Why is My Dog Crying & Whimpering In Sleep?
You’ve probably heard a lot of people say that their dogs are very much like them. That just like us all, they can voice their concerns. The difference, however, is that they do it in a different way. However, we cannot escape the fact that the meanings we put to what we observe in our dogs are our own perceptions. They do not necessarily reflect what the dog has in its mind.
So, have you noticed your dog crying or whining while asleep? If yes, did you give it much thought or it didn’t bother you at all? Say, for instance, asking yourself why your dog could be crying.
It is absolutely okay to think that your dog is sad, perhaps dreaming or even overjoyed when you see it crying or whining. Walk with me as we explore the many possibilities that could be behind this peculiar behavior in dogs.
Possible Reasons Why Your Dog Could Be Crying
Communicating?
Funny huh? Well, all animals communicate. This is one very essential characteristic of any living organism. But sadly, your dog is not gifted with the power of comprehensible speech.
Have you noticed how your dog lowers its ears and tail every time you raise your voice? Then the gleeful smile that forms on its face when you call its name as you walk into your house, and of course the frantic wag of its tail?
Your dog may also bark, but dogs communicate using body movements. But for me, local man, I do not have the ability to translate or understand what these cues really mean. The least I can do is associate these cues with the circumstances and other overt signs from the dog.
Now closer home, your dog also makes noises or sound to communicate. Maybe from their barking, you can tell if the bark has a happy tone to it, or maybe it’s a more anxious tone or a really angry tone.
They whine too. Of course unlike us, your dog won’t sob and wipe its tears with its paws. Their cry, whine or whimper usually means they are telling you something. But regrettably, no one absolutely, you and I alike, cannot be certain about what a crying dog is telling us, same way a crying human does not always denote sadness or grief. I may cry because I am overjoyed.
So now what if your good dog cries while asleep? Hold on right there for a gulp of water and hear the direction this takes. Dreamer dogs? Yes, dreamer dogs.
So he could be dreaming?
Yes, they actually could be dreaming. Believe it or not, your dog dreams in the same way you do.
As soon as dogs fall into sleep, they immediately go into a slow-wave face of sleep. This stage lasts about 10 to 20 minutes before going into the next stage which is recognized as the body’s way of trying to repair and replenish itself. In this stage, the dog is obviously in deep sleep. It is for this reason that dreaming is always associated with this stage.
In this dream state, the dog may be playing or interacting with another dog or may be its owner. Depending on the intensity of the interaction in these dreams, the brain can be stimulated in such a way that it also sends electrical impulses to the different muscles of the body. That is why you see muscle twitching, eye-darting movements, and yes, even noise such as crying, whimpering or whining.
What could the dreams be about?
Have you wondered what your dog could be dreaming about? The fact is, dogs cannot utter a simple sound that will tell us just what exactly they have dreamt about. For humans it’s quite easy because for us we can somehow communicate our most vague recollections of the dream. So for dogs, all we can do is offer our best guess.
In face value dogs could be reenacting some or all the activities or events that it may have experienced during the day.
You may have noticed your dog moving or even twitching its legs while sleeping. With this, it is possible that your dog is dreaming about running in the backyard or even in a wide-open field, chasing perhaps a rabbit, squirrel, or any other small prey. Now what if you try to recall if such occurrence took place during the day, and trust me, there is a good chance that such occurrence took place.
The same is true with crying or whimpering. It is possible that it is trying to process that time you scolded it or may be even when you left it alone in the house. You may also have had it groomed by someone it dislikes. What of those situations that you may have caused distress to the dog. There is quite a good chance that your dog is reliving those moments.
What could the dog be trying to communicate from crying?
It could be pain, or some discomfort that the dog may be experiencing whenever it’s crying, whimpering, or whining. Dogs don’t have the faculty to express in words their feelings and experiences. Your dog may have an injury that you are not completely aware of such as a brewing infection or inflammation in one part of its body that is not normally seen.
Dogs could also cry trying to convey a message that it is being submissive. Whining is often a dog’s way of communicating to the owner that it will follow its lead. You know about dogs and loyalty huh?
Then now, would you cry when you see a person you really love? Well, dogs do. It is a different kind of cry as it is equated more with joy, happiness and excitement.
Other dogs just like kids, may also whine or cry whenever they want something. This is a dog’s way of getting attention.
It is however important to realize that these messages are a product of man’s interpretation of a variety of dog behavior.
What then should you do when your dog is crying?
In this state, dogs are easily aroused or awakened from their sleep. So when your dog cries while sleeping, let it be. Don’t try to wake it up since it is still in the middle of the dream because if you do, it may not recognize you immediately and snap at you or even bite you in the process.
Now if your dog makes such noise while sleeping do not shake it instead, you can make loud noises so that it won’t bite you if it does wake up and get startled. You may even try to wake it up by calling its name.
