You’re having drinks after dinner with your guests when one of them draws your attention to your dog. Much to your horror, he has an erection. His testicles are swollen to what looks like three times their size, and he is actually performing somewhat of a thrusting action with his hips, and yes, all while sound asleep.
Dogs having wet dreams — is that even a thing? You’re mortified, and you need answers now. Let’s see what we can find.
Can a dog have wet dreams?
It is almost certainly a thing — dogs dreaming, even dogs having wet dreams. Let’s examine how a dog’s sleep works and answer the question — What kinds of dreams do dogs have?
Do dogs sleep in stages?
Dogs sleep in stages just like humans do, easy to wake up one minute and in a coma-like sleep the next. Here is how a dog’s sleep is broken down.
SWS (Slow Wave Sleep)
SWS (slow-wave sleep) is the stage right after falling asleep when the body is not yet relaxed fully. At this stage, it’s not hard to awaken your dog by making even minimal noise or a sudden movement that he can detect.
REM (Rapid Eye Movement)
Rapid eye movement (REM) sleep is the stage where your dog dreams. Humans also experience REM sleep. In REM sleep, your dog is totally relaxed and off in somewhat of a fantasy world.
You know what it’s like to dream because if you didn’t, you’d be insane by now. Yes, research has shown that if a human cannot achieve REM sleep for too long a period, they will go insane. Maybe dogs must dream, as well.
Can we tell what our dogs are dreaming about?
While, of course, it’s impossible to read your dog’s mind and know what they are dreaming about. We can probably use a little logic and, without doing any damage, make a few suppositions about what our dogs dream about.
Dogs experience nightmares.
I mean — we, as humans, experience nightmares, well most of us anyway. Those who witness us while we experience nightmares report us jerking our arms and legs, fretting vocally, sweating, and waking in a frenzy. Is it too far-fetched to suppose that if you see your dog act the same way while sleeping, they may be experiencing the same thing? You may not see your dog sweat while experiencing a nightmare, but it would not be uncommon at all to see them jerk and possibly show their teeth, hear them whimper or growl, and have them awaken with a jolt — startled or even terrified.
Male dogs experience wet dreams.
Owners of male dogs have noticed that their dogs sometimes appear to be having what humans call wet dreams. They have witnessed their dogs having erections, experiencing hugely swollen testicles, and performing a stroking or thrusting action as if they were mounting a female dog (sometimes even resulting in a clear, whitish discharge). You have to admit — after witnessing this, one would pretty much have to assume that dogs have wet dreams.
Do neutered dogs have wet dreams?
Even though a dog has been neutered, they can still have a wet dream just like an intact dog. They can also ejaculate. However, what is expelled is just seminal fluid or semen and not actually sperm.
How can I tell what the wet spot is that my dog leaves during their wet dream?
You may notice a small, wet puddle by your dog after witnessing their wet dream, and if you do, you probably wonder immediately what the puddle consists of. Well, while many dog owners say these puddles resemble pee puddles, there is a much greater chance than not that it is not urine.
The puddle more than likely consists of some form of semen. Let me explain. The male dog’s reproductive organs create this complex substance called seminal fluid or semen that consists primarily of water, plasma, and a lubricating substance called mucus. Dog semen is normally translucent and whitish.
Now, sperm is the male dog’s reproductive cell. It’s microscopic with an oval head and a snake-like tail. Sperm swim to find and fertilize the female dog’s egg, and this is how conception is achieved. Sperm travel inside semen.
When dogs that have been neutered ejaculate, they expel semen (seminal fluid), but the semen does not contain sperm. That is what it means for a dog to be neutered: The dog’s testicles (home to their sperm) are removed, and they can no longer ejaculate sperm to fertilize the female dog’s eggs. When healthy, intact dogs ejaculate, they expel semen containing sperm.
It could also be smegma, an often greenish or yellowish discharge consisting of dead skin cells along with oils and moisture. Not only does smegma serve to keep the fold of the penis lubricated, but for dogs, it makes for a helpful sexual lubricant.
Dogs have happy dreams.
Often, dog owners have witnessed their dogs having dreams that didn’t seem to be nightmares or wet dreams but happy dreams. If you think your dog is dreaming but they don’t seem to be in distress, they could be dreaming they are eating a big, juicy steak, playing with their favorite canine pal, or riding in the car or lying in the bed with you. We humans, sometimes, have everyday dreams, so why would we think our dogs couldn’t?
How often do dogs have wet dreams?
Most all dogs show signs of dreaming, but large breeds don’t dream as often as small breeds. At the same time, large breeds do tend to dream quite long dreams while small breeds have short dreams. It also appears that puppies dream more often than adult dogs, probably due to the excitement they experience while awake learning about the world, and excess energy that adults dogs don’t have that comes from both youth and stimulated hormones.
Is it bad if a dog has a wet dream?
It isn’t bad if your dog has a wet dream. You may think it’s gross, or you may think it’s hilarious. It may even be embarrassing if you have company, but no matter what your feelings are about the situation, it’s a completely natural part of a male dog’s life.
Just as a young man in puberty goes through hormone spikes and experiences changes to his body and mind, a male dog’s hormones spike when they begin maturing to the point that they can get a female dog pregnant. Around this time is when they can start experiencing wet dreams, and it’s no reason for concern.
What to do if my dog has a wet dream?
If your dog is having wet dreams due to a hormone spike because they are starting to mature, chances are that the instances will slow over time and eventually stop. Though your dog may be up to 3 years old before it’s likely to end. Consider this, though.
Make cleanup easier on yourself.
Meanwhile, plan ahead, and put something underneath your dog to catch the discharge. You can use blankets, towels, or washable or disposable bed pads to keep their bed, your couch, your bed, and wherever else they may sleep clean.
Be certain there is no underlying health issue causing a discharge.
Especially if you don’t see any physical signs of a wet dream and even more so if you only see a wet spot with no pearly white discharge, consider that the wet spot may be a sign of illness such as a UTI (urinary tract infection). If this is the case, your dog should see their vet immediately. Not sure? Check if the urine is darker than usual or if it has an unusually strong odor, as these are signs of a UTI.