Dog
The dog appears more often than any other animal in dreams. It depicts our natural drives that are well socialised, but still have the tendency to revert back to the spontaneous or ‘wild’ state quite easily. For instance our anger might usually be well under control, but if someone teases us we might surprise ourselves by the amount and strength of our anger, or our desire to cower and hide. But the dog is often a sign of enthusiasm, care or warning – as can be observed so often if we have a dog. See animal
Example: I had misinterpreted the meaning of Tramp my dog, who I felt was my inner self. I now see that Tramp is my psychic self, the mixture of instinct, complexes, feelings and closeness to nature. Possibly my intuitive, habitual or instinctive response to events. He is my companion on walks, to run faster, react quicker, smell better, fight more savagely, and face hardship.
Similarly our sexuality may be usually expressed in a socially acceptable way, but if we are in a situation where our sexual pleasure is stimulated or allowed easy expression we might deeply shock other people and ourselves by what we do. It can also represent easy expression of such aspects of ourselves as aggression – maybe because dogs show their teeth easily – as well as their sexuality, especially male sexuality; also their easy expression of love. Also the parts of self we usually keep out of sight, but which may express spontaneously. The dog as an example of intuition is shown in the following dream.
Example: Was crawling through a tunnel underground. I was now in a dreary, dismal, drab Edwardian type room. My mother, father and my dog, Tramp, were also there. It was quite a big room. Tramp went up to the fireplace and put his paw up under the shelf as if pointing. I looked and saw he was indicating a crevice under the shelf. I felt there and found papers in there, but also that there might be fingers in there touching mine. I said this to my father, but he did not reply. The hole was getting bigger all the time, and the room darker.
The dogs can represent this feeling energy, this natural life response to events and ones situation, our easy flowing natural feelings such as devotion, perhaps to a lover or child. The dog is yourself if, the natural you if you let your emotions off the lead. So it can be your uninhibited love or anger, your open sexuality, or even your honest needs.
For some people a dog was the only source of expressive love in their childhood, so may well depict this; fidelity and faithfulness, as the sheep-dog it is also the guardian of our welfare. Like the cat, the dog can be a substitute baby for childless women, or represent affection or caring.Occasionally we depict a person, or what we feel about a person through the character of a dog. See: cat.
Example: Actually seeing a dog in my dream I find not the dumb animal that humans patronizingly assume to be there, but a creature of remarkable complexity and deep emotions, capable of various levels of behavior, of guilt and loyalty, or shame, of identification with people—a creature so like themselves that other distinctions seem negligible. It broke down my assumptions of superiority. It sent me spinning back to the sense of kinship with animals that primitive men, in their rituals and folk myths, so clearly revealed. I found myself becoming snakes, tigers, bears, rabbits with such ease and pleasure that there would seem to be a veritable menagerie in the back of my mind. Moreover, the conviction of animal identity, once accepted, is terribly convincing. Having accepted the limited truth of my animal kinship, I am loath to see the broader areas in which such a communion is untrue. See Animals in your Brain – Temple of the Animals
Example: The role then came to life and spontaneously I as Vince the dog went to Alan and stood up on my hind legs with my paws on his chest, looking into his eyes. I wanted to communicate something to him.
The communication was so strong that I as Alan felt it and will describe it. Vincent reminded me of the many things we had shared in life. As this happened I felt such love – the love I really had felt for that beautiful dog. As I felt this Vincent and I became one being. I remember carrying him in my arms when he was young because, as a runt he was so nervous that at times he couldn’t even walk. I remember going everywhere with him as I walked London. I also knew that Vincent represented for me the ability to see into the invisible worlds – psychic sight and sensing. He had demonstrated it to me at least twice.
As all these memories poured through me I felt deep emotions pouring up and started crying. Crying because Vincent was helping me be aware of things I had not put together before. Lately I have been trying to extend personal awareness again, into lucidity and into the world. The emotions I was feeling were due to a realisation, and as this happened I knew what the previous dream of Vincent meant. I understood because various bits of memory came together to form a whole.
In mythology the dog has symbolised the guardian of the gates of death, or a messenger between the hidden and the visible world. The dog was also thought of as a guide or guardian of the hidden side of life entered in sleep and death. The following example illustrates how love can survive death.
Example: It involves my dad and his English bulldog, Chauncey. They were big buddies. Chauncey even went to work with Dad. Several years after Chauncey’s death, I dreamed of a female English bulldog who was very pregnant! A few weeks later, she appeared to me again, smiling proudly at two adorable puppies. One was brindle and the other was brindle and white. She showed me her house and street sign. The name of the street was Rosebud Lane. Then Chauncey appeared in the dream and told me he was returning and he would be the puppy that walked to me first! The next day I got the classifieds and started calling. It didn’t take long, the second call was located on Rosebud Lane. When I arrived, the mother dog looked just as she had in the dreams. She even acted like she knew me. I stood back and waited. Shortly, the little brindle and white puppy waddled to me. Dad cried when I handed the pup to him. Reincarnated bulldog…why not? By the way, Chauncey had a nickname…it was Rosebud!
Dogs can be a wonderful intuitive friend, even life saver. This is because it has been proved that dogs often know when their owner is ill or about to have an attack. But dogs are also very psychic. See Talking with Dead also Cats and dogs know
Example: In a dream, my dog, Gus, told me he had worms and needed to go to the doctor. We went the next morning. Dr. Dennis Umlang looked at Gus, a picture of health, then asked why the visit. I – told him Gus needed to be checked for worms. “Have you seen any evidence of worms?”, he asked. “No.” I answered, “but I still want him checked.” The testing showed negative. I told Dr. Umlang the dream and asked that they try again. That’s when he told me of the heartworm test which is costly but the only way to detect their presence. “Do it,” I said. The test was positive! Ordinarily there is no real warning of heartworms. By the time symptoms appear it is often too late and treatment is dangerous due to the animal’s weakened condition. Because of early detection, Gus survived the treatment with no damage to vital organs.
Barking dog: A warning or a sign of protection. Warning that something or someone is there who is not a friend – or that you should not approach whatever is shown in the dream.
Black dog: The black dog figures in quite a lot of people’s imagery. Bernard Levin uses it to represent depression. For some people it brings feeling about death. The sense or meaning the dog gives in relationship to depression or death in dreams is that it is a living energy in us that has gone ‘bad’ and thus causes the depression or death. Such depression is usually the result of past painful experiences that are like lumps blocking free flowing positive life energy.
The black dog also show you urges which are largely unconscious, or it is a messenger related to what is unconscious in you. So the black dog can indicate sexual feelings that you are not proud of, or any natural feelings, even feelings of love that you hold back.
Dog attacking: Either being attacked by someone and so representing their anger or snide criticism – or your own anger or aggression. See: What Does my Dream Animal Mean
– Animal phobias at the end of the animal entry.
Dog on lead attacking: If you are holding the lead – restraint of your aggression toward someone. If someone else is holding the lead – feeling attacked by someone. As in Cornelia’s dream in the example below, there may be a sexual connection.
Dog on lead: Restrained or controlled urges; urges we have trained or directed; holding back or restraining or directing parts of oneself.
Puppy: Youth, heedlessness, spontaneous affection and enthusiasm. It often represent a child, or feelings about wanting a child, being pregnant with a child, even one of your own children. Also vulnerability or dependent needs. Like any young animal, it can depict your need to care for or love something, or be loved. What happens to the puppy, if neglected or mistreated, most likely indicates memories of pain from your own childhood, or neglect of vulnerable parts of yourself. See: Baby animal in animal situations; Neglected animal in animal situations.
Woman’s dream – attacked by dog: Could well be feelings about male sexuality or a relationship with a male. Possibly the dreamer is holding back her own female strength and cannot meet the male strength.
Example: ‘I continue on my path, and suddenly the nettles disappear and the path is clear. Ahead the wall has curved round to face me, but there is a gate in it, and I can see my dog waiting for me on the other side.’ Mrs M. G.
In the dream from an elderly woman the dog is leading the way through the experience of meeting death. Mythology has often shown the dog in this light, as an inner sense of knowing how to find transformation through death – or as the ravaging threat of death.
Example: I was with a female friend who is a lesbian. Two dogs attacked us. My friend ran away but I couldn’t. Cornelius.
On exploring her dream Cornelius discovered feelings about her own womanhood and relationship with males. She realised the dogs represented her relationship with male sexuality, and that her friend was afraid of males.
Example: I was aware of the danger of two, or maybe one young child. They had been allowed to carry a small animal which acted as a scent lead for large tracker dogs that were hunting and would attack and kill whatever they were tracking. I found one of the boys trying to hide under a pot or a basin in the spare ground behind the house I lived in London. I pulled him out from his attempts to hide. He had no idea of his danger. Two of the dogs – perfectly harmless and friendly when not hunting, were coming close to me and trying to lick me. They had huge mouths. I got very angry with one man, a farmer type, who I thought had been careless in the way he was urging the dogs to hunt. I swore at him in public, calling him something like a ‘fucking idiot’. There was a large public gathering and I wondered what the public would think of me swearing. D.G.
There is an obvious reference in this dream to the unconscious urges some people have to hunt and hound others. The dogs especially depict this unleashed aspect of human nature, harmless when not set into motion. It also shows how such actions by others threaten the child in us, or the areas of personal vulnerability.
Example: I come out of my house. Across the street is a nursery. (this is actually true, there is a nursery across the street and the street is well used and busy) I looked up to see my yellow male Labrador dog named Odo. (He is a dog I have now) He was sitting in a truck on the passenger side. He looked like he was smiling. I thought, “What in the world is Odo doing in that truck?” At first I thought he was driving the truck, but then realised that he wasn’t, an ancient old man was. And the truck was weaving from one side of the street to the other. I yelled for Odo to come back and he jumped out of the truck. How I don’t know. But he did. He came running toward me, but there was a chain-linked fence between us. The fence ended at the street, but Odo was attempting to climb over the fence instead of going around it. I shook my head and said to myself that he was going to hurt himself. Sort of laughed, too. Then I woke up. I remembered thinking the day before that I was comparing my husband, A, to Odo. And thinking if I could just accept the silly things he does as well as I do with my dog, our relationship would be so much easier. K.
In this dream K. is probably right that she is using her dog to consider her relationship with her husband. She may even be using the dog as an image of her husband and his character.
Idioms: See a man about a dog; hair off the dog that bit you; call off the dogs; you can’t teach an old dog new tricks; raining cats and dogs; dirty dog; as sick as a dog; dog eat dog; dog in the manger; dog tired; dog’s life; gone to the dogs; let sleeping dogs lie; lucky dog; tail wagging the dog; top dog; die like a dog; dirty dog; gay dog; go to the dogs; hair of the dog; sick as a dog; lucky dog; raining cats and dogs; see a man about a dog; teach an old dog new tricks; tail wagging the dog; thrown to the dogs; etc.
Useful Questions and Hints:
Is my dream dog represent someone I know or my own spontaneous feelings?
Is there any indication of relating to this dog as a child or a love object?
What feelings is the dog expressing?
Is the dog helping me meet or understand death or the unconscious?
If so what am I learning?
See Secrets of Power Dreaming – Life’s Little Secrets – Dream Yoga
Comments
so i just woke up from this dream about dogs; I had 3 dogs, called alfa, beta, and delta with me, but i didn’t quite saw them; I know that they were with me; but I was looking desperately for the fourth dog called teta and I couldn’t find it; what does these names represent?
Ela – The names represent the Greek alphabet, and so can be thought of as One, Two, Four and maybe Six or Eight (Zeta or Theta). That you have four unseen dogs says that you have a very good protective influence with you.
Tony
I had a dream in which a shih tzu dog was given to me. it was a strange animal, too small, which black lizard skin, lizard features and no hair, just reptile skin. He was friendly and extremely faithful, loving. Then, he ventured out in the yard and after I did locate him, I lost him and thought ” at least I had him”, I woke up with that thought, like the rationalization of losing him had overlapped into my about to wake up reality. Please help?
Fya – It seems that you made contact with a part of you that is usually out of sight or unconscious. It is a part that is instinctive in you and is a mixture of the dog/mammal and reptile side of your brain – see http://dreamhawk.com/dream-encyclopedia/brain-levels-and-dreams/ .
It was like glimpse into your inner world of possibilities – a loving and caring influence that you hold within you. You can contact it more fully if you imagine yourself in the body of the lizard/dog and watch what you feel. Read the following to see how to do it – http://dreamhawk.com/dream-encyclopedia/acting-on-your-dream/
Tony
What does it mean if you see a puppy standing on an unlit oven and transforms into a child and back into a puppy the puppy was black also and looked a little tired.
Talula – Puppies and ovens are very much linked with pregnancy and childbirth. And the puppy looking tired – is it that it is tired of waiting for you to give birth to it?
Sorry if I am on the wrong tack.
Tony
I have had a dream 2 with a dog the first one was that he was biting the bottom of my foot then all of a sudden last night i had another dream with another dog and i was petting the dog then all of a sudden its starts bitting my hand not hard but there was a gentlemen next to me who said be careful that dog becomes very aggressive and the dog did become very aggresive so much that I woke up not sure what any of this means.
Mar – A dog in your dream is an expression of your own instinctive responses. So something has led you to respond angrily about something. Was it something or someone upset you? Or perhaps you are not too happy with events and so feel angry.
The problem is that such anger – and it is probably unconscious, otherwise it would not be in a dream – does you harm, shown by the dogs biting you. The harm is that you are finding it difficult to feel independent, stand on your own feet, and also difficult to extend yourself in activity – if I am right.
Tony
I am dealing with a little situation that did leave me very angry but you might be right it has been a struggle to get back on my feet but this makes things a little clearer
Mar – The clearer it gets, the easier it becomes.
Tony
Wow, thanks for the fast reply. You totally nailed it! This has givin me so much to work with. Thanks so much.
Thanks WolfGirl.
May all your fellow wolves love you.
Tony Old GW
I need help with a dream I keep having. A black and brown male dog that shape shifts into a man. as a dog he is very protective of me but when he shifts into a man I feel I have to protect him? As a man he wants to be left alone. This dream is re occurring 2 weeks now. thanks
WolfGirl – A really interesting dream, because it is illustrating two sides to you. The dog/mammal side of you is expressing something built into your brain. It is a part of you that developed during evolution and is very wise in relationships and family – see http://dreamhawk.com/dream-encyclopedia/brain-levels-and-dreams/#mammalbrain
Also as an animal that has got used to being with human nature – literally it was there and protected the emerging human consciousness, considering it is part of our brain – it naturally cares for us. The mammal in us is millions of years old, and the human is comparison is only a youngster and quite vulnerable. If you understand that, you can see why it shape shifts in your dream. Being human is quite a difficult task; with an awareness that worries, is often cut off from it source of life because of what it thinks, is full of fears about death, about its group and what other people see it as, it breaks down easily. Look around at the people who are frightened of eating, of sex, who cannot cope with life without alcohol, smoking, drugs or needing a partner; or even are dangerously anti social. Even language is an enormous burden because of the things it makes us conscious of.
With all that you can see why the human part of you needs protection. I would guess this all means that when you depend on your instinctive feelings you cope well, but you are shakier when you step out into the world and try something new or daring.
Tony
I read your interpretation of a dog. I can’t seem to place it to make my dream make sense… In my dream, it was my home. And my son yells mom that dog is back… so I went to the porch opened the door (which was not the kind of door I have) and went to pet the dog. Which in turn grabbed me, snarling pulling me as I struggled with the dog. I got away a few times but it kept getting me pulling. (It was a very large German Sheppard) I have no dogs near me, kind of a cat person) finally the bites hurt. Really bad in my dream, then when I got away I could not close the door, and then part of the door fell. I told my son go get the gun. He said NO…I realized the red in the dogs eyes which made me wake myself up … … can this dream be in reference to my mother. It would fit for all other of the definition of a dog…but it says male influence/sexuality? Thank you so much.
Andreta – Those are only suggestions that it is a male and to do with sexuality, and each dream needs to be understood by the context. Even so what is pulling you – emotionally – that you are fighting against? What is it you are struggling with inside you?
It sounds as if the dog was trying to pull you somewhere and it might have been better to find out where it wants to take you. Dreams are usually showing us something important. And a dog can be a guide and an instinctive awareness that you lack trying to show you something. Even your son felt there was something wrong with your decision to shoot the dog.
So try imagining your self with the dog again and this time let it pull you to where it wants to lead you. Let your images of it be spontaneous and not made up of what you ‘think’ should happen. See http://dreamhawk.com/dream-encyclopedia/acting-on-your-dream/
Tony
In my Dreams i mostly see lot of Dogs barking and seeing at me aggressively and few dogs are playing with me and sleeping beside me, when i was reading some book. What it could be? Please explain i get these kind of dreams mostly and also falling from a Building or a Mountain but never reach the ground . what is the meaning of this?
Guru – Please read http://dreamhawk.com/dream-encyclopedia/dream-yoga/ And also http://dreamhawk.com/dream-encyclopedia/secrets-power-dreaming/ as that will help with the falling dreams.
The dog dreams seem to be a strange mixture of aggression and friendship with you natural instincts. It could mean that you are reacting to stimuli that one minute puts you in a calm mood and sometime feeling you are attacked.
Sorry I cannot be more helpful.
Tony
Hello, Hoping maybe you can tell me what you think of my dream. I was walking through a warehouse of lockers (I think) and the aisles were lit. Then I came upon a dark aisle.peaked around the locker to look down the aisle and sitting right at the edge, by ny feet was a rotwieller with glowing yellow eyes. I bent towards the dog and asked it “What are you doing in here?” At this point it reached up and locked on to my right arm. As I stood up, I appeared to be little a bit bigger than I actually am, or at least my arm was – as it seemed very long between the wrist and the elbow. The dog kept biting, deeper and deeper and with each bite, the dog’s mouth swelled and bled and it’s teeth started to loosen and fall out. It kept biting me until it’s head was the width of my arm from the wrist to the elbow and it had no teeth and it’s mouth was swelled beyond recognition, covered in blood and then it just fell to the floor as if it were dead. I felt no pain and when I looked at my arm, there were no marks.I wasn’t injured at all. As I turned to walk away, the dream ended.
Thank you for your time, Bobbie
Bobbie – I am not sure about this dream, but I think it shows you being attacked by your own misplaced strength and inturned aggression. You see the dog is a domesticated animal, and is an instinctive, wild urge that has learned to live with humans. But your urge has turned against you.
However you didn’t fight back or become aggressive, and that was why the dog died and left no wounds. In the dream world such calmness or love is a mighty force to transform.
Perhaps you felt that your right arm – your ability in the world – was going to be destroyed – but no, you turned a corner.
Tony
Thank you for your prompt reply. I think you may be right. My life has suddenly and abruptly entered a stage where I feel certain things happening are out of my control. My human, carnal side wants to lash out at a few people, however my spiritual side knows that that would be the wrong thing to do. It’s sometimes difficult to act in a loving manner when you’re being “bit”. Maybe in this case my dream is saying it will hurt the biter more than the bitten, and when all is said and done, I’ll be able to walk away unscathed by all this chaos! Thanks again for you time. Bobbie
John – I remember reading this dream before. I even looked up javelina to see what type of animal it was. I must have got distracted.
I feel the dream is about a problem you have faced for a while and it has several levels. The first level was the two old women. It id difficult for me to work out what was happening but it seems to be about a social relationship difficulty.
Then the tree, which is probably important. The tree usually represents one personal growth and what is met there. The tree was not growing straight, and that could mean difficulties in your childhood. But it isn’t clear what difficulties.
The thing about the long grass around the tree shows another problem, because it shows that a hidden difficulty was connected with the tree. And the animal is a part of you, because the animal is a part of your body. See http://dreamhawk.com/dream-encyclopedia/brain-levels-and-dreams/
So the animal attacking you could be signs of an illness, but fortunately your dog and you dealt with it. So there is success.
It was a very difficult dream to get information from, so forgive me If I got on the wrong track.
Tony
hi, i recently underwent hypnosis in a bid to stop smoking, i felt a sense of dizziness and fell into a kind of dream, i dreamt i was walking in a beautiful sunny meadow with beautiful trees and birds singing, by my side was a huge black dog, sort of like a great dane, he was not aggressive, he felt like my companion, as we walked a barrier became visable, whereby the meadow i walked in turned suddenly into a barren wasteland, like something i would imageine a place would look during a nuclear fall out, everything was burned and scorched and grey, dead and barren and toxic. i have often wondered about this dream, if thats what it was. if anyone has any opinion of what this could mean i would love to hear from you.
3 separate dreams
1. I open the front door and see a yak. It takes my fingers with its teeth and tries to pull me…
2. A big black female dog in my living room… Actually peeing on my counter..
3. Sitting on the stairs case I see a group of dogs watching out for anyone making noise… I hear barking from inside my house..one of the watch dogs again holds my finger with its teeth as though I may cause of the nuisance. Again the big black dog comes out from inside the house and barks at the watch dog.. It felt like it was trying to say I m not creating any trouble or noise… The watch dog leaves me….
No pain fear or blood but could feel the teeth of the animals…
What does it mean????
Thanks
I just had this strange dream that maybe you can help me with. I’ll provide you a quick recap of what happened just prior to the part that I really need your help with. My partner and I were there trying to help this community from something that now I cant remember. But, I do remember it was mentally taxing and required on my part a lot of analyzing before figuring out the problem. Then flash forward to what appeared to be an african landscape, 2 old women were leaving wherever we were when my partner said something passive aggressive to them about money for what we just did. She then made a snide comment about money and said something along the lines of I’ll thank you and be grateful but I’m not giving you any money. I then remember feeling like why would they thank him, I figured it out and saved the community time and money etc… They then walked away from the area we are in that appeared to be an african landscape with one tree (not a normal tree) but almost a tree that was low to the ground and came out of the ground at an angle. There was tall brown grass that surrounded the this tree on all sides. I think there was oil on the tree or some thick black substance. My SUV is parked behind this tree with the trunk open. My partner is there loading something into the back of it as if we were getting ready to leave. I then asked him if it was ok to walk in the tall grass or would something pop up and try to attack me. He assured me it would be fine. So I decided to walk to the left of the tree to get to the car through the tall grass when suddenly a wild animal appeared. I think it’s a javalena. It was growling and obviously interested in attacking. I quickly thought about all of my options, should I run, stare at it in the eyes, look away/look down and back up? Then suddenly my female dog emmy appeared directly next to me. She is a lab whippet mix with gold hair about 2.5 years old. The hair on the back of her neck was standing up as if she was ready to go into battle with this wild animal. She was growling, showing teeth. She then looked at me directly in my eyes and looked backwards as if to say you can leave now, I’ll take care of this. I did, but then had this overwhelming feeling that I then needed to protect her. I screamed for someone to give me a knife or something so that I could kill this wild animal that was now going to attack or hurt my dog. I found knife or bat and immediately ran in to save my dog who was biting and being bit by this animal. I think I stabbed the wild animal and then woke up. It was very strange. The one thing that I do remember feeling was this great calm when she looked at me and then looked back as if to say you can go now. Sorry, I know this was long, but any help you can provide would be very much appreciated.
I just woke up:
In my dream my dog which is a husky is in my balcony but he is pretty big and walk like a human some kind of monster with hairy body and dog head he look at me threw the window and make that sign with his hand close to his face a mimic of fellation mentioning me that i will be the one doing it to him. I am on the other side of the glass door a knife in the hand he breaks the window attack me i end up stabbing him and wake up straight from this.
Can someone explain me what it means.
Drake – It is strange how things work, because I have been clarifying the point that I think your dream makes.
The dog is a general image that indicates our animal nature or instincts. It is semi domesticated, as your dream suggests by him being human with a dogs head. Often we do not know or understand such feelings and do not therefore deal with them well. That is general statement and is not meant to indicate you.
Now the dog can represent many things, one of which is our sexual instincts. And there is a part of that that is very physical, and in the dog is expressed as having sex with another male dog, or in fact someone’s leg. It is a sort of reflex and needs release. Sometimes we see this in humans also because they are also mammals and are very much still influenced by instincts; though many people deny it.
In your dream you meet this instinct head on and do not want it in your life; so you stab it. Unfortunately you cannot kill a dream character; you simply drive it into your unconscious, where it can get up to tricks that will influence you one way or another. I am still investigating this in my own life, and I think the thing to do is to accept that there is a part of you – shown in your dream – that is not as ‘civilised’ as own would wish. So having accepted it is a part of you, and then you need to find a way to allow it expression in a way that fits your own sense of sexual behaviour.
Tony
just woke up after dreaming that a black stray dog had bitten my right hand and also the guy i am not familiar with.Then we both noticed a blood at the center of each other’s palm after the dog attacked us
Zeal – A black dog can mean that something you had not been aware of has entered your life. That it bit you was a way of drawing your attention to the fact that you both had blood on your hands.
That suggests a pretty important connection, and if you hold the guy’s hand it will be like blood brothers, and there will be a strong feeling that it would be worth exploring.
Tony