Dogs like to doze very much. They sleep a lot more people. But do they dream at the same time? And which ones?
Many dog breeders noticed that during sleep, their pets jerk their paws, bark, whine, growl, smack their lips, etc. Does this mean that the dog is dreaming of chasing a cat, hunting or gnawing a bone? Or is the dog just uncomfortable?
A little about a dog's dream
Dogs are creatures with higher nervous activity and sufficiently developed sense organs. Therefore, like humans, dogs are capable of dreaming. What's more, scientists from the University of British Columbia have shown that humans and dogs have similar sleep patterns: the wakefulness cycle, the REM sleep cycle, and the slow sleep cycle. A person sees dreams in phases of both fast and slow sleep. Those dreaming in the fast phase are usually remembered. And to many people, they seem strange.
M. Wilson in 2001 conducted research on rats in order to find out whether they dream. During the experiment, it was found that during sleep in the rat brain, the same processes are observed as in a person who is dreaming. This discovery allowed scientists to assume that all mammals are capable of dreaming.
What dreams do dogs have?
What exactly dogs dream about is difficult to find out. But scientists still tried to do it. They conducted the following experiment: in dogs, they deactivated the part of the brain responsible for muscle paralysis that occurs during sleep. Usually, this part of the brain is called a bridge, and during sleep it does not work for those who suffer from sleepwalking. Deactivation of the bridge made it possible to observe the behavior of dogs during sleep. The test subjects did the same as when they were awake: watchdogs tried to catch a thief, hunting dogs tracked down prey, pets played, etc. This experiment allowed scientists to conclude that in a dream, dogs, like people, sort out what happened to them during the day. Thus, dogs dream of what worried them most during their waking hours. Stanley Coren was able to prove that the duration of a dog's sleep depends on its size. In small breed dogs, dreams are more frequent and shorter, while in large dogs, the opposite. S. Koren also concluded that dogs, like people, can have nightmares.
However, to the question of whether dogs understand that, seeing dreams, and whether they can remember them, unfortunately, scientists have not yet been able to find an answer.
Should a dog be woken up if it growls and whines in its sleep?
Dogs need sound and uninterrupted sleep no less than humans. Sleep affects both health and mental performance of pets. If during sleep the dog whines, growls and jerks its paws, then most likely it is having a vivid dynamic dream. Experts advise against waking the dog up as it can scare it. Moreover, according to statistics, 60% of bites occur when people try to wake up a pet during REM sleep.
If the dog is awakened abruptly during sleep, it will be disoriented in space, and this can cause a defensive reaction in it.
Thus, scientists were able not only to prove that dogs have dreams, but also to suggest which ones. Dogs, like people, can have nightmares, but you should not wake him up immediately after seeing how the pet whines and jerks his paws. The dog can get scared and bite. If children live in their homes, it is important to convey this information to them.
