Why do puppy's twitch when they sleep?

Yes. He’s chasing rabbits.

I had a dog while growing up who used to run in his sleep. He would lie on his side, while his legs moving as if he were running, then he’d abrupt jolt a bit and then stop. It started after he got hit by a car running across a country road. The vet believed he was dreaming of the accident, but damned if I know whether dogs actually dream or not.

i always thought they were dreaming.. just my opinion tho.

Don’t we twitch when we sleep as well?.... Im sure there a few people who bark in their sleep as well

People do that too. My SO is a very VERY twitchy sleeper.So much so that he often wakes both of us up.

This asshole keeps biting me!

I wish he was asleep now.

My dogs do it too. I always think of it as dreaming and chasing rabbits also.

I always believed they are dreaming.

my puppy does the same thing! Its the cutest thing. I don’t even think they’re dreaming about chasing another animal.. I think they’re dreaming about chasing humans… Or at least my puppy does (she loves chasing me.)

My legs kick out when I am on the verge of sleep. But your puppy could be doing it because of the electric shocks you are feeding it. Sorry – couldn’t resist.

Dad always said puppies chase rabbits in their sleep. But, he also thinks the song “Convoy” is lyrical genius, so you decide

He’s a pug? Then he’s probably dreaming about following you everywhere and finding tons of treats along the way!

Dreaming!

And now, for the scientific answer. Humans and dogs have very similar sleep patterns. The first 4 stages ultimately transition into REM sleep. At this stage, involuntary twitching can occur, but also paralysis of the major muscle groups. So, twitching correlates with REM sleep, which in humans is the dreaming stage. Whether dogs actually dream is unprovable, until we can translate their barking and ask them.

I say yes to dreaming. My current dog, Mackie, does something none of my other dogs have ever done. He is a very sweet, loving dog. Often when he reaches the REM sleep state, he wags his tail, which I interpret to mean happy dreams. Other times he does the running feet, muffled bark thing.

@ shilolo Fancy meeting you here. I’m resting up to tackle your most recent response by dabbling on the lighter side of Fluthering.

Take your time…. ;-)

I have often herd that it is because the dog is dreaming. I think it is quite possible. Every living thing on this planet has a chemical within their brain, it is called DMT. Many on this site have probably herd it referenced to a psychedelic. This is because it can be extracted from other living things like plants, or created in a lab. But DMT within the brain is what causes you to dream. Dogs like other living things have it within their brains to, so it is likely they dream just as we do.

@Trance. That’s an interesting hypothesis. There is no solid evidence linking DMT to sleep, but there is evidence for the activity of the monoaminergic (catecholamines, serotonin, and histamine) and cholinergic systems in the development and maintenance of REM sleep. Dogs have the same systems in place, but we cannot know whether they dream until we can ask them.

awwww cmon shi! Just say it…. They totally dream. :-]

Do I think they dream? Sure. Is there evidence to support it? No. But, I get a little concerned when people anthropomorphize (probably not a real word, but I like it) too much.

anthropomorphize is, at least in my dictionary.

(And I agree with the dangers of it. I do it in a loving way a lot of the time with my lizard and my snake and my cats…. but in the back of my head I am always reminding myself that they’re primarily instinctual and they really don’t actually ‘like’ me. Well…. in the case of the herps, at least. )

I knew I should have looked that up first! Doh! Thanks for the clarification delirium.

Never a problem. Its one of my favorite words.

Why am I not surprised… I use it sometimes too, but never really thought to check if it is a “real” word.

Hahaha, i’m not sure if I should be offended or not. ;)
I actually like it because (embarrassingly enough) it reminds me of my favorite thing ever: Sandman. Its where my username comes from, actually.

This is the problem with text based media, you lose the context that comes with face to face interactions. I meant it as a joke to reflect your fields of expertise and interests in your profile. I meant no offense.

Its no problem. Glancing at my interests, I can see how that would be slightly obvious. Hahaha! I had no idea that I was so predictable. ;)

That’s actually one of the reasons for my affinity for smileys. They’re annoying, but they get my expressions across when need be. ;) tends to mean that i’m teasing, O.O tends to mean that i’m shocked or staring aghast, O.o tends to be a very confused raised-eyebrow-convoluted-type face…. etc.

Cool. Have a good night }:-)

;D. You too!!

My dog does that too. Sometimes I wake up in the night because she’s making this high-pitched barking noise that she makes only when she’s asleep. She also twitches. I guess your dog’s just dreaming, I wouldn’t worry about it.