Why do dogs twitch in their sleep?

As weird as it looks, there’s a much simpler answer: “When dogs are twitching in their sleep, it is mainly because they are dreaming.” according to Amber Karwacki, DVM, a well-known veterinarian at Heart+Paw.

After intense research, scientists measured the sleeping brains of our little furry friends. And as it turns out, dogs go through various stages of sleep, pretty much like humans do. When humans reach the rapid eye movement (REM) stage of sleep, which is the official definition of vivid dreaming, it is perfectly normal to feel movement in the body.

Well, as it turns out, the same goes for our furry little friends. Throughout the REM phase, brain waves are super irregular and fast. Scientific observations of dogs’ movement and vocalization during their REM sleep concluded that they were sleeping.

Sometimes, dogs might even “talk” in their sleep with muffled barks and act out their dreams by moving their legs in the same way humans do when they dream.

What’s even more interesting is that dogs hit the coveted deep sleep of REM way faster than we do. It only takes 20 minutes to get there and around 90 minutes for us.