Like people, dogs can dream and have nightmares . We know that our pet is in a deep phase of sleep because it moves its legs, ears and even opens its eyes. You are in the REM phase. However, at other times, our dog cries, complains or seems restless. Is it good to wake up our dog if he has a nightmare?
At first, we might think that we should immediately wake up the animal, since we do not want it to suffer. However, this is not the best solution, since our dog could start up and bite us in a reflex action , even if it does not want to hurt us. In addition, it can pose a danger to our pet, who will be scared and confused after the nightmare.
How to act if my dog has nightmares
• First of all, do not wake up our pet suddenly under any circumstances. We will have to wait for it to calm down or we will try to calm it in a smooth and progressive way.
• Caress the animal on the side, very slowly, until little by little it notices our presence and relaxes.
• Call our pet by its name in a low voice. This causes the animal’s sleep to be redirected towards something calmer or to leave the REM phase without abruptness.
• Once we have woken up our dog, let him sleep again. The animal needs to rest and calm down after the start.
• If you think your dog may be having a seizure, it is best to call him by name. The animal will only be able to wake up if it is a deep sleep.
Establish routines
If our dog’s behavior does not change and he continues to have nightmares, it is advisable to develop a follow-up in which we note the time at which the nightmares occur, what he eats and at what time, as well as the noises in the house at that time. These details could help a veterinarian to establish the causes of the nightmares and determine if the animal has any serious health problems.
In addition, if our animal does not rest as it should, lack of sleep could take its toll and affect it physically and psychologically. Therefore, we must take care of the rest area of our dog and choose a bed that ensures the maximum possible comfort.
On the other hand, it is important to make sure that our pet has a stable life, with an established hourly routine, since if it suffers alterations during the day or we have a stressed animal, it is quite likely that it suffers bad dreams at night.
Phases of sleep in dogs
Like us, dogs go through different phases of sleep. The first phase, during light sleep, is known as the ‘wake-up wave’. However, it is not until the deep sleep phase that dogs begin to dream. During this phase, our pet fixes his experiences and everything he has learned during the day.
