There are so many things we wish we knew about our pets, these things that naturally beat normal human imagination. When I imagine things like this, I like to ask questions about them so I can have a better understanding; I don't just leave things to my imagination. If you are like me, then let's learn from this interesting topic together, which may have also crossed your mind at some point or the other.
When I wake up from a dream, I look at my pet, and the first thing that crosses my mind is if my pet also had a dream, and maybe if the dream was about me. I did my research as usual, and these were my findings. Just like humans, dogs, as well as other animals, experience several cycles of sleep. These periods are filled with seasons of wakefulness, followed by rapid movement of the eye, and non-rapid eye movement.
This REM sleep phase is the most memorable phase of the sleep cycle. It is the period where vivid dreams happen; it is believed to also be a part of how the body is able to process memory. Scientists can track sleep cycles in humans and also in animals. This is achieved with the use of specialized equipment, and other associated brain activities can be monitored with this sophisticated equipment.
Laboratory rats were used for this experiment. Scientists monitored the brain activity of the rats in the maze and compared it to the brain activity during REM sleep, and the result suggested the rats were most likely dreaming of the maze while they slept. When the data was compared, researchers were able to exactly figure out (according to them) what the rats dreamed about.
Some reporters claim dogs can remember their dreams, and based on the report by Psychology Today, dogs were executing some actions they were performing in their dreams. Coren says that smaller dogs will have more frequent dreams than bigger ones.
Experts surprisingly say that it is possible for dogs to also have bad dreams, and this is usually because their dreams are often due to the activities that happened during the day. An unpleasant occurrence during the day could lead to an unpleasant dream at night. It is not so easy to tell that your dog is having an unpleasant dream because you cannot judge from the sound it makes. The sound made could make you think they are having a nightmare when, in actuality, they are having a sweet dream, and vice versa.
A single sleep cycle of a dog often lasts for about 20 minutes; most of these minutes are spent in a drowsy and slow-wave sleep stage, while about six minutes of the time, the dog will be in REM sleep stage. We can guess our dog is dreaming when their breathing becomes shallow, irregular, and rapid, or when the muscles are twitching or legs are moving. The dog may also bark, cry, or, while dreaming, they may be moving back and forth even while their eyes are closed. You do not have to wake up your dreaming dog; simply let them be.