It is not uncommon that, as dog handlers, we have occasionally observed behavior similar to the following: our dog, apparently completely asleep, begins to make noises, move his legs, his eyes and even gasps for breath. After a few minutes, he either wakes up as if nothing had happened, or continues to sleep soundly.
This is a usual and normal behavior, which does not indicate the presence of any pathology. However, you may have doubts and want to know why it occurs, for this reason, in this article on our site we are going to explain why our dog shakes when he sleeps Find out below!
Dogs dream
Dogs, just like humans, go through different phases during sleep, which are as follows:
- Slow Wave Sleep: This stage corresponds to the lightest sleep. In it the body relaxes and there is a decrease in brain activity. It is the phase that lasts the longest. If we pay attention, we will see that the breathing slows down and, if we pay more attention, we can even notice that the heart beats more slowly.
- Paradoxical dream: this is the deepest sleep phase in which the well-known appears. REM phase (Rapid Eye Movement). Contrary to what happens in the previous phase, in this the brain activity increases considerably, in fact, it becomes higher than that which develops when the animal is awake. Also, in contrast to slow-wave sleep, the duration of REM sleep is very short, only minutes, so that several REM sleeps occur during slow-wave sleep. In this case we can see that our dog breathes quickly and more irregularly.
These phases are the key to explaining why our dog shakes when he sleeps, as we will see in the next section. We must also bear in mind that a puppy will sleep more than an adult dog, so it will be more common for us to see our dog tremble while sleeping when he is smaller and when he gets older, as his rest periods will increase. It is important that we take our partner's needs for sleep and rest seriously, since they are going to be fundamental for their growth and he alth, since they have a direct impact on their wellness, learning and immune system.
So why does my dog shake in his sleep?
As we have seen in the description of the previous section on the phases of sleep, we can guess that the tremor that we observe while our dog sleeps will have its origin in the REM phase, since during it Phenomena such as the following may occur:
- Twitching movements in different parts of the body such as the ears, tail, legs, mouth and even the eyes. It is totally normal to observe that the dog has spasms when he sleeps.
- The movement of the legs is very characteristic and recognizable, since it seems that the dog is running or even digging. Many caregivers interpret it to mean that the dog is dreaming that he is running or chasing a rabbit. You may also experience that the dog trembles as if cold.
- Very varied sounds ranging from moans to barks or growls, through whistles, cries and even howls.
- Breathing also changes and speeds up as if the dog were really running.
In all this table that we describe, and that many caregivers will perfectly identify, we will also find the tremors that we allude to in the title. Thus, the explanation for why a dog trembles when he sleeps is that he is in the REM phase of his sleep. As we can see, therefore, the picture we have described does not imply any pathology nor should we wake up our dog
It may be that, after a few minutes of presenting these agitations, our dog wakes up somewhat out of place. It will be enough for us to speak to him in a calm voice or call him by his name for him to feel at home again.
When to consult the tremor with our veterinarian?
If our dog has muscle spasms when sleeping but also while awake, we should consult him with the vet since, in that case, we could be facing a he alth problem such as that caused by poisoning or a virus. It is especially important to go to the vet if we observe that a puppy trembles or if an adult dog trembles at rest without being asleep.
Furthermore, we can see our dog shiver when it is cold or scared, but, in those cases, it is possible to easily identify the action-reaction sequence, for example, if we have bathed our dog and it is still wet you can shiver with cold. If it is a fearful dog, it is also not uncommon for it to tremble in the face of a situation that is stressful for it, such as noises or strangers. These episodes, due to their origin, will occur when the dog is awake.
Thus, the most probable cause that will explain why a dog shakes when he sleeps is, as we have said, that he is in the REM phase of sleep.
