Does your dog sleep walk? This dog sure does! Bizkit the Sleep Walking Dog starts off running slowly in his sleep. Then it progresses into a faster run. Then, before we know it, he’s bumping into walls! Luckily, one time bumping into a wall is enough and he wakes up and shakes it off.
About 20 minutes into sleeping, a dog will enter a deep sleep the first dream begins. Muscle twitches, irregular breathing, or eye movement behind the backs of their eyelids are some of the actions you may see in your doggy. This indicates that he’s seeing images in his dream… just as he sees things in real life!
Small dogs are thought to have more frequent dreams, although shorter in length. Big dogs have longer dreams, but less dreams.
So, what do dogs dream about in their sleep? Just like humans, they can dream about their daily activities. This includes running in the park or getting their favorite treat.
If it’s safe to assume that dogs have dreams, it’s also safe to assume that they have nightmares. After all, nightmares are essentially just bad dreams. However, it’s likely that dog’s nightmares are more realistic. For example, Fido is more likely to be dreaming of fears that he’s actually experienced in real life versus dreaming about surviving a zombie attack. If a dog was abused in a puppy mill or by a previous owner, it’s likely his nightmares could include those negative experiences. When your dog is having a nightmare, gently call their name and comfort them when they wake up.
We may never know the exact contents of our dog’s dreams (it’s not like they can wake up and talk about them), but we can certainly enjoy watching them pretending to job in their sleep!
Whatever he’s dreaming about, this sleep walking dog is pretty excited!