A clinical and evolutionary psychologist at Harvard Medical School, Dr Deirdre Barrett, has revealed what our pooch pals dream about.

Science says that most mammals have similar sleep cycles to humans, including going into a deep sleep state called Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep. This is the stage of the cycle where dreams occur for humans. This suggests that other mammals sleep like this, too.

Dr Barrett told People, “Humans dream about the same thing they’re interested in by day, though more visually and less logically. There’s no reason to think animals are any different. Since dogs are generally extremely attached to their human owners, it’s likely your dog is dreaming of your face, your smell and of pleasing or annoying you.”

Unfortunately, there is no way to find out exactly what our furry pals are dreaming about, but Dr Barrett says that they are likely reaming about running when their paws or legs begin to twitch.

In the same way humans have nightmares, the same can be said for dogs too. And this may be where the saying “let sleeping dogs lie” comes from. This is because dogs can sometimes react aggressively towards the person who wakes them up.

The American Kennel Club states, “Not all human dreams are good. We infer that dogs can have nightmares too. These nightmares are hard to watch.”

“It can be tempting to wake your dog to comfort her, as you would a child, but there are some risks associated with doggy nightmares that you should share with your family.

“If you’ve ever been woken from a scary dream, you know that it can take a minute to remember where you are and whom you are with.

“Like some people, dogs can react aggressively toward the person waking them. This can be dangerous, especially for children.

“The best thing that you can do for a dog you think is having a bad dream is to wait for your dog to wake up and be there to comfort him.”