Does Your Dog Dream About You?

According to a clinical and evolutionary psychologist at Harvard, it’s very probable. Dr. Deirdre Barrett spent many years studying the sleep behaviour of humans and she said that dogs, like humans, will likely dream about things in their everyday life.

Dr. Barrett told People: “Humans dream about the same things they’re interested in by day, though more visually and less logically,”

“There’s no reason to think animals are any different. Since dogs are generally extremely attached to their human owners, it’s likely your dog is dreaming of your face, your smell and of pleasing or annoying you.”

She mentioned that there isn’t any sure way to know what dogs dream about, but said that most mammals have a similar sleep cycle to humans. This involves going into a ‘deep sleep’ phase and then into Rapid Eye Movement (REM), which is when dreaming occurs.

Dr. Barrett also said that, in contrast, cats are likely dreaming of catching mice.

“Cats lay quietly through the other stages of sleep, and when REM began, they leapt up, stalked, pounced, arched their backs and hissed. They looked like they were hunting mice in their dreams.”

She also gave some advice on how your pets (and family!) can have better dreams:

“The best way to give ourselves or our children better dreams is to have happy daytime experiences and to get plenty of sleep in a safe and comfortable environment. It’s a good bet this is also best for pets’ dreams.” 

Fri Oct 28 2016