We’ve all seen a dog’s nose twitch and legs paddle while it sleeps.
We’ve heard their muffled barks and imagined them running after a stick.
After a day at the beach or exploring a garden, their dreams seem obvious.
New research from Harvard psychologists suggests those dreams often feature the dog’s human companion.
Your dog is likely dreaming about you, the person they are most attached to.
Dr Deirdre Barrett, a clinical and evolutionary psychologist at Harvard Medical School, studied sleep behaviour extensively.
She concluded dogs dream in ways comparable to human dreams.
Dogs replay daily events and sometimes stitch them into creative, odd sequences.
Experts think canine dreams are more visual than logical and focus on emotionally important things.
“Since dogs are generally extremely attached to their human owners, it’s likely your dog is dreaming of your face, your smell and of pleasing or annoying you.”
Humans and dogs share similar sleep stages.
Both go through deep sleep and Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep.
It is during REM that dreaming occurs for dogs.
Sleeping Puppy Dreaming – YouTube
Our brains normally prevent the body from acting out dreams.
When that inhibition weakens, people sometimes move while asleep.
The same mechanism exists in dogs.
If it falters, you may watch your pet chase a stick or run through fields in its sleep.
They may be reliving moments with you—your face and your scent providing comfort in dreams.
If that isn’t a reason to give your beloved pooch an extra belly rub today, we don’t know what is!