Comments on: chasing imaginary bunnies

Question: chasing imaginary bunnies

judith — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 00:17:48 -0800

Why does my dog giggle in his sleep?

When my 2.5 yr old JRT, Lyle, sleeps, he occasionally makes a sound that is somewhere between a giggle and a whine. He's never made this sound while awake, and it's mostly during a light sleep/nap rather than deep nighttime sleep. I find it somewhat adorable, so I'm hoping it's a sign of delight rather than torment for him. Google doesn't reveal much on the subject of dog dream capacity. Any thoughts? Research? Anecdotal evidence?

By: miss lynnster

miss lynnster — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 00:29:59 -0800

My dog does that. I always think she's dreaming that she's calling other dogs to run on the beach with her -- her legs usually start to wiggle right afterwards.

By: iamkimiam

iamkimiam — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 00:33:51 -0800

Maybe he heard a funny joke earlier that day. Or he's dreaming about chasing his tail.

By: amyms

amyms — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 00:36:17 -0800

My smallest dog (half rat terrier/half toy poodle). Sometimes it's accompanied by a panting sound. At first I was scared that she was having trouble breathing, but then I realized that she was simply dreaming.

I'm hoping it's a sign of delight rather than torment for him.

It can't be a sign of torment, because my other dog (a rat terrier/beagle mix, who is very protective of the little one) has witnessed the sleeping behavior and doesn't show any signs of concern over it.

By: amyms

amyms — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 00:37:22 -0800

oops, that was supposed to say: My smallest dog (half rat terrier/half toy poodle" does that too.

By: essexjan

essexjan — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 01:01:44 -0800

Just as humans make odd sounds during sleep that aren't quite words, dogs (and cats) do the same.

Also, this thread is useless without a YouTube link.

By: Quidam

Quidam — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 01:07:21 -0800

Yeah, our Bichon does this too, generally while wiggling his back legs too. Sort of endearing to watch, really.

By: louche mustachio

louche mustachio — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 03:30:08 -0800

It's associated with REM sleep - all mammals have a REM sleep cycle, and sometimes react to their dreams.

My cat makes little chattering and snerting noises when she is deeply asleep. I don't know whether the dreams are good or bad. I imagine if they were bad they would startle her awake, as a human nightmare would one of us.

By: Faint of Butt

Faint of Butt — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 03:38:09 -0800

He's dreaming about your failure to shoot the ducks.

By: numinous

numinous — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 04:18:16 -0800

2nding essexjax: Please post audio/video of your dog doing this so that we can make a better educated determination. (but also so that you can share the lulz.)

By: somanyamys

somanyamys — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 04:56:37 -0800

Our beagle does this too (also with wiggly legs), and we actually call it "chasing bunnies." So I vote for happy dreams.

By: toastedbeagle

toastedbeagle — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 06:48:11 -0800

We call it "chasing bunnies", too. Sometimes we even whisper "get the bunny!" to the sleeping pup. It never makes any difference in the appearance of the dreamer, but the people in the room get a giggle.

By: SuperSquirrel

SuperSquirrel — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 06:50:18 -0800

nthing happy dreams: In addition to weird little sleep-only sounds, ours also "chuffs" - he snorts and blows out little puffs of air, making his lips flap - which of course is hilarious.

By: iknowizbirfmark

iknowizbirfmark — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 07:07:23 -0800

My dogs do this too and it has always seemed to me like that are barking or otherwise vocalizing in their dreams, and that some of this comes through in their physical activity, just like the way their paws move a little or they twitch while sleeping sometimes as well. They always seem to be having a good time.

By: Savannah

Savannah — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 07:16:42 -0800

Our dog makes the oddest little sounds in her sleep on occasion--almost like a hiccough crossed with a tiny yip. It's not a sound she makes while awake. It's quite strange to hear from under the covers, especially since at 6.5 pounds, she doesn't make a big lump under the blanket, so she's basically invisible. My husband has been known to wake her up if he thinks she's having a bad dream.

Common wisdom says that when all four paws are twitching, she's dreaming of running through a grassy field on a summer day, chasing rabbits. Or so we'd like to think...

I will now be checking YouTube for sleeping and dreaming dogs.

By: nev

nev — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 07:35:11 -0800

Of course my dog does this too, but I'm pretty sure the rabbits she's chasing are mechanical. She's a greyhound.

By: nev

nev — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 07:42:31 -0800

The famous work on this subject has been in cats, not dogs, by Michel Jouvet. Cats with lesions preventing sleep paralysis act out their dreams, and they are in fact chasing, stalking and engaging in other kinds of prey-related behavior.

By: Green Eyed Monster

Green Eyed Monster — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 07:49:54 -0800

My cat and my fiance both do it, too. I believe they are both chasing bunnies.

By: nobeagle

nobeagle — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 08:16:59 -0800

Odd, our beagle never does this, but our lab does all the time. The beagle however will full on howl in her sleep - sometimes the howling wakes her up, she look around confused then go back to sleep. Othertimes she'll howl once or twice and continue sleeping without even opening her eyes.

The lab's bunny chasing is *much* more endearing.

By: notsnot

notsnot — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 09:36:21 -0800

Green Eyed Monster: "My cat and my fiance both do it, too. I believe they are both chasing bunnies."

Wow, I did not know I did this.

By: Nattie

Nattie — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 06:58:34 -0800

I think it's not just limited to dogs., My parrot literally giggles -- as in, in imitation of our voices -- and sometimes gibbers softly in his sleep. It's really cute. I figure he's just having a dream.