You may have noticed sudden , brief twitching (抽动) at some point while your dog was sleeping and wondered if they were dreaming or even expressing some type of discomfort.
These involuntary movements only occur during dream states and usually don't last long. So is twitching just a normal part of dreaming, or are there times when you should worry?
Dogs sleep an average of 12-14 hours each day. While they sleep, a dog's brain processes information and experiences from the day through dreams. Twitching is often related to active dream cycles in the brain.
According to research by psychologist Stanley Coren, an average-size dog will dream about every 20 minutes, and these dreams will last about a minute. Larger breeds (品种) have fewer dreams that last longer-about every 45 minutes for 4 minutes. The opposite is true for smaller breed dogs; they will dream about every 10 minutes for up to 30 seconds.
Dogs experience the same dream stages as humans, including non-rapid eye movement (NREM), short-wave sleep (SWS), and rapid eye movement (REM). During the REM state, a dog's eyes move around behind their closed eyelids (眼睑)，and the large body muscles are turned off so the dream is not physically acted out. The amount of twitching depends on how much these off switches cramp muscle movement.
If your dog sleeps next to you, they may unintentionally disturb your sleep with their sudden body movements. However, it is often advised not to awaken a dog that is twitching in their sleep unless they are clearly in distress.
A bad dream or night terror could be the cause of these involuntary movements, and they may wake up frightened. Try to avoid touching them so they don't bite you as a result of being shocked and panicked. Instead, gently call your dog's name until they respond. Speak calmly and tell them that they are safe and secure after they wake up. While they appear to be pretty active in their sleep, dreaming dogs may be slow to awaken.
