Have you ever wondered if your pup has dreams?

What are they dreaming about?

Have you seen them running, twitching, or whimpering in their sleep? Are they having a nightmare?

Experts had the same questions and conducted some studies to give us the answers.

Dogs have similar sleep phases to humans – while they can spend up to double as many hours as us sleeping, they go through an REM cycle just like ours. It has been concluded that dogs also dream like us, about activities and things they enjoy in their waking hours. Pet lovers will be excited to learn that dogs often dream about their owners, including their smell, face, and playing with them.

It was found that different breeds and sizes or dog had different sleep habits. Smaller dogs were found to have shorter, more frequent dreams. Pointers are said to often dream about birds, and Dobermans about chasing burglars. Both young puppies and older dogs were found to twitch more during sleep.

Dogs are free from a human disorder called sleep paralysis, where you wake up suddenly unable to move your body, however, some dogs have been diagnosed with narcolepsy, a condition that makes them fall asleep without warning. Dogs are also said to be susceptible to nightmares, which can be accompanied by them to make sounds of distress

Caring owners can be tempted to wake their pet if they are showing signs of distress while asleep. While it is not recommended to wake a sleeping dog, if you feel it’s necessary, follow these few tips

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