Anyone know the answer to this - Do animals dream?

Question

I have watched my dog sleeping and it appears to me that he goes through different states of sleep; and at some point during it he has rapid eye movement and starts to yap like he is a little puppy and sometimes he wags his tail. Is he dreaming?

Also I am interested in whether other primates dream. I know that monkeys, gorillas etc can learn to use sign language quite proficiently and that their intellect is developed in line with a human five year old.

Has anyone asked them this question, or is the concept too abstract for them?

Answer 1

Hi Atma...

Again I don't know the answer but have some information. Let's see.

You are right in describing different stages of sleeps and they occur in humans also. They occur in their particular order and in one stage (when we are deep in sleep) dreaming happens.

Dreaming is a complex process and it shows that the conscious of that particulate being is developed enough that he can use some imagination. Or think for that matter about hypothetical situations. Isn't it ?? he might not realise it but dreams are created by him only in his head.

Now there are some basic tests which are done to figure out just how developed the particular being is. Like when young children look in the mirror they might not realise it's their own reflexion and can behave as if someone else is there. But as they grow up their brain is enough developed to understand it's their own reflexion. Now you compared monkeys and gorillas with a five year old. Now if a five year old can dream then there are very good chances that even monkeys can. And I am quite sure they can. They are really intelligent as they live in a social environment and capable of complex emotions like jealousy or compassion.

Coming back to dogs. Do you know if 1.5 year old child can dream... if he can then most probably even dogs should be able to dream as we can at least take it for granted that their conscious is as developed as a 1.5 year old.

That's my way of thinking hope it helps in someway.

(And I will ask that question. But sort of busy with few other things now.) Bye. Take care.  

Answer 2

Yeah.  I think my dog dreams.  He lays on the floor and I can see his ears jumping and his legs moving like he is chasing a bunny thru the meadow.  He barks and carries on in his sleep.  

There is no other excuse for his behavior except for dreaming.  

Answer 3

Certainly.Dogs try to catch flies which were not there while dreaming.

The whole evolution is the work of imagination i.e dreaming.So every

being dreams.

Answer 4

my dog does the same thing.and he also moves his legs almost like hes running.so i think so.

Answer 5

Yes.  My dog dreams.  Every so often I see her running in her sleep.  Her legs move like she's running and she growls in her sleep if she's going after something.

It's pretty cool to watch.

Answer 6

i have a 6 mo. old yorkie named "tigger" and i know that he must be a dreamer the way he runs up on big dogs with no fear!  he has actually punked a couple of them. seriously though, he sleeps on his side with a front leg straight up in the air and his eyes open. all creatures have people characteristics and it's a trip to watch their antics.

Answer 7

My dog does the same thing too. Sometimes he will start shaking all over or his paws will start twitching. I used to have a German Shepard when I was younger, and one time he was sleeping laying upside down on his back and he kept moving his paws around in the air and making noises. I definitely  think animals dream, what I wonder is what sometimes. My dog also breathes three deep breaths when he is about to fall asleep which I notice allot especially when I'm home with him all day. I think is kinda funny cause with the German Shepard I had I never noticed him do anything like that. It would be interesting to see what a chimpanzee would say if asked about dreams.

Answer 8

I dream of eating animals but I know what you mean my sisters dog does it all the time. We sit around and make up storys like She dreaming about playing catch or running trough a field. It all depend on her movements.  

Answer 9

I have always wondered this too. My cat does weird things when he sleeps, but all cats are such light sleepers... who could know?

I think finding out about the primates would be too abstract for them to just give us the answer we want..