One of the great pleasures of having a eye tooth companion is determine them fall into an spent hatful of fur after a tenacious day of doing absolutely nothing . It ’s at this item that many pet owners inquire : What do weenie dream about , if they dream at all ?
First , researcher trust that yes , dogsdodream . There ’s no factual testimony , but we do it from a 2001 MIT study with rat that the animalscan enter REM sleep sleepand exhibit the same brain activity as they did while they were navigating a maze originally . Other studies using electroencephalogram ( EEG ) devices have been able toobservesimilar bodily process in dog brains while slumbering . Like humans , dogs have a quietus stage where their breathing slows and their center movements become rapid — all indicant that dreaming could occur .
There ’s also the superficial evidence : Dogs often bark or flip while departed in manner that imply they ’re dreaming of chasing an elusive target . ( Or leaf . )
That ’s because dogs , like us , believably dream about the events of the solar day — in their compositor’s case , running game , jumping , or play . pipe dream can even be strain - specific , as in the case of Pointers that go “ on point ” as though they were fleck game . modest dogs also incline to woolgather more than gravid dogs , and older hotdog more than midlife dogs .
item of those dreams remain elusive . aside from physical cue , it ’s concentrated to bed on the nose what goes through an animal ’s idea . Some gorillas who have been taught mark terminology havecommunicatedtheir stargaze to their handlers — sometimes about people they ’ve seen recently . It ’s also possible dogs dream about their owners frequently , since the canine / human bond is so strong .
If you need to observe dreaming in your own frump , expertsrecommendyou wait until about 20 minutes after they ’ve doze off . Their sinew may begin to jerk and their eyes might bug out to fleet , both likely signs the dog is entering REM and starting to dream . It ’s also important not to disturb them during this stage of eternal rest , since it can be startling to them . If you impart them be , maybe they ’ll eventually have an opportunity to becharm whatever they ’ve been chase .
So what do dogs woolgather about ? A lot of the time , probably the affair that ’s most often on their mind : you .
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