Lots of dogs move their limbs during sleep, twitch, or emit soft barking sounds. None of those are signs of nightmares. They just mean a dog is dreaming. If it’s a nightmare, you’ll know it. A dog will clearly exhibit distress and perhaps even fear and may scream as she sleeps. Should you wake her?
It’s a judgment call, although if possible, try to wait it out. Granted, no one wants to see a loved one suffering in her sleep. But keep in mind that even if your pet is crying or growling, unpleasant or scary dreams are a mechanism for processing things that have happened to her or for working through emotions, just as they are for you. In other words, getting to the other side of a nightmare is a neurological device that’s part of sleep’s natural, restorative cycles.
