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Here’s Why Dogs “Run” in Their Sleep

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Dogs do all sorts of funny things, and honestly, most of them make us love them more. They’re doofuses, but adorably so, right?

It’s no surprise then, that we’re naturally curious about these animals who are truly our best friends. We love to learn why they do the funny things they do, so we can understand and love them that much more.

In short, they’re family, and there’s nobody we need to “get” more.

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If you’ve owned (or watched) a dog, chances are you’ve watched them dreaming. Right? Yeah you have.

They twitch, they whimper, and yes, they act like they’re running as they lie on the rug.

But why? After all, do they really dream? Or is there something else going on?

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Well, it actually depends on what stage of life they’re in.

If your dog is young, the “running” might be a simple muscle twitch, which is just their bodies developing into adults.

Image Credit: iStock

If your dog is older and still moves its legs, it’s possible they are indeed dreaming about running toward – or away – from something.

Experts don’t know for sure whether dogs dream, and of what, for obvious reasons. We do know they experience REM and slow-wave sleep, though, and that humans dream during REM.

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Dogs spend less time in that state than we do, though they do sleep more hours of the day than we do, so it’s definitely reasonable to think they are dreaming.

And of course, we love to think they’re more like us than not.

Now go and snuggle that sleeping pooch!