What Do Dogs Dream About?
Our brains respond to daily thoughts, actions and activities by creating rapid, sometimes nonsensical moving images while we sleep. This is known as ‘dreaming’. When we dream, our brains are attempting to make sense of the day’s events and this fascinating and necessary cerebral function is responsible for preventing anxiety and irritability in our waking lives. The stage at which we begin dreaming is commonly known as rapid eye movement (or REM). When REM is prevented, the ability to dream is also prevented.
As popular pets, many are interested to know if dogs share our ability to dream. Known for twitching, flinching and barking during sleep, most suggest that they do indeed dream, but their limited imaginations probably also place a limit on their dream topic.
Similarly to us, dogs have a particular sleep pattern in which they go through several stages. The first stage is known as SWS/NREM (slow wave sleep or non rapid eye movement), a very light sleep that is easy to wake up from. The brain is resting, but the dog’s muscles are still prepared for use. The next stage, again similarly to us, is REM, which occurs during heavy sleep. Within this time, scientists can measure brain activity using an electroencephalogram. At the REM stage of sleep it records erratic activity at which point the dog may be moving, whimpering or barking.
In accordance with this evidence, dogs do in fact dream. They are not the animals that do, either. It has been suggested that all mammals can dream, though the reasoning behind it is unclear.
Interestingly, studies suggest that dogs don’t suffer from nightmares. In fact, dogs that have been victims of neglect and abuse purportedly don’t experience REM and therefore don’t dream at all or dream very rarely. This is based on the theory that people who have been seriously abused or have faced severe trauma have a much higher chance of suffering from nightmares.
According to leading expert Dr. Ernest Hartmann, dreams are shaped by the emotions of the dreamer, so it therefore stands to reason that a dog may well dream about their family, their favourite activities or their favourite treat. Also, just like children dream far more often than adults, puppies dream far more often than adult dogs. Dreaming dogs must always be left to dream.
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