I'm McDreamy

My Mom called today and chewed out my Grampa because she had a bad dream about me. Why can't she just have good dreams like all dogs do?

According to www.pet-tails.com, dogs dream just like humans dream ! Research confirms this, but it's not hard to figure out when you watch us sleeping and it appears that we're running, woofing, squeaking, wiggling, and eating while asleep.

Dogs have different phases of sleep, just like humans do. The only difference is in the length of time. Dogs go through slow wave sleep (SWS) and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. All our dreaming, like yours, happens in the REM sleep cycle.

When your dog is still and breathing deeply, he's probably in the SWS sleep phase. Although he seems to be doing a great imitation of a rug, he's actually much more likely to wake up during this sleep phase than during REM sleep. Once the dog starts "running" or twitching, he's in the REM cycle, which is extremely deep sleep and when tests have shown there is the most brain activity.

Apparently a dog's sleep position also indicates how they sleep. A dog curled up in a tight ball may look like he's sleeping hard, but may not be. To enter the deepest REM sleep a dog has to be completely relaxed. But he can't be completely relaxed when all his muscles are tensed to keep him curled up. So that compact hound may be more awake than you thought.

Along the same lines, a dog sleeping on his back with his feet in the air isn't doing it just to be weird. Dogs have less fur on their tummies, so when they are hot, they tend to sleep upside-down, since it cools them off.

And here's something ALL us dogs know, but lots of you humans don't ! Dogs who lie back to back are bonding with one another. When they lie with their back resting on you, they are bonding with you. This contact shows a desire to be with the other dog or human. It's a way of showing affection. And it's how I like sleeping with my Grampa and Gramma at night !

Interestingly, puppies and old dogs dream more than middle aged dogs. So as your dog ages, you can expect more dream activity.

Although it's fun to watch the antics of dreaming dogs, it's best to let them dream their happy dreams of chasing squirrels uninterrupted. ARF!