While your dog is sleeping, although it may not seem like it, they may also be listening to what you are doing. Animal behavior experts from Hungary’s Eötvös Loránd University connected devices that measure brain waves to 13 dogs (nine females and four males aged one to 10). The animals were exposed to the sounds of dogs and humans — screams, moans, growls, coughs, laughs, sighs, and yawns, with no negative stimuli so as not to scare them — and their responses recorded while they were awake, drowsy, or after relaxing and falling asleep. Even when in deep sleep, the dogs could apparently distinguish between a noise made by another canine and the sound of a person, as well as whether the communication was positive or neutral. While acknowledging that further research is needed, the authors suggested that dogs’ neural circuits can differentiate vocalizations, providing evidence of complex vocal processing during sleep. This ability had previously been detected in primates and rodents, such as rats (Scientific Reports, September 4; ScienceAlert, September 12).
RepublishVeterinary science
Your dog is not just sleeping
Even in deep sleep, a dog’s brain is attentive
Karolina Grabowska / Pexels
