Ingesting topical or environmental pesticides or toxic foods may also cause twitches or tremors in dogs. Infection with parasites, bacteria, or viruses In this case, there may be another explanation for the twitching, such as:
They may be unable to fall sleep or constantly awakened during sleep.Īnother cause for concern is when the twitching becomes a full-body tremor, causing the body to go rigid or lasting longer than a brief spasm. You should be concerned when the twitching interferes with your dog’s sleep. When Should You Be Concerned About a Dog Twitching in Their Sleep? While they appear to be pretty active in their sleep, dreaming dogs may be slow to awaken. Speak calmly and reassure them that they are safe and secure after they wake up. Instead, gently call your dog’s name until they respond.
Try to avoid touching them so they don’t bite or scratch you as a result of being startled. However, it is often advised to not awaken a dog that is twitching in their sleep unless they are clearly in distress.Ī nightmare or night terror could be the cause of these involuntary movements, and they may wake up frightened. If your dog sleeps next to you, they may unintentionally disturb your sleep with their sudden body movements. Should You Wake Your Dog Up If They Twitch in Their Sleep? Any outside stimulation from loud noises such as thunder, fireworks, or strange voices may partially awaken a sleeping dog and result in twitching as well. Puppies spend more time in dream sleep than adult dogs because they need to process more information.ĭogs that sleep in a curled position will keep their muscles tensed and are less relaxed, which may cause them to twitch less than a dog that sleeps in a stretched-out position. The amount of twitching depends on how much these off switches inhibit muscle movement. This is why twitching while sleeping occurs most commonly in younger and older dogs and less often in adult dogs. In younger dogs, the pons may still be developing, while in older dogs it may be weakening from age. The part of the brain that contains these off switches is called the pons, which is part of the brain stem. During the REM state, a dog’s eyes move around behind their closed eyelids, and the large body muscles are turned off so the dream is not physically acted out. The opposite is true for smaller breed dogs they will dream about every 10 minutes for up to 30 seconds.ĭogs experience the same dream stages as humans, including non-rapid eye movement (NREM), short-wave sleep (SWS), and rapid eye movement (REM). Larger breeds have fewer dreams that last longer-about every 45 minutes for 4 minutes. Twitching is often related to active dream cycles in the brain.Īccording to research by psychologist Stanley Coren, an average-size dog will dream about every 20 minutes, and these dreams will last about a minute. While they sleep, a dog’s brain processes information and experiences from the day through dreams. So is twitching just a normal part of dreaming, or are there times when you should worry? Why Do Dogs Twitch in Their Sleep?ĭogs sleep an average of 12-14 hours each day. It may be accompanied by small vocalizations. Twitching can happen anywhere in your dog’s body but commonly occurs in the legs, tail, or head.
These involuntary movements-where a dog is twitching in their sleep-only occur during dream states and usually don’t last long. You may have noticed sudden, brief twitching at some point while your dog was sleeping and wondered if they were dreaming or even expressing some type of discomfort.
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