# does my dog have nightmares? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 26, 2000, 6:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-my-dog-have-nightmares/26880 "2000-07-26T06:34:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![jjason](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/87869e/32.png) [@jjason](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjason)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2000, 6:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-my-dog-have-nightmares/26880/1 "2000-07-26T06:34:49Z")
i am sitting here at 3 am in morning with my 3 year old yellow lab and he is sleeping but he occasionally barks in his sleep and shakes and growls it is kind of comical but i am also worried could this mean something else such as epilepsy thanks in advance ---
**Author:** ![tcburnett](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c5a1d2/32.png) [@tcburnett](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tcburnett)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2000, 6:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-my-dog-have-nightmares/26880/2 "2000-07-26T06:37:06Z")
He’s dreaming, jjason. If it bothers you, go over and stroke his head gently. ---
**Author:** ![Lissa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lissa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lissa)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2000, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-my-dog-have-nightmares/26880/3 "2000-07-26T14:04:18Z")
Yeah, no worries, jjason . . . my dog does the same thing. If it looks like she’s having a bad one, I’ll just softly call her name, and she’ll usually settle down. ---
**Author:** ![pluto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f08c70/32.png) [@pluto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pluto)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2000, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-my-dog-have-nightmares/26880/4 "2000-07-26T17:56:54Z")
Short answer: Yes. Long answer: There is, of course, no way to determine absolutely that dogs dream in the same sense that humans do, but the measurable physiological signs are the same. Particularly the REM (rapid eye movement) which is characteristic of human dreaming. Having said that, if dogs can be presumed to dream is there any reason to suppose that their dreams are necessarily pleasant ones? I think anyone who has had a pet that barks, whimpers, etc., in their sleep will tell you that sometimes the pet seems to be in distress while dreaming. I wonder what Freud had to say about animals dreaming? Do repressed pets have vivid sexual dreams? One step you might take to reduce the likelihood of your dog having nightmares would be to restrict his/her television before bedtime – no scary movies or violence. Avoid “nature” films and any movie with a sad ending involving the death of a pet. _Old Yeller_ comes to mind. ---
**Author:** ![Olentzero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/90ced4/32.png) [@Olentzero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Olentzero)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2000, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-my-dog-have-nightmares/26880/5 "2000-07-26T18:23:26Z")
Pluggy, my late lamented Boston, would frequently dream - but there never seemed to be any signs of distress. She’d do this kind of half-growl, half-bark with her mouth closed and quiver a little, but nothing that seemed to be upsetting her. I always thought it was kinda cute. Would give my left arm to know what she was dreaming about. ---
**Author:** ![Moirai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/96bed5/32.png) [@Moirai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moirai)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2000, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-my-dog-have-nightmares/26880/6 "2000-07-26T20:00:48Z")
We always called it “chasing rabbits” when our dog seemed to be dreaming. He might bark, snuffle, move his legs or wag his tail. Stephen King wrote a great but short, almost throwaway paragraph about dogs dreaming in one of his books, can’t remember which now, of course. One assumes that they would dream about activities they enjoy, such as running through fields, tearing up shoes, chasing frisbees, or peeing on the carpet. Never had a dog who seemed to be having a nightmare, but if I did, I’m sure I would feel compelled to pet him or wake him up, to assure him that everything was ok. ---
**Author:** ![TampaFlyer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/71e660/32.png) [@TampaFlyer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TampaFlyer)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2000, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-my-dog-have-nightmares/26880/7 "2000-07-26T20:15:21Z")
He’s probably solving quadratic equations. Many pets do calculus in their sleep. ---
**Author:** ![Lissa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lissa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lissa)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2000, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-my-dog-have-nightmares/26880/8 "2000-07-26T20:38:22Z")
[quote] Stephen King wrote a great but short, almost throwaway paragraph about dogs dreaming in one of his books, can’t remember which now, of course. [\quote] If it’s the one I’m thinking about, it’s in \* The Stand \* where Kojak/Big Steve dreams about his old life. ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2000, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-my-dog-have-nightmares/26880/9 "2000-07-26T20:40:54Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by TampaFlyer \* > \*\*He’s probably solving quadratic equations. Many pets do calculus in their sleep. \*\* Except solving quadratic equations doesn’t involve calculus. My dog squeaks and runs in her sleep, but she doesn’t get very far, since she’s lying on her side.