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Each one of us experiences dreams in very different ways, as our brains adapt to the experiences we have in the real world. Having a dream in which you come across a dog is one common occurrence that is bound to wake most of us up with a wide smile on our face.
Although the impact of such a dream greatly varies from one individual to another, the dog symbolism in a dream is one of cheerfulness, joy and loyalty. The dog in our dreams may signify the equivalent of a close friend, a family member or even a romantic interest.
Behind their warm and friendly faces, the dog vising our dreams have so much more wisdom to share with us. Let’s find out what the deeper meaning of this symbol really is.
General Symbolism and Meaning
In broader terms, dogs are all about loyalty, generosity and friendship, providing us with protection and companionship.
The spiritual meaning of the dog symbolism in dreams often brings us good news about success based on our values and intentions in the waking life, but may also indicate our emotional response in correlation with human interactions and relationships.
Dogs might show up in our dreams to provide insight or spiritual advice on a difficult and troubling situation that we seem to be stuck behind. For many, to see a dog in a dream represents our need for security and are often considered to be lucky charms.
For many cultures, such as Chinese or Celtic cultures, the symbol of the dog was often used to portray the powerful bond between us humans and the animal world, appearing in many traditional stories as heroes and saviors.
Having a Dog Biting You in a Dream
In spite of their well-known friendly demeanor, in certain cases, we might experience dreams in which the dog seems to be defensive and bite our hand as we reach to pet them.
To dream that a dog bites you, suggest that a certain degree of balance in the real world has been lost and that you might have become too hesitant to fix the situation and move forward.
Remaining stagnant in such a situation will only end up causing more harm than good in the long run, hence the dog biting you in your dream wishes to help you reach your goals by pushing you outside of your comfort zone.
To see someone else getting bitten by a dog indicates dishonesty and betrayal and serves as a warning that someone close to you, maybe even the person being attacked by the dog, will at some point seek to cause you harm.
Happy or Playful Dogs in Our Dreams
This type of dream is perhaps one of the most positing and uplifting nighttime visions one can have. To see yourself surrounded by playful dogs symbolizes pleasant social activities and situations in your real life.
If you’ve recently joined a group or social circle where you feel truly accepted and seen, this dream serves as a recollection of such happy times that you’ve experienced in reality.
If the dog/dogs you are playing with are baking it signals the presence of unfriendly companions in your circle that could jeopardize this happiness if you allow them to pass unnoticed. The dog happily barking at you in your dream is, in this case, trying to make you aware of their presence.
Happy dogs that let you pet their bellies are linked to trust and loyalty in a real relationship. To rub the belly of a dog while playing is essentially a representation of successful love life in the real world.
Dreaming about a Dog Attacking You
This type of dream could either be a recollection of a childhood incident where you’ve had the unpleasant experience of being attacked by a dog or could signify your instinct talking to you about betrayal by someone close to you.
To see a dog pouncing on you and attacking you in a dream could be symbolic of a powerful emotional response that you have suppressed. Perhaps in the real world you are feeling lonely or remorseful about a friendship that ended abruptly.
Alternatively, to see yourself attacked by a dog in a dream may indicate that in the coming weeks conflict may arise spontaneously in instances you have not anticipated before.
Dreaming about Puppies
It is fair to say that everybody loves puppies and falls in love with their innocent and bright personalities that are sure to make your day.
Having a dream of puppies is without a doubt the cutest encounter with a spirit animal, bringing you good news about new friendships and situations that will bring you joy in the real world.
To see puppies in a dream is also an indication of feeling protective over a child or a younger sibling in the walking world, or could point out that they may require more of your attention in the time to come.
Alternatively, having a puppy show up in your dream is a reminder to take time and enjoy the simple things in life, having fun with those you feel most comfortable around.
Having a Dream of a Lost Dog
To dream of losing your dog or finding a dog that has gone missing in the past often denotes a sense of loss in the real world.
For some of us this loss may be in material form, for instance the loss of a job or financial troubles, while for others it represents the loss of self-esteem, confidence and emotional boundaries.
This dream of finding a lost dog is a reminder to actively engage in activities that you genuinely enjoy and to slowly work toward rebuilding your confidence. On the other hand, to see yourself losing a dog in your dream could potentially foretell that your actions may betray a friend’s trust in the future.
Dreaming of Killing a Dog
To kill a dog in your dream symbolizes a lack of empathy and loyalty due to unhealthy or unstable relationships you have gone through.
Although it might not always be our fault, we must always strive to remain mindful and aware of the way our actions and words impact the ones around us.
Another interpretation of a dream in which you are killing a dog is related to a friend or relative hiding their feelings from everyone and may in fact be in need of help.
As dogs are associated with emotions, heartfelt connections and protection, having such a dream could serve as a warning to watch out for emotional attachments that may serve you no good.
Seeing a Sick or Injured Dog in a Dream
To see a limping or wincing dog in your dream is suggestive of your unconscious mind trying to tell you that you might need to become more assertive in order to overcome a present or possible challenge in your real life.
In most cases, seeing a sick dog may represent the difficult situation weighting you down or could indicate that a friend you have not been in contact with is going through a rough patch and may feel neglected.
This is a good opportunity to reach out to those you have not seen lately and make sure they are alright. Similarly, if you’ve been neglecting your mental and physical health, this type of dream wants to help bring you back on track.
If you save the sick or injured dog in your dream this means that you show empathy and proactiveness in the real world and help others any change you get.
Dog Chasing its Tail or Running Around
To see a dog chasing its tail or running around in circles in your dream implies that you have not been entirely true to yourself in the waking world and may have brushed off important things in your life, allowing yourself to be distracted by menial things.
The dog chasing its tail and running around in your dream is indicative of spending too much time and effort on activities that will not bring significant improvements to your life. It can also point out the feeling of being stuck in a certain situation or phase in your life and the inability to cope with the situation.
In such cases, where you see a dog running in circles, it may be a good idea to start working out the reason behind your stagnation and figuring out which tasks are hogging too much of your precious time.
Feeding a Dog in a Dream
To experience a dream where you are feeding a dog means that you are nurturing your skills and talents in the real life. Perhaps you have enrolled in a class that you thoroughly enjoy or maybe you have taken up an old hobby again and are currently making progress.
Feeding a dog in a dream is also a symbol of putting time and effort into your friendships and nurturing the bond and connections that you have with others. It implies that you feel accepted and loved as part of a team and that you enjoy growing together with them. an old skill or talent. It also implies that you need to put more time and effort into fostering your friendships.
Chasing after a Dog in Your Dream
Having a dream where you are chasing after a dog, whether a known dog or a stray one means that you have taken someone’s loyalty and devotion for granted in the real world and they may be now distancing from you.
The overwhelming feeling of losing somebody close to us, whether we meant for it or not could trigger such a dream in which your dog is running away from you. This type of dream may be telling you it is time to face your fears of rejection and have a heart-to-heart conversation with them.
A Dog Chasing You in Your Dream
This type of dream may be related to a childhood phobia of being chased down by a dog and for some of us it may be quite a terrifying nightmare. On the other hand, being chased down by a dog in a dream could be related to emotional distress.
If you dream of yourself running away from a ferocious dog chasing after you, it could indicate that you are, in fact, running away from something important and urgent in the waking world.
This could be a good opportunity to analyze the things that must be addressed and that require your undivided attention and the things that you are postponing, causing you more anxiety than good.
Dreaming of a Dog Protecting You
Dogs are notorious symbols of loyalty and protection, hence, having a dream in which a dog tries to defend you from some kind of danger is focused on the sense of protection we need in the real world.
In most dreams where dogs protect us, there is usually a hidden message about our family and home life. Perhaps we are feeling overprotective of the things we love most or maybe the dog protecting us is actually trying to remind us that we must remain vigilant against other dangers from the outside world.
If the dog showing up in your dream is there to protect you it represents the link that you have to your home life and your safety and survival instincts kicking in to defend it.
Black Dogs in Our Dreams
To see a black dog in your dream symbolizes the shadow aspect of a friend close to you in reality.
The color black of the dog stands for their less noticeable intentions for you and may indicate a darker trait of their character. Alternatively, to see a black dog in a dream is an indication that you are now able to see through their true colors.
A black god in a dream is symbolic of dishonesty, betrayal and for some it may also signify a bad omen, from which your intuition is trying to protect you.
A White Dog in a Dream
White dogs in dreams represent happiness, spiritual growth and peace. To see a dog that is white in a dream indicates that you have an enjoyable life and are surrounded by people with pure intentions.
Although rare, this type of dream can occur to us when we are truly feeling surrounded by love, respect and gratitude in our real lives and is a reminder to keep cherishing the connections we have already made.
White dogs represent love and above all the gratitude we exude for all the wishes that have been granted to us, assuring us that we are always protected by our spiritual guides.
Dreaming about a Talking Dog
There are various interpretations of the dreams in which dogs talk to us. One common instance in which such a dream takes places happens when we feel tricked by someone or something in our real world.
The talking dog in your dream tries to provide insight and wisdom into who this entity may be and how to avoid their mischievousness.
Another interpretation of a talking dog dream is to help us find something that we have lost or missed in the waking world and can also relate to people we have lost along the way and whom we still seem to miss and care for.
Having a Dream about a Dead Dog
To dream of a dog is a reflection of the dreamer’s emotional state of being in the real world will often show up in times where friendships may need to be rekindled.
If you dream of a dead dog, whether the dog itself is actually dead or not in the real world, can be an indication that you are sensing troubles up ahead.
This type of dream is typically considered a bad omen, brining misfortune and doubt about a situation that is deeply troubling you. Having a dream in which you see a dead dog is a warning from the spirit realm to watch your back in the time to come.
Fighting Dogs
To see dogs fighting in your dream indicate that you are rejecting a certain aspect of your real life. Perhaps it is something related to you or to someone close to you.
Whichever the case, having a dream in which two or more dogs are fighting is by no means a positive one. It might suggest that your actions have betrayed your morals and, in some cases, it could mean that it is high-time to re-evaluate those moral values.
Seeing dogs fighting in a dream is trying to point out the presence of conflict and misunderstanding in your real life
Takeaway
All in all, our lovely companions are often considered bringers of change and protectors of our well-being.
Dogs appear in our dream in moments when we need to think clearly of situations that concern our safety and happiness in the real world. In many cultures, dogs represent loyalty, protection and love, providing us with emotional support in areas of our lives where we need it most.
The color, breed and state of the dog in our dream can have a different meaning for each time of confrontational problem we are facing, however, most often than not, even when they bite us, dogs seem to be on the helpful side.
To dream of a dog is a reflection of the dreamer’s emotional state of being in the real world will often show up in times where friendships may need to be rekindled.
Another important aspect of a dog’s presence in our dream is the representation of faithfulness and empathy we should always strive to have for those close to us. If the dog in your dream is happy and playful, it means that your friends have true intentions at heart.
A black dog or an aggressive dog appearing in your dream could potentially announce the presence of a toxic entity in your real life that you need to be wary of and to prevent them from taking advantage of you.
To see a dog chasing you down in a dream is indicative of your restlessness, anxiety and fears while facing pressures and challenges in life while running after a dog could imply that you have lost touch with a close friend or have experienced a sudden shift in your working pace.
