puppytales

Many Scientists believe that dogs do dream.  In fact, they believe there is enough evidence to show that every mammal that has been studied dreams.

But when you see your dog twitching, tail wagging and yipping in his or her sleep, don’t you wonder what they could be dreaming about?

According to scientists,  there are two main types of sleep: rapid eye movement (REM) sleep and slow wave sleep (SWS). SWS and REM sleep in pets are very similar to that of humans. During this time, the brain processes information learned during the day.  It’s at some point during these two kinds of sleep, dreams take over — for us as well as in  our pets.

But what are their dreams about?  In humans, our dreams can be a combination of exeriences as well as imagination.   But what about dogs and cats?  Do they have imaginations in addition to memories?

If you have ever watched a playful cat pay attention to something that’s seemingly not there, and then react to it,you would probably say yes, cats and dogs have imagiations as well.  What about the cute puppy that wags it’s ail and squats as if he is about to pounce on a ferocious foe that is not really there?  Playful imagination at work?

Scientists have found that when awakened during REM sleep,  people in studies reported having a dream. During the REM sleep, the human brain has a lot of “gamma activity” going on, just like it does when the person is awake. This means that essentially, the brain is behaving just as it does when conscious. Since every mammal studied shows the same brain activity during REM sleep as us humans, it’s not such a leap to believe that our dog or puppy really is dreaming.

Adult dogs spend about 10 to 12 percent of their sleeping time in REM sleep, and  puppies and kittens spend quite a bit more of  their sleep time in REM sleep, which makes sense since they’ve been so busy all day exploring their new world. They have tons of new data to process, sort and store into their memories.

So if your puppy spends a busy morning playing at the dog park, or chasing butterflies in your backyard, pay special attention  when he naps later.  If you catch a tail wag or hear a happy yip or yap, chances are that your puppy is reliving his experiences from his earlier playtime!

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