My older dog has nightmares and wakes up scared. How can I help?

Try to give her daily hard exercise and a daily training session. This will physically and mentally make her tired and this may help her brain to relax and allow her a peaceful rest. This is likely something that will eventually go away over time as she adjust to her new life. I hope this is helpful and please feel free to post any additional questions.

Thanks for using thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. It sounds like Cokie was either hurt or scared suddenly. This can happen from insect bite, accidentally tearing a toenail, or a number of other minor, but painful things. It could also be related to a back injury, clot, bladder stone, or other more serious medical conditions- though he’s pretty young for those things. He could also have been scared for some unknown reason (thunder, cat outside, motorcycle reviving up, etc), If you have the ability to check on him at lunch (or have someone else check on him at lunch) that would be ideal, though very likely he will be completely normal by then. If he is not back to normal this evening, consider seeing a vet to get him checked out. Best wishes to you and Cokie!

HI, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! If Vito is acting 100% normal during the day: eating, drinking, playful, not limping, jumping and not crying out and ONLY is whimpering and crying when asleep then it is normal. Dogs dream like we do. My dog, a few times a week, will wake me up at night crying in his sleep and either moving his legs or jerking his body. I hope this helps! If he otherwise not normal during the day or is awake and crying out I recommend an exam with your Vet. I wish you and Vito the very best!

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Frankie is super cute! That sounds like a scary situation to wake up to! I think he will be fine. Some dogs dream "actively"! My own dogs whole body convulses and he makes a lot of noise when he dreams. Frankie was either having a very active dream or did have a charlie horse type cramp. Just check where he was sleeping to be sure there wasn't something poking him or an insect that bit him. Watch him carefully over the next day or 2 to see if a limp develops in that leg. Keep us updated and I hope this reassures you in some way! Good luck to you and Frankie!

Hi there and thanks for your post. It is not uncommon for puppies as well as dogs to dream. Sometimes they can howl or cry/whimper in their sleep when they are experiencing a dream. As far as tear production goes, dogs do not cry (produce tears when upset or for emotional reasons) like we do. I hope this helps and thanks for posting on Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

It’s impossible to know without an exam if that episode was a bad dream or related to pain. Watch Orlando very closely for any repeated episodes, limping or reluctance to move. Once he wakes up, check his nails and make sure none are broken and that there aren’t any wounds on the feet. If you see anything questionable, have him seen by his veterinarian. It’s possible he got a toe nail stuck in the bed and it twisted and if the nails are long, get them trimmed. I hope this is helpful and please feel free to post any additional questions.

Poor Marshall! Although it certainly could be fear/anxiety based, I have concerns that he has pain somewhere and he woke up screaming because the pain woke him up. Dogs don't really have nightmares to the best of my knowledge. I recommend to have him examined by his veterinarian to look for any evidence of pain. If none is found, I recommend to talk to the vet about a temporary anti-anxiety medication as no one likes to see their fur babies like that. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.