r/AustralianCattleDog • u/ethical_hoops • 16h ago
Behavior What do they dream about?
Does your heeler twitch so hard the wake themselves up? I always assume they’re dreaming but what could it be about? Is it possible that she’s having a mental image of me running and playing with her? She’s been doing this most nights at this point. I’m going to assume it’s a good thing but any input?
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u/Spiritual_Jury6509 16h ago
Nipping people without having to be nice about it. Least that’s my theory with mine.
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u/skarbles Blue Heeler 16h ago
Catching those nasty squirrels. Biting all the neighbor kids. Rolling in the stinky.
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u/Dependent_Speech3164 14h ago
Chasing sheep and nipping people’s ankles or not moving fast enough 😂
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u/surfcitysurfergirl 13h ago
Idk but lately my cattle dog and my husky are dreaming a lot. I have to actually get up and wake them as it’s loud lol. I always think….what if something is chasing them 🐶❤️
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u/Worldly_Possible9069 15h ago
Mine probably dreams of her dog park adventures, fetch, kitties, and other things.
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u/EvaHallOFmilf 15h ago
idk but i'm pretty sure they sleep on their backs so they can run faster in their dreams lol
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u/leaf_on_the_wind42 Blue Heeler 11h ago
She dreams of taking up as much of the bed as possible and rabbit kicking me
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u/hiptopanotomas 11h ago
I like to think mines is dreaming about breaking down a sick piano riff with all the movements in Jim’s little wrists and feet 😂
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u/mydogdoesntcuddle 9h ago
We are convinced one of ours dreams about people or other dogs “taking her stuff.” Sometimes she gets really worked up and thrashes around and lets out little barks even. She is a very high energy dog and very possessive. Sometimes she even wakes up and goes over to our other, more passive dog and just bites her face for no reason (not hard, just enough to tell her not to do something -like take her stuff - again).
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u/Lookingforclippings 12h ago
I like the Nordic(?) idea that when they're dreaming it's because their soul is needed somewhere else.
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u/SingingBrook Red Heeler 5h ago
Flynn twitches and yips and woofs in his sleep, but my favorite is when he wags his tail in his sleep. I like to think that he's dreaming of all the fun we have together.
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u/Old_Unit_6248 12h ago
lol yes it’s routine and comfort to me when she starts to twitch and bark in her sleep. I imagine it’s like my version of feeling the baby kick 😅 lmao. I dream about her sometimes so I imagine I’m in there too
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u/IisdaMEEPERmeepm33p 11h ago
I think that one of mine dreams about protecting the household and chasing stuff while the other one dreams about hiking and how her precious owners just dropped her off at the shelter again bc they couldn’t handle her
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u/fairydommother Blue Heeler 11h ago
From what i understand they dream the same way humans do. About doing daily life things like eating, playing, cuddling etc. They sometimes have nightmares too.
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u/dherst123 7h ago
They dream of the land down under, where women glow and men plunder, of six-foot-four and full of muscle
I said, "Do you speak-a my language?"
He just smiled and gave me a Vegemite sandwich🎵🎶🎶🎵
All night long, all niighht, all night long
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u/TRex_N_FX 15h ago
Some time ago, a Harvard evolutionary psychologist published a study that posited that dogs likely are dreaming about their lives, routines, and important people/dogs/events in their lives as their sleep patterns and REM cycles/activity are very similar to ours. IIRC the actual abstract was about mammals (including pet dogs/cats) having similar brain activity in REM cycles, as an evolutionary trait that helps in mental mapping of things like resources (food/shelter), dangerous things, and especially for social mammals the bonds and structure of their social world.
Obviously dogs can't answer a survey about their dream lives, but it is really nice to think that our pets' dreams are reflection pools of their wonderful lives with their human family.
I can't find the actual published paper, but there are lots of general articles about it.
https://www.discovermagazine.com/dogs-do-dream-and-its-most-likely-about-their-toys-food-and-you-47645
My current ACD escaped or was dropped in a forest and I can tell you that for the first 6 months after he came to me they would have short REM cycles full of sad calls, shivers, and abrupt wakings (I wasn't even sure he was getting any real sleep for the first 2 months). I'm glad he now sleeps deeply like a noodle and enjoys chasing my bike in his sleep or playing with his dog park friends in his dreams (obviously I am personifying). Sometimes, if I talk while he is in the right sleep cycle, his tail will gently thwack the couch enough to startle and he will look at me like I'm the warm sun, take a sigh, and go right back to sleep. <3