Just as humans dream during their REM cycle of sleep, so do many other mammals, including dogs, cats, elephants and mice.

Though there is no hard evidence to tell us exactly what our furry friends are dreaming about (unless anyone has managed to teach their pup to talk?!), the continuity hypothesis suggests that their dreams would be built from the parts of their waking life.

So, anything from playing with toys or other dogs to eating tasty treats and hanging out with their loving owners could be prime dream material as our pups drift off into a snooze.

Now, not all movements and noises can be attributed to dreaming, as movements can occur in many stages of sleep, but any precise and repetitive movements, such as barking or horizontal running, do indicate that your dog is likely dreaming about the scenario you’re seeing.

In saying all of this, human dreams can sometimes skew quite far from reality, and therefore, this may be happening for our furry friends as well.

So, while it’s very possible that your dog could be dreaming of you guys hanging out and running around the park together, it’s equally likely that they’re dreaming of eating treats on a bed made of tennis balls while floating on a lake… We’ll never know.