Dreams

[jcalexis]

  Do animals dream like us humans? If they do,can they understand what the dream means?

[sgluckadoo]

Yes, they do dream. They have REM sleep like humans, in which the brain is very active and dreams occur. i don't know that anyone will ever know the content of the dreams though.  I like to think when my dog is dreaming that she dreams about chasing squirrels

[yaayme]

I don't know about other animals, but dog's sure do. See video below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z2BgjH_CtIA

[bhiett]

I found this quote online:
"As dogs and cats doze, images of past events replay in their minds much the same way humans recall experiences while dreaming, said Matthew Wilson of MIT's Picower Institute for Learning and Memory in Cambridge, Mass. That's because the hippocampus, a part of the brain involved in memory, is basically wired the same way in virtually all vertebrates and mammals, he said."

[weased]

Do animals dream like us humans? If they do,can they understand what the dream means?

I always see my dog  trying to bark and growl and almost looking like she`s trying to run when she`s sleeping, don`t know if she understands her dreams

[CharmedPhoenix]

Sometimes our furry kids are clearly eating or running in their dreams.  The cutest dream I've seen was two boy puppies who were clearly nursing in their sleep and on each other's privates.   

[jiuchan]

Have you seen dogs when they're dreaming??
I saw a video on youtube about this puppy dreaming and while he's dreaming he's moving his legs as if he's running. It was so cute. LOL!!

[lucky382001]

Do animals dream like us humans? If they do,can they understand what the dream means?

It sure seems like it. I used to watch my dog when he was sleeping and sometimes his legs were moving and sometimes he was whimpering so I think he was dreaming

[queenofnines]

If you've ever seen a dog "running" in his sleep, you know they do. But no, I don't think dogs have the cognitive ability to "interpret" them.

[BlackSheepNY]

I found this quote online:
"As dogs and cats doze, images of past events replay in their minds much the same way humans recall experiences while dreaming, said Matthew Wilson of MIT's Picower Institute for Learning and Memory in Cambridge, Mass. That's because the hippocampus, a part of the brain involved in memory, is basically wired the same way in virtually all vertebrates and mammals, he said."

Although what I'm going to say is off the stated topic, I have to say it.  So, just imagine an animal who has been abused all of it's life (or even part of it's life).  If their brain, like ours, replay/recall past events, they NEVER forget the treatment of an abuser.  How sad is that for something that is completely defenseless against a rotten human being?

[jenniferhoder]

I'm not sure but my dogs legs get going sometimes when she's sleeping and I think she MUST be dreaming!!! Lol

[angsilva2000]

Sometimes I  have weird dreams