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It’s one of the cutest yet most confusing sides of the furry family. When they fall asleep and start twitching, are they dreaming? And if so, what are they dreaming about? Well, science now has the answer.
And just a warning. It's pretty adorable...
Well, thankfully you’re not alone in wanting this question answered. Scientists studied the brain activity of dogs as they fall asleep and made a remarkable discovery. Their brain activity is almost identical to ours.
After reaching deep sleep, both pets and people enter something called REM (rapid eye movement) sleep. REM sleep is the stage where we dream. So yes, they're doing the same...
So is the twitching dreaming?
Own a pet and chances are you’ve seen and heard it all; everything from running, to barking and even whimpering. Basically, all the research says that this ‘rabbit chasing’ is actually a dream spilling over into real life.
Just as it does with us, their brain NORMALLY paralyses their body so they don’t actually act out their dream.
But importantly, in pets, it's less successful than in our human dreams. So when those actions and words (or little whimpers) spill over into real life, that’s when they’re almost certainly running after those rabbits or scoring the ultimate job as ball-dog at the Australian Open tennis. Maybe dreams can come true…
So what are they dreaming about?
Welcome to the latest update on dreaming. In fact, just last week Harvard psychologists revealed research that showed most dog dreams almost certainly feature the central figure in their life. You! Yes, those playful little barks and running feet are probably directed at you. It's why they often look REALLY confused when they wake up and see you right there...
Told you it was adorable...
