Monday, September 8, 2008

Do Dogs Dream?

Last night my dog Jake began twitching his legs and barking in his sleep. Chances are you've experienced this with your dog too. It brings up the obvious question: do dogs dream? Was Jake dreaming of chasing rabbits or eating milk bones?

I think the answer is probably yes. In my view, there isn't as much difference between animals and people as we'd like to believe, especially when you're talking about a smart animal like a dog. In this interesting article, the question is discussed in detail. Interestingly, adult dogs spend 10-12 percent of their sleep in REM sleep, which is the kind of sleep that involves dreaming in humans.

Well, I think its obvious that dogs dream. But I hope they don't have nightmares!

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