted that a “dreaming pointer may immediately start searching for a game.” According to the Veterinary Center of American, how often your pup dreams is dependent upon their size. Research has shown that “smaller dogs seem to have more dreams than their bigger friends.”

The VCA has also assured pup parents it is unlikely that dogs have nightmares. (Although my dog has told me that her life is a waking nightmare because our mailman comes to our house almost every day).

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