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Is what my dog doing while asleep normal or should I worry? (reddthat.com)

submitted 5 months ago by HeraTeg@reddthat.com to c/animals@beehaw.org

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I am a first time pet owner as an adult so I don't know a lot but I want the best for my dog.

So my problem is that he breaths heavily when he sleeps and often he has these irregularities in his breathing and he twiches like he has nightmares.

Tonight he was sleeping in my bed while I was relaxing next to him and he started breathing fast and heavy and he was twitching a lot like he had some kind of a seizure. I woke him up and he was fine I hugged him, talked to him and pet him. Then he heard my brother eating and left to find him, so I think he is okay but I am scared that he has something or needs something.

Also we have him in this house about 4 months now. He usually sleeps in the living room (on the couch) alone but the last few weeks he is trying to sleep with as in our bedrooms (on our beds).

Any insights would be greatly appreciated!

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[–] bionicjoey@lemmy.ca 21 points 5 months ago

Every dog I've ever had (four now) has gently woofed in their sleep, twitched their legs, made little hooting or cooing noises, and all other manner of sleep talking. I even remember a couple times where dogs growled in their sleep. Dogs have pretty active minds when they're awake, and so it's no surprise that their dreams are lively too.

If your dog sounds like they are in distress, they might be having a bad dream. In that case you can gently wake them with a soft touch on the back and quietly saying their name. They usually will fall back to sleep pretty quickly. It would only become an issue if it happens with such frequency and intensity that they aren't getting enough restful sleep over a couple of days.