It would be really nice to know what exactly it is our dog Max is dreaming about but, because he can’t tell us, we can only guess and hope. If it’s a dogmare we sincerely hope it won’t reoccur!

Even though your pup’s panicked movements and nervous whines might make your heart ache, you probably shouldn’t wake them unless absolutely necessary. Have you ever woken up from a nightmare confused with your heart pounding? I’m sure you have. A dog startled out of sleep might have the same trouble differentiating their dream from reality and has the potential to bite. In fact, around 60 percent of kids bitten by dogs are bit when waking one. If you really can’t resist and want to comfort your pet, don’t touch them or shout their name. Instead, try calling them or speaking to them in a soft tone of voice to help coax them out of their nightmare slowly. Then you can kiss and hug them all you want!

More than once we’ve seen our own pup do the leg kicking gesture and we knew he was chasing the neighborhood cat!  It’s probably not that big of a problem. Like us, if a dog has a nightmare they probably dismiss it after a few minutes. Just think of it as your two-year-old wanting to crawl into bed with you after a bad dream and you get the picture.

Go on over to the Bark Post to read more and see some great photos of some charming pups!