The Beagle newborn puppy in this video is just finding his voice. Listen to that wonderful voice. The puppies in the second and third scenes may be of the same puppy growing older. They are starting to bark. Just small puppy bark. It is fascinating how puppies growl or whimper, even bark in their sleep. Dog Notebook shares some interesting insights into this topic. Dogs dream just like we do. When they get into the sleep phase called Rapid Eye Movement (that’s when their eyelids twitch rapidly and his eyes move beneath them) that’s when they are more likely to bark or whimper or growl. What they dream about is a speculation. Some theorizes that since their sleep cycles are similar to humans’, then their dreams may also reflect what they experience during the day, and are reliving or processing those experience.
The question is: do we wake them up when they bark in their sleep? This article suggests that first, make sure your dog is actually asleep. If he’s awake, and just lying there whimpering or barking, maybe he is not comfortable about something. Make sure there is fresh water accessible to him. And perhaps exercise him more during the day so he is tired enough to sleep through the night. However, if he is barking while he is having a dream, the advice is NOT to wake him up. The reason is that it can startle him more to wake him up than whatever he is dreaming about. And if he is startled, there is a possibility he might snap at you. Of course unintentionally, but when he’s startled out of a dream, he is disoriented. If this happens frequently, and if his sleep barking or whimpering is waking you up, move him to a room farther from you. Being awakened in the middle of a sleep cycle may cause him to not reap the benefit from that sleep, and he might have trouble drifting off to sleep again. You can read the entire article here.
Article source: Dog Notebook
