Does anyone else have a DOG that gets NIGHTMARES??

She could be dreaming about running and chasing something, or playing.

Maybe she is barking in her dreams.

Last Edited by noblesse oblige on 05/09/2009 01:00 PM

Nightmares are dreams too
Anything that can dream, can have nightmares.

our dog does, she wimpers and shudders when she does get some shut-eye sometimes. She was abused by another dog (her sister) when she was a pup b4 we adopted her and we always assumed that was the reason for the wimpers/shuddering.

My cat has bad dreams sometimes, she'll sort of moan and growl and her paws move around. It was worse for awhile after a bad cat fight in which she was injured.

Does your dog feel threatened by something?

Mine has mini barks in her sleep sometimes.

Animals often dreams. My cats and dog dream all the time. Often my cat would start to bite with her eyes still close. I think they probably have little animals dream like chasing birds and rodents.

We have to understand that dreams are reverse thinking. That mean the brain start looping backward and generate virtual environments based on real experience. As animals have a brain AND experience in reality, then they could very well dream just like us. Nightmares can be caused by some stress in the immediate environment like other cats and events. One thing I know is that animals (cats more than others) don`t like having they surrounding changed. For us, moving a chair is abstracted by the neo-cortex. But animals lack this superior brain function and thus are more sensible to small changes.

A good way to help them get out of nightmares is simply stroke them gently and they will wake up. There is nothing to worry about.

The only thing that may possibly be bothering her is the sort of new (about 6 months ago) cat we have. He's mean to my dog sometimes.

C'mon people, you're all overthinking it.
You don't need to have problems or terrible skeletons on your closet in order to have a nightmare.

Nightmares basically reflect fears. They are "less happy" conjugation of sub conscientious events.

You don't need to be abused as a child, you don't need to be mistreated in any way or having problems.
Nightmares just happen!

Just like physical pain, they serve a purpose.

How would you know something needed attention on your body if it wasn't for the pain?
Well, nightmares act in a similar way.
What's easier? To remember a normal dream, or a nightmare?

If your really need to over think it, then overthink it without preconception that something terrible wrong has happened to provoke that.