Your Dog's Sleep Cycle Larger breeds dream for five minutes every 45 minutes, while smaller dogs might only dream about a minute every 10 minutes. During the REM cycle, you might notice your dog is dreaming if they whimper, cry or make other noises in their sleep.
A dog's sleep cycle
Fun fact: smaller dogs have shorter REM periods, and larger dogs have longer ones. REM, or rapid eye movement, sleep is when dreaming occurs. This is the period of sleep where your dog may “act out” their dreams by moving their legs or paws, making faces, growling, whimpering, or crying.
What do dogs dream about when they cry? If your dog cries or whimpers in their sleep, it might mean they're dreaming about something that's causing them fear or distress. If your dog has had a recent traumatic, painful, or scary experience, it could be that they're dreaming about that.
According to the American Kennel Club, owners should let sleeping dogs lie. "Disrupting a dog during REM sleep can result in serious consequences," says the AKC.
A dog twitching while sleeping means that they're in the later stages of sleep, known as rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. Just like with humans, this often involves dreams that can result in spasms and whimpers. If your dog isn't twitching nonstop for more than 30 seconds, you don't need to worry.
If dogs do have dreams, they could be thinking of their owner when they sleep, an expert at Harvard Medical School said.
All dogs dream, and some manifest dreaming with twitching, paddling, or kicks of their legs. These movements are often brief (lasting less than 30 seconds) and intermittent. Seizing dogs' limbs, on the other hand, tend to be rigid and stiffer, with more violent movement.
If you believe your dog is having a bad dream, it's best not to disturb them—even though it may be tempting to wake them up and comfort them. It could take your pet a moment to realise that they are no longer asleep, and you don't want to risk them lashing out as though still in the dream.
Dreaming is a normal, healthy occurrence and is part of a regular 24 hour cycle of wakefulness and sleep. It is important to note that dogs and humans need uninterrupted sleep for health of mind and body. Provide your dog a quiet, comfortable, area to rest and do not disturb them.
Licking is a natural and instinctive behaviour to dogs. For them it's a way of grooming, bonding, and expressing themselves. Your dog may lick you to say they love you, to get your attention, to help soothe themselves if they're stressed, to show empathy or because you taste good to them!
When you kiss your dog, you might notice signs suggesting they recognize a kiss as a sign of affection. However, as puppies, this is not something they would understand. But, as dogs age they may associate kisses and cuddles with their owners being happy with them — as petting and treats often follow.
Generally, if your dog is having a pleasant dream you may see his paws twitching, his ears flicking, and his eyelids twitching. You should see no overt signs of stress in your dog. Nightmares, on the other hand, may cause your dog to growl in their sleep in conjunction with twitching paws and eyes.
As they sleep, just like people, dogs shift between non-REM sleep and REM “rapid eye movement” sleep. Dreaming usually occurs during REM. This period is also associated with sleepwalking and motion, including dogs “running” and barking in their sleep.
Dogs don't have the ability to construct fearful, imaginative monsters, so when your dog has a nightmare, they are remembering a traumatic experience. If your dog has frequent nightmares, try to make their sleeping environment more relaxed.
If your dog follows you around it means they love your company, and you could also have a stage five clinger on your hands. ;) Likewise, leaning on you, wanting to sleep in your bed or in the same room as you, or snuggling with you are all good indicators of your dog's affection for you.
Similar to humans, dogs' eyes produce tears to keep them clean, protected and lubricated. However, canine tear ducts are structured differently, funneling the liquid back into their body, rather than spilling it out over their cheeks. So if you see your dog “crying” tears, a call to the vet might be in order.
Overall, dogs are complex creatures that think about a wide range of things, including social relationships, their physical environment, daily routine, physical needs, and health and well-being.
Adult Dogs: Most adult dogs seem to need between eight and 13.5 hours of sleep every day, with an average of just under 11 hours. For comparison, most adult humans need seven to eight hours of sleep.
The researchers concluded that the dogs were using episodic-like memory to repeat their owner's actions, even an hour after they first observed them. This suggests that dogs are doing way more than living in the moment. They are forming memories all the time and are able to recall them when needed.
Sleeping With Your Dog Can Make You Sick
There are a number of diseases that are capable of spreading from dogs to humans. Although it's very unlikely that sleeping with your dog will make you sick, it's probably best to skip the co-sleeping if you're not feeling well or you have a weak immune system.
“Oftentimes, dogs will try to wake their owners up when they are feeling anxious or uncomfortable, and these can be signs of underlying health conditions. As always, have a veterinary checkup any time your pet develops new or confusing behaviors,” recommends Gramm.
Even the nicest dogs hate to be awakened suddenly. Older dogs especially, who tend to sleep more deeply, and those whose impaired hearing might not allow them to hear someone's approach can get scared by the sudden presence of a person touching them. Let your dog wake up naturally, without touching them or sneaking up.
Like some people, dogs can react aggressively toward the person waking them. This can be dangerous, especially for children. The best thing that you can do for a dog you think is having a bad dream is to wait for your dog to wake up and be there to comfort him, following the old saying “let sleeping dogs lie.”
Many dogs will also make popping and bubble sounds when they are dreaming. Breathing can also become louder and more labored and they make take short and shallow breaths while they are having a dream. Keep an eye on your pup's eyes, too. Often, their eyes will rapidly move back and forth while they are dreaming.
It's important to not let a diagnosis of epilepsy rule your and your pet's life. Your pet can be left alone. You can go to work or the store without your dog! You might miss a seizure now and again, but truthfully most seizures are short and end on their own.