brain activity

Dreaming dogs



As I sit here ready to blog; my attention is drawn to Elsa, she's dreaming.  I wonder what the dream is about; don't you wish there was a way to know?  Whatever it is, the dream is causing a great deal of movement.  Both Elsa and Luke are big dreamers; slipping into action filled dreams almost as soon as they close their eyes.  Like us, they are all different.  Tilley dreamed, but did not move the way that Luke and Elsa do.  Every once in a while she'd have a big action dream that caused her legs to go, growling and such.  But Luke and Elsa are very involved physically in their dreams.  I love to watch and wish that there was a way to know what was going on. 

I assume that their dreams are much like our own; made up of bits and pieces of the life that they experience.  Even very young puppies can be seen actively dreaming and they have little to dream about.  But they have life experience as soon as they are born and even the smallest of daily activities can be brought forward into a dream.  Bits and pieces picked up during the day; a run in the park, a bath, car ride or meeting a new dog can all make it into our dog's dreams.  How they manifest into the storyline is all up to the brain. 

Psychology Today - Do Dogs Dream?

When we dream, the recipe for the dream can be random; leaving us with that "what the heck" feeling.  Single pieces of information tossed together to create a whole scenario created solely by our active brains while we sleep.  The same thing goes for our dogs.  If you have ever witnessed your dog abruptly wake, startled and run off; you know for sure that they were in full dream.  Luke has almost tossed himself off the bed before as he becomes so active; he is by far the most active dreamer that we have had. 

The old saying "let sleeping dogs lie," is a word of wisdom.  Many people have been growled, snapped at or even bitten by a dog who has been dreaming.  Touch a dog in the middle of a dream dog fight and you may find yourself taking a trip to the emergency room.  If you feel the need to wake your dog from a dream; do it very slowly.  The brain is a powerful thing; when a dog is in a dream, that is where every part of them is at that moment.  Best to leave them finish the dream. 

Do our dogs recall their dreams as we do?  Probably.  The brain takes pieces of daily life and throws them together in a new combination; bringing with it, new experiences for our dogs.  Dreams are fascinating no matter who is doing the dreaming.