Tuesday, June 16, 2009

Do Dogs Dream?

Does Foxie Dream?

While Foxie is sleeping, he sometimes whimpers, growls, twitches & wags his little tail & licks his lips..
Dogs are similar to humans with regards to their sleep patterns and their brain wave activity.
As they first fall asleep dogs are in a 'lighter' sleep mode where their breathing is very regular and they can be easily awakened.
Once they enter deep sleep they are more difficult to awaken and their brain wave activity is greatly increased.
Like us, once in deep sleep we enter a stage where their breathing becomes more irregular and we have rapid eye movements (REM) where actual dreaming takes place.
Dogs enter and exit this dreaming stage several times per night.
This rapid eye movement stage has this name because behind their closed eyelids, the dog's eyes are moving rapidly back and forth. Presumably, they are watching the images that they are dreaming about. It is during this stage where they may also have involuntarily vocalizations and body movements.
Even if it seems like they are having a bad dream it is best not to wake a sleeping dog. Dogs, like humans, need uninterrupted sleep for healthy mental activity.
So, Do NOT disturb Foxie when you see him sleeping soundly... Hush Hush.
Foxie is a Dreaming Pup..
Research suggests that small dogs dream more than larger dogs. Dream frequency also seems to be related to age where puppies dream more than adult dogs.
What do Dogs Dream about?
They may move their legs as if they are running, may whine or whimper as if excited, and may breath rapidly or hold their breath for short periods. It is likely that dogs dream in a similar fashion to humans, dreaming up canine fantasies and the everyday things that make up their existence like chasing, playing and eating.
YES!! Foxie is Dreaming again!!

1 comment:

PangTama said...

Hahaha the last photo is so cute..
I also dream everyday like Foxie :P