1300 489 873
Have you ever noticed your dog barking whilst sleeping? Many think the dog is dreaming or in discomfort or even pain. We’re often left thinking “what’s gotten into her?” and just assume something is wrong. The good news is that in most cases, there’s nothing to worry about. This is interesting because the dog’s brain is in some ways similar to humans. We undergo similar stages of electrical activity during sleep. If you watch your furry friend as he drifts into sleep, you will notice a shallow and irregular breathing pattern and later the dog’s eyelids will move quickly as if he was looking at an imaginary image.
These movements of the eye rapidly occur during the REM (rapid eye movement) phase, which is when dreaming takes place. Muscle twitching and vocalisations such as whimpering are often also seen during this time.
Many worry that our pooch is having a bad dream and you may be even be tempted to wake her up. Trying to do so is not a good idea because in the same way us humans become startled if our sleep is interrupted, it could potentially lead to a defensive reaction from your pooch. Its important to note that if whimpering occurs whilst sleeping that’s OK, however if he is awake, the dog is trying to grab your attention. We need to remember that whimpering before sleeping or when awake may be triggered by some sort of discomfort or pain.
You can always discuss your dog’s sleeping behavior with your dog minder so you are sure that your dog is well rested while under the minder’s care, they’re just like humans and each have different sleeping habits and traits so be sure to bring your dog sitter up to speed on your dog’s normal sleeping routine.
