Dogs almost certainly dream, and many experts think they likely dream about their owners and everyday life with them, even though this cannot be proven directly.

Do dogs dream at all?

  • Dogs have similar sleep cycles to humans, including REM sleep, the phase most associated with vivid dreaming.
  • During REM, many dogs twitch, paddle their legs, or whine, which scientists interpret as them “acting out” dream content, much like people sometimes do.

What do dogs probably dream about?

  • Research on animals (like rats) shows their brains replay daily activities during sleep, suggesting dreams are built from recent experiences.
  • Because a dog’s day is often centered on walking, playing, eating, and interacting with people and other dogs, their dreams are thought to mirror those same activities.

Do dogs dream about their owners?

  • Harvard psychologist Deirdre Barrett has said that since humans tend to dream about what matters most to them, it is reasonable to think dogs do the same.
  • Barrett suggests that because dogs are usually strongly attached to their humans, it is “likely your dog is dreaming of your face, your smell and of pleasing or annoying you.”
  • A veterinarian and former American Veterinary Medical Association president also notes that dogs likely dream about their owners and other beings they enjoy.

How certain is this?

  • No one can look inside a dog’s dream in real time, so scientists cannot prove that dogs dream specifically of their owners; it remains an inference from sleep research and behavior.
  • Still, multiple experts agree that dogs dream about their everyday emotional world, and given the strength of the dog–human bond, owners are very plausible stars of those dreams.

TL;DR: Dogs clearly dream, and current science plus expert opinion strongly suggest they often dream about the people they love most—their owners—even if it cannot be confirmed with absolute certainty.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.