As dog sitters we have surely observed on more than one occasion a scene that may have disturbed us: our dog, asleep, begins to move, make sounds and breathe very quickly in a sequence that can last several minutes after which you continue to sleep peacefully or wake up so calm, without the slightest sign that indicates that you have just suffered a state of considerable agitation.
Perhaps what most worries caregivers is breathing disturbances, so we are going to dedicate this article on our site to explaining why my dog is breathing too fast when he sleeps Are you not sure what is happening? Then we solve all your doubts!
Dog sleep characteristics
To understand why a dog breathes very fast when sleeping, we need to know some facts about how dogs sleep, such as we will see, very similar to the human pattern. The most important thing is to know that there are two phases, which are the following:
- Slow Wave Sleep: Light sleep phase in which the body remains relaxed and calm and brain activity slows. The heart beats more slowly and breathing also slows down. It is the one that occurs during a longer interval of time.
- Paradoxical sleep: deep sleep phase, characterized by the appearance of the REM phase, from the English Rapid Eye Movement, that is, "rapid movement of the eyes". In this phase, brain activity is triggered, even surpassing that which develops during wakefulness. The REM phase lasts for minutes and several are repeated during a slow-wave sleep session. Although the muscles are relaxed, breathing is rapid and irregular.
Sleep patterns in dogs change according to age. Just like human babies, puppies sleep most of the day. These hours are reduced as the dog grows to increase again when the dog gets older.
Dogs sleep largely lightly, as they are in a state of alert, ready to respond to any signal. Thus, although they can get to rest for a few hours at a time, it is normal for them to sleep for a few minutes, wake up and go back to sleepIn the next section we will explain when rapid breathing can occur while the dog sleeps.
The REM phase
To understand why the dog breathes very fast when sleeping, we must look at the REM phase, since it is during this time of dream in which brain activity increases and allows movements such as the following to occur:
- Eye movements, we can see the eyes move from one side to the other under the eyelids and even open, even if the dog remains asleep.
- In the same way, the ears can also move.
- As for the mouth, the dog can make different sounds such as grunts, snorts, snorts, barks, cries, moans and even howls.
- Also, they can move their legs as if they were running or digging. This scene is very typical and many caregivers interpret it as the dog dreaming that he is chasing a rabbit or a ball. The dog can also move only its feet, like a tic.
- The queue also moves.
- As for breathing, which is the topic at hand, can also be altered, it is very normal for the dog to breathe very quickly, as if it were subjected to great physical effort or had some respiratory problem.
All these movements that we refer to may seem completely normal, that is, the same as those that the dog would do while awake, tic-like or even jerky. This fact, together with very rapid breathing, can scare the handlers, since it seems that the dog is having a seizure. As we can see, in this case it is not about any pathology, but rather a completely normal sequence during the dog's rest period.
What to do if my dog breathes too fast when sleeping?
As we have seen, it is normal for a dog to breathe very fast when sleeping. Sometimes after these episodes the dog continues to sleep but, other times, he may wake up upset, as if he had had a nightmare. And it is possible, since different studies seem to indicate that dogs, like humans, can dream and, therefore, also have Nightmares
In those moments the dog may seem confused and out of place so, Calmly, we will call him by his nameso that he You have just woken up and know that you are safe and at home. In the same way, we must always provide you with a suitable bed for your rest, sheltered, comfortable and adapted to your needs in terms of size, height, season of the year or hygiene, in addition to always respecting your hours of rest. If you don't have a bed for your dog, find out how to make a DIY dog bed on our site.
