Do dogs dream?

Do dogs dream? Dogs themselves can't tell us, but scientists do think that our furry friends dream just like humans do. Curious? Keep reading!

Why do scientists believe that dogs dream? 

About 20 years ago, an experiment was conducted on rats. Their brain activity was measured when they were awake and sleep especially during their rapid-eye movement (REM) sleep cycle, in which humans experience dreams. The results indicated that rats were dreaming about what had happened during the day.

This was proof that certain animals dream like humans, replaying real life moments in their sleep.

Rats being intellectually less evolved than other animals such as dogs and cats, the scientific community has every reason to believe that dogs dream too!

How to tell if your dog is dreaming?

Dogs tend to twitch their legs or even make sounds during their REM sleep, which usually starts 10 to 20 minutes after they fell asleep.

If you see your dog's eyes moving quickly behind their eyelids, they are most likely dreaming.

How often do dogs dream? It seems that it depends on their breed.

Small dogs like chihuahuas are believed to experience a new dream every 10 minutes, whereas large dogs have less dreams.

It also appears that puppies and senior dogs spend more time dreaming.