posted January 27, 2011 06:03 PM            

Most people believe that a dog is capable of processing about one hundred to one hundred and fifty words. Some experts believe there are dogs that can process as many as five hundred. By processing we are talking about some form of cognitive thought pattern like the ability to recognize a ball as a ball. Do they actually think, “Come on. I’m being good. Throw the ball?” Probably not. But when you ask a dog to go retrieve his ball, most dogs do know what you are talking about. Most can differentiate between “Get your ball” and “Get a toy.”

What does this have to do with dreaming? We already know that dreams are our brain’s way of processing our experiences in life. Dogs have experiences and are considered smart enough to need processing time as well. Some experts argue that all mammals dream in order to process and learn. What a dog experiences may or may not impact their dreams, but it is a likely possibility that it does. It’s actually logical to believe that it does.