As aforementioned, dreaming about dogs is incredibly common. In fact, according to professional dream analyst Lauri Loewenberg, dogs are the most common animal people dream about in her experience with clients (followed by cats and snakes).
She tells mbg that dreaming of dogs often relates to three key themes: relationships, friendship, and loyalty. “Dogs are typically going to represent a relationship or the dynamics that are going on within a relationship,” she explains, adding, “And that could be any relationship—friendship, an intimate relationship, work relationship, family relationship—any relationship where there should be loyalty and companionship, all these qualities that we attribute to dogs.”
Loewenberg, as well as therapist and dream expert Leslie Ellis, Ph.D., both note that when interpreting your dog dreams, it’s important to pay attention to the specifics of the dog.
As Ellis explains, “If I dream of a dog because I love them and have always had a dog in my life, my dream dogs would likely be related to love, friendship, and loyalty. If someone is terrified of dogs, their dream dogs would have an entirely different flavor.” Try to remember if the dog was friendly or mean, healthy or scruffy, etc., she suggests.
“It’s very important to pay attention to not only the type of dog but the dog’s behavior in the dream,” Loewenberg adds. “The state of the dog in the dream and how you’re feeling about the dog will often directly correlate to those same feelings within a relationship in your life right now,” she explains.
