When all that tail-chasing, panting, running in the yard and barking at squirrels is over with, your dog will want to wind down just like you.
And though their lives are a world apart from ours, they still live in the same world.
So when they settle down to get that shuteye, could they be dreaming just like us?
https://www.instagram.com/p/CIQ_dhkhcVX/
Dr. Deirdre Barrett seems to think so. The Harvard Clinical and Evolutionary Psychologist has put some thought, and some of her knowledge, on the topic.
While our abundant scanners and monitors make it possible to see what our brains do, we can get a generally good idea of how human dreaming works. That, and we can also communicate our dreaming experiences pretty well with other people.
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But it’s not as simple as asking a dog what they dreamt of, obviously.
Dogs have brains too, and they totally experience the same world we do. So surely, their brains might be doing the same thing when they’re asleep, right?
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What exactly they dream about is another thing, and that’s what Dr. Barrett is weighing in on.
Barrett is a clinical and evolutionary psychologist from Harvard, and her years of formal study help her answer compelling and scientifically valuable questions.
Questions like “Why do we feel watched sometimes?”, “When did the frontal lobe of humans evolve?”, and most importantly “What do dogs dream about?”.
Though it’s hard to prove it, given we can’t ask dogs what they dream about, Barrett gives rather compelling and fair reason to think that dogs dream of their loved ones too.
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The reason? Dogs are smart enough to remember things long-term, so surely their brains should do what ours do when we sleep, right?
In fact, it goes a bit further than that. Dogs go through several sleep cycles, not dissimilar to us. When they’re asleep, they experience the same things we do, Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep and non-rapid eye movement sleep. The former is when dreams occur.
Dr. Barret explained a bit more on why we can expect most animals, particularly mammals, to be able to dream.
“What we do know for sure is that most mammals have a similar sleep cycle to humans, going into a deep sleep stage, in which the brain is much less active, and then into periods of activity called Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep, in which dreams occur for humans. That certainly makes it the best guess that other mammals are dreaming, too.” – Dr. Deirdre Barrett speaking to People.com
Now, our dreams are a whole lot more complex. That’s, in no small part, all thanks to how good we are at remembering faces, locations, voices and everything else we take in when we’re awake.
And those memories of faces, voices, places and so one give our brains plenty of source material to work with.
Your dog might actually be dreaming about you when they're asleep pic.twitter.com/j2o2gBYscP
— BuzzFeed News (@BuzzFeedNews) October 22, 2016
Much the same way, dogs’ brains are likely doing the same thing. Here, Dr. Barrett suggests they are probably dreaming of their owners with whom they share strong bonds with.
“Humans dream about the same things they’re interested in by day, though more visually and less logically.
There’s no reason to think animals are any different. 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.”
Your dog is dreaming about you says Harvard researcher…tell us what you think your dog or cat is dreaming about! https://t.co/OKq53yxpDe
— Fred Animal Hospital (@FredAnimalHosp) June 12, 2018
Your pooch might not talk in their sleep or share their dreams with you, but Dr. Barret makes a good case that you’re just as much a part of their dreams as they are to yours.
Cute is hardly the word for that! I’d say “Comforting” or “assuring” fit a lot better, and the mere thought of that will probably help you sleep better at night.
A Harvard psychologist says your dog is dreaming about you https://t.co/JzfaYU8oQX
— The Independent (@Independent) October 24, 2016
When they shut their eyes and wind down, they might just be dreaming of playing fetch with you, or licking you and just all around spending time with you.
Man’ best friend, in your dreams too.
Your dog might be dreaming about you. Your cat… it's a stretch https://t.co/K5A6wqBC8L pic.twitter.com/c1fljAkOMX
— Petcha (@PetchaNetwork) November 14, 2016
But wait, we can have bad dreams as well, remember? Does that mean our canine pals have nightmares too? Well, yes, probably. At least, based on how we know brains work.
If you catch your dog waking abruptly from their sleep, chances are they could’ve had a nightmare. It could be of being chased by a bigger dog, or their bowl being empty.
In the midst of today’s chaos, here’s a moment of zen. Omar’s sleep twitches bring peace. pic.twitter.com/s5UJeQ7NpK
— Matthew Mercer (@matthewmercer) June 19, 2020
Whatever it could be, it’s generally recommended you give them a second or two to come to their senses. If it takes you a while to remember where you are and what’s happening after a bad dream, then it shouldn’t be hard to imagine what a dog is dealing with when that same thing happens.
That’s how we got the expression “Let sleeping dogs lie”.
But dreams are just dreams, and no dream can be as sweet as having someone who loves you. I’m sure your dog wouldn’t like anything more than to just wake up to see you.
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