# Dogs twitching in sleep **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 12, 2010, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dogs-twitching-in-sleep/563850 "2010-12-12T03:30:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Pierrot\_Le\_Fou](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f475e1/32.png) [@Pierrot\_Le\_Fou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pierrot_Le_Fou)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2010, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dogs-twitching-in-sleep/563850/1 "2010-12-12T03:30:40Z")
Why do dogs twitch so much when they sleep? ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2010, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dogs-twitching-in-sleep/563850/2 "2010-12-12T03:37:36Z")
They’re chasing rabbits in their dreams. Or something, its supposed to be the equivalent of REM in humans. No details on this though, can’t even remember who told me that. But when I dream that I’m chasing rabbits I twitch too. ---
**Author:** ![USCDiver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/uscdiver/32/354_2.png) [@USCDiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/USCDiver)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2010, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dogs-twitching-in-sleep/563850/3 "2010-12-12T03:43:23Z")
Obligatory [Bizkit](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z2BgjH_CtIA)link ---
**Author:** ![Snarky\_Kong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a183cd/32.png) [@Snarky\_Kong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snarky_Kong)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2010, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dogs-twitching-in-sleep/563850/4 "2010-12-12T03:43:34Z")
[![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/z2BgjH_CtIA/hqdefault.jpg "Bizkit the Sleep Walking Dog") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z2BgjH_CtIA) I’d say the chasing rabbits theory has some merit. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2010, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dogs-twitching-in-sleep/563850/5 "2010-12-12T03:47:25Z")
Watching doggies run in their sleep is one of the great joys of having them around. ---
**Author:** ![tpatsfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e47774/32.png) [@tpatsfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tpatsfan)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2010, 6:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dogs-twitching-in-sleep/563850/6 "2010-12-12T06:05:03Z")
My parents dog twitches in his sleep but that is because he is having seizures. But he also has them when he is awake as well so I think you would of noticed by now. Tho is is harder to tell if they are mild ones. ---
**Author:** ![E72521](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dbc845/32.png) [@E72521](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E72521)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2010, 10:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dogs-twitching-in-sleep/563850/7 "2010-12-12T10:12:29Z")
Dog Whisperer Cesar Millan says it’s pent up energy, and considers sleep twitching abnormal. Wild dogs spend much of their day on the move. House dogs spend most of their day on the couch. His remedy is to walk or treadmill the creature. I started walking my dog every day, and not only did she stop twitching, she sleeps like a rock. YMMV. ---
**Author:** ![Kevbo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e47774/32.png) [@Kevbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kevbo)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2010, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dogs-twitching-in-sleep/563850/8 "2010-12-12T17:32:21Z")
> [@E72521](#): > > Dog Whisperer Cesar Millan says it’s pent up energy, and considers sleep twitching abnormal. Does not match my experience. All of my dogs have had far more “dream rabbits” after an active day of doggy heaven activity. Seemed to me they were reliving the fun they had during the day. C.M. has a larger sample than the 4 dogs I have had though. ---
**Author:** ![Pierrot\_Le\_Fou](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f475e1/32.png) [@Pierrot\_Le\_Fou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pierrot_Le_Fou)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2010, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dogs-twitching-in-sleep/563850/9 "2010-12-12T18:14:24Z")
> [@Kevbo](#): > > Does not match my experience. All of my dogs have had far more “dream rabbits” after an active day of doggy heaven activity. Seemed to me they were reliving the fun they had during the day. C.M. has a larger sample than the 4 dogs I have had though. My experience matches yours, but my dog does not chase anything. I have no idea what he is doing when twitching. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2010, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dogs-twitching-in-sleep/563850/10 "2010-12-12T19:35:49Z")
Captain sleep-barks as well - it’s hilarious because his big ugly jowls kind of self-seal around his mouth, so the bark is a muffled “mph!” and the air that comes out puffs up his lips and slowly leaks out. It’s a riot. ---
**Author:** ![Smitty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e274bd/32.png) [@Smitty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smitty)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2010, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dogs-twitching-in-sleep/563850/11 "2010-12-13T02:09:49Z")
Yeah, the sleep barking thing is hilarious. Both my dogs do that. ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2010, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dogs-twitching-in-sleep/563850/12 "2010-12-13T02:32:09Z")
> [@Kevbo](#): > > Does not match my experience. All of my dogs have had far more “dream rabbits” after an active day of doggy heaven activity. Seemed to me they were reliving the fun they had during the day. C.M. has a larger sample than the 4 dogs I have had though. Same here. We get more sleep chasing/barking on active days than non-active days. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2010, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dogs-twitching-in-sleep/563850/13 "2010-12-13T02:43:41Z")
It’s my understanding that dogs (and cats too) have hunting dreams. They can tell thanks to experiments involving brain scans, and others where the brain center that causes paralysis during sleep is destroyed which causes the animal to act out its dreams. Rats on the other hand dream of exploring. Humans appear to be unusual in having varied types of dreams. > [@Zsofia](#): > > Captain sleep-barks as well - it’s hilarious because his big ugly jowls kind of self-seal around his mouth, so the bark is a muffled “mph!” and the air that comes out puffs up his lips and slowly leaks out. It’s a riot. I used to have a dog who would howl in his sleep. Not real loud, a low “OOOooooOOOoooo” ---
**Author:** ![Doug\_Bowe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/df788c/32.png) [@Doug\_Bowe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doug_Bowe)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2010, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dogs-twitching-in-sleep/563850/14 "2010-12-13T03:24:57Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > It’s my understanding that dogs (and cats too) have hunting dreams. They can tell thanks to experiments involving brain scans, and others where the brain center that causes paralysis during sleep is destroyed which causes the animal to act out its dreams. Rats on the other hand dream of exploring. Humans appear to be unusual in having varied types of dreams. > > I used to have a dog who would howl in his sleep. Not real loud, a low “OOOooooOOOoooo” 25 years of cats. Most of them do it, too. ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2010, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dogs-twitching-in-sleep/563850/15 "2010-12-13T16:30:59Z")
My late Black Lab would often spend all day with me in the pool. Come nighttime, he’d fall fast asleep-and be observed moving his feet in a slow rhythmic swimming motion, including spreading his webbed Lab feet. ---
**Author:** ![Acid\_Lamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Acid\_Lamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acid_Lamp)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2010, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dogs-twitching-in-sleep/563850/16 "2010-12-13T16:58:17Z")
Another check in for more twitchy dreams on a busy day than otherwise. We have feet twitchies, and this weird crying bark that is muffled by floppy jowls. mrrrf, rf,rf,rf,rf… ---
**Author:** ![EmAnJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d2c977/32.png) [@EmAnJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EmAnJ)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2010, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dogs-twitching-in-sleep/563850/17 "2010-12-13T17:16:46Z")
> [@Kevbo](#): > > Does not match my experience. All of my dogs have had far more “dream rabbits” after an active day of doggy heaven activity. Seemed to me they were reliving the fun they had during the day. C.M. has a larger sample than the 4 dogs I have had though. Mine either. My dog has a very active life and still twitches when he’s sleeping sometimes. He also sleep howls occasionally. Scared the shit out of me a couple of times when he did it in the middle of the night while sleeping in our bedroom. ---
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2010, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dogs-twitching-in-sleep/563850/18 "2010-12-13T18:31:37Z")
> [@Pierrot\_Le\_Fou](#): > > My experience matches yours, but my dog does not chase anything. I have no idea what he is doing when twitching. Maybe he’s running away from the rabbits 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2010, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dogs-twitching-in-sleep/563850/19 "2010-12-13T19:22:03Z")
> [@Markxxx](#): > > Maybe he’s running away from the rabbits 🙂 My brothers and I have always said there are two different dreams dogs have - the good one and the bad one, which are probably the dog chasing something (good) or the dog being chased (bad). ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2010, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dogs-twitching-in-sleep/563850/20 "2010-12-13T19:36:12Z")
Yeah, sometimes you can tell Captain is having the bad dog dream. However, given his personality, he probably _always_ has the bad dog dream. He’s something of a miserable creature. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dogs-twitching-in-sleep/563850.md?page=2)