Do dogs dream, explained | Adorable reason your pup is twitching in their sleep, expert reveals

How often have you spent time with your beloved pup as they napped, only for them to start kicking and whining like they’re fighting their own personal demons?

Well, it turns out that’s not too far off.

For us humans, dreams occur mostly during our REM cycle of sleep, with Deirdre Barrett of Harvard University telling Discover Magazine, “This stage of sleep looks very similar across all mammals.”

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Dogs are among the mammals that have dreams, alongside others like mice and elephants – though whales and dolphins keep their brains half awake and do not dream.

Though we can’t confirm what exactly it is they’re dreaming about, it’s more than likely about us.

As we know from experience, we often dream about what we see in our every day lives, and this would likely be the same for our furry friends.

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Following the continuity hypothesis, a popular dream theory that believes that dreams are built from our waking life, dogs will likely dream of playing with other dogs or toys, eating, and according to Barrett “having fun playing with their owners, and whether their owners are perceiving them to be a good dog or a bad dog.”

We humans also know that our dreams can often morph into nightmares with a little bit of creativity, though we can’t be sure the same is happening for dogs when they start twitching mid-nap.

Vets say that even if they seem like they are having a bad dream, it’s better to not wake them up.

Slight movement and noise from dogs while sleeping doesn’t necessarily mean they’re dreaming, as these can occur in stages of sleep aside from the REM stage.

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However, clear movements such as barking, whining, and running movements give us a good guess as to what they’re dreaming of.

“The more elaborate it gets, the more likely it is to be acting out a dream,” Barrett said.

Cats aren’t the only ones who need their beauty sleep. Dogs may seem like bundles of energy, but they actually spend an average of half a day sleeping.

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It often seems like puppies will never rest, but what comes up must come down as they say, with young pups spending 18-20 hours sleeping a day, according to Dr Katrina Warren.

This sleep is crucial for their development and growth, helping to support the proper formation of their nervous system and muscles.

On the other end of the spectrum, senior dogs nap from 16 to 18 hours a day, needing time to recover from the activity of their waking hours.

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