What Do Dogs Dream About? (Then Watch Dream Mode Paint It)

The paws paddle, the whiskers twitch, a muffled woof escapes. Your dog is clearly off somewhere in dreamland. But where, exactly, and what are they chasing? Let's find out, then paint it.

Do dogs actually dream?

Almost certainly, yes. Dogs have a brain structure and a sleep cycle remarkably similar to our own. Like us, they move through different stages of sleep, including rapid eye movement or REM sleep, which is the stage most strongly associated with vivid dreaming in humans. During REM, a dog's brain activity looks a lot like the brain activity of a dreaming person.

This is the stage where you see the classic signs: the paddling legs, the twitching face, the fluttering closed eyelids, and the little muffled barks and whimpers. Your dog is not cold or uncomfortable, they are dreaming. It is one of the surest signs that a rich inner life is ticking away behind those closed eyes. Curious what your waking dog is thinking too? You can scan your dog free and get their thoughts in about ten seconds.

What do dogs dream about, according to science?

We cannot ask a dog to describe their dreams, but researchers have found clever ways to make educated guesses. Studies on the sleeping brain suggest that animals tend to replay their daily experiences during sleep, effectively rehearsing and consolidating what they have learned and done. Classic research on rats found that their brains replayed the exact patterns from running a maze while they slept, strongly implying they were dreaming about their day.

Applied to dogs, the leading view from sleep experts is that dogs most likely dream about typically doggy things drawn from their real lives. That means:

• Chasing and being chased, whether squirrels, balls or other dogs
• Running, playing and romping in favourite places
• Sniffing and exploring, since scent is so central to a dog's world
• Interacting with the humans and animals they spend their days with

In other words, your dog's dreams are probably a highlight reel of their ordinary happy life, replayed in the theatre of their sleeping mind.

Do dogs dream about their owners?

This is the question that makes every dog owner go soft, and the likely answer is a lovely one. If dogs dream about their daily experiences, and you are one of the biggest, most important features of your dog's every single day, then it stands to reason that you turn up in their dreams too. Experts who study animal sleep have suggested that, given how attached dogs are to their people, our dogs very probably do dream about us.

So the next time you catch your dog paddling and softly woofing in their sleep, there is a genuine chance they are dreaming of running to you, playing your favourite game, or simply being by your side. It is a rather beautiful thought, and one grounded in real science rather than wishful thinking.

Do all dogs dream the same amount?

Not quite, and size and age seem to play a part. Interestingly, research suggests that smaller dogs may dream more frequently but in shorter bursts, while larger dogs tend to dream less often but for longer stretches. So a tiny terrier might have many brief dreams a night, while a big Labrador has fewer, longer ones.

Age matters too. Puppies and senior dogs tend to dream more than dogs in the prime of life. For puppies, this is thought to be linked to the huge amount of new information they are taking in and processing every day, as their brains work overtime to make sense of the world. All of it is completely normal and a sign of a healthy, busy little brain.

Should I wake a dreaming dog?

As a rule, no, and the old saying let sleeping dogs lie is genuinely good advice. A dog roused suddenly from a deep dream can be disorientated and startled, and a startled dog may snap on instinct before they are properly awake. This is not naughtiness, it is a reflex, and it is easily avoided by simply letting them sleep.

If your dog seems to be having an unpleasant dream and you feel you must intervene, do it gently and from a small distance. Softly say their name to ease them awake rather than touching or shaking them. Most of the time, though, there is no need. Even a slightly twitchy dream is a normal part of healthy sleep, and your dog will surface from it perfectly happily on their own.

See your dog's dream, painted by Dream Mode

Here is the really fun part. You do not have to just imagine what your dog is dreaming about, you can see it. Our Dream Mode takes a photo of your dog and paints a gorgeous, imaginative artwork of the adventure they might be off having in their sleep, whether that is bounding through a sunlit meadow, chasing waves on a beach, or ruling a kingdom of endless tennis balls.

It pairs beautifully with the mind reader itself. First, scan your dog free to get a read on what they are thinking while awake, then let Dream Mode conjure the dreamland their twitching paws are running through. It is a delightful, shareable way to celebrate that rich inner life we have just been talking about, and it takes only a photo and a few seconds. Go on, find out where your dog goes when they close their eyes.

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