Dogs pad into our dreams with astonishing regularity. We dream of reunions with beloved childhood pets; but we also experience visitations from salivating, barking hounds of terror, or nightmares in which our puppy cries because we haven’t fed her, or have unaccountably left her locked in a cupboard. 

The Symbol of the Dog

Any animal dream is important. Typically, when animals enter your dreams, feeling is heightened. Animals connect us with physical sensation – thick fur, wet nose, sharp teeth. They connect us with parts of ourselves we may never have known, have forgotten, or fear, and bring us to a closer connection with our animal instincts. 

Dogs, of course, have a special and unique role as humans’ beloved companion animal. When forming your dog associations, you will want to consider:

• The domestication of wolves into dogs: a breeding process that turned a wild creature into a friend and helper of people.
• The instinctual realm of the dog – the dog relies heavily on its nose. It sniffs out what is good and bad in food, friends and prey. 
• The dog as bridge – the dog has wild, instinctual powers we do not have, and yet, they are also the companions of our homes. They link us to wildness in an acceptable, protective manner. 
• Dogs and love – many dog owners attest to the very deep love they feel for their dog, and the extent to which it is part of the family. This kind of love is often described as unconditional and without judgment. 
• Dog as protector and hero – stories abound in the culture about dogs protecting, rescuing or sacrificing themselves for their human. 
• Fearsome dogs – guard dogs, sniffer dogs, and fighting dogs are  also a part of our encounter with the canine.

Dog Archetypes

The dog that appears in your dream is both unique and a member of the large and ancient category of dogs: sacred dogs, wild dogs, domestic dogs, and fantasy dogs. Animals are the great connectors of the personal and the collective, amplifying individual experience with archetypal symbolism.

Archetypal dogs appear across many cultures as psychopomps, or guides of the souls of the dead into the underworld. The Ancient Roman author, Apuleius, wrote, “the dog, raising his rough neck, his face alternately black and golden, denoted the messenger going hence and thence between the Higher and Infernal powers”.

Important archetypal dogs include:

• Cerberus – the three-headed dog of Greek mythology, who guarded the entrance to hell.
• Garm, who guarded Niflheim, the Norse underworld, and was the “hound of Hel”, the queen of the underworld. 
• Zolotl, the dog-headed man from Aztec mythology, who was a guide for the souls of the dead, and also the god of monsters, death, misfortune and twins. 
• Anubis, the dog-headed god of Ancient Egypt, who ruled over mummification and the afterlife.
• Hecate’s dogs of war. 
• The dogs of Actaeon, who tore him to pieces after he spied Artemis bathing and was turned into a stag. 

Years of practice as analysts have helped us understand this connection between dogs and the underworld. Psychologically, we need to feel that something is going to protect us when we are in a dark, shadowy place. Over and over again, when people fall into a depression, their dog is their lifeline, the unquestioning presence that needs feeding each morning and evening, and which is by their side through a dark journey. Anubis is with you when you go into the psychological grave; he protects you and companions you.

Dreams of Hurt or Neglected Dogs

The Dog With Burnt Paws

I’m inside somewhere and there’s a wood-burning stove. My dog is with me, and either she’s trying to do something with the heat or I’ve asked her to do something with the heat. She puts her front paws inside a pile of ash and embers below the stove and burns both paws. My husband gives me a paste to put on the wounds, but I don’t use it. I’m alarmed that she burned herself but I just watch her. My husband then takes the paste and begins applying it to her wounds. I know that she’s in pain. I think about all the dogs that burn up in house fires and I’m sad for them, because it would be a very painful way to go. Our dog yelps a bit as we apply the balm, and I think that maybe we should also bandage her paws so they can heal and so that dirt won’t get stuck in the balm. 

(The dreamer is a 50-year-old woman who notes that she had this dream three days after her 50th birthday, when she had been sad because she hadn’t felt celebrated by her husband).

Dreams of hurt and wounded dogs can represent a tender, innocent part of us. In this dream, we wonder if the dog in the dream is “taking the heat” for the dreamer, expressing her pain at her husband’s inattentiveness. 

In this dream, the dream ego’s choices are questionable. She has asked her dog to investigate a dangerous, hot fire. She has put the dog (which is a part of her) at risk. Somehow, her own and the dog’s instincts and intuition are off. 

In waking life, a dog wouldn’t willingly stick its paws into live coals. So this dreamer could ask, where might she have pushed her psyche into something that’s going to “burn” her, so that those around her become alarmed and have to tend to her, as though she’s wounded? This may point to a complicated behavior designed to attract attention. 

The Dachshund in the Cupboard

I moved into a new apartment. A friend and I had been living together and now I was on my own. My friend was having some conflict in her relationship, she had told her partner something they didn’t know yet about another friend and her partner became angry at this, or at her for saying it. Now I was in this new apartment, living alone, thinking about getting more phone chargers and where I would store them. Suddenly I heard squeaking and barking. I opened a cupboard and found my dog there. He was a very small dachshund. I had left him in there all day while I was at work, in this tiny cupboard. I must have put him in there while moving and forgotten. I forgot all about him, I forgot I even had a dog. I was so ashamed of this. Once I opened the cupboard I held him close to me, and we were both so glad I was there. He was so shaken – he could talk and said “the phone kept notifying me: ‘left dad at apartment’”. I was “dad,” the dog was calling me “dad”. My phone was in the cupboard with him, sending him these notifications about us being separated. He was probably barking all day not knowing where I was. 

This very moving dream is typical of a frequent dog dream type: the abandoned or neglected dog. Many people have haunting dreams where they find they have left their pet alone at home for months, or have forgotten to feed it. 

Such dreams often express a sense of having abandoned a part of oneself. Perhaps we are leading a successful life, and chalking up accomplishments that make sense to us, but we have neglected to nurture a connection to that part of ourselves that is loving and full of life, which a beloved pet can so vividly symbolize. The abandoned pet shows up to remind us of our feelings and our need for attachment. In this dream, there is a strong feeling of guilt and shame, but then by holding the dachshund close, the dreamer is able to reunite with a part of herself. 

This dreamer, a 31-year-old woman, had recently separated from her partner. Often, in the wake of a break-up, we try to harden ourselves, and tell ourselves we can make it alone. We may suppress feelings of loss, grief and abandonment. In the dream, the little dog represents a vulnerable, sweet part of the dreamer that she is able to comfort.

The Hungry Dog Series

Over a period of 2.5 years I had a series of dreams about my dog, who was my companion from the age of 16 through 26. The first dream began with her coming up to me and wagging her tail. I was so happy to see her, it had been so many years since we had been together! But then I realized that all this time I had forgotten to feed her and take care of her, so I quickly filled a bowl and put it down for her to eat. Each successive dream she came to me, but with each dream she became more emaciated, until finally she died at my feet. However, in the final dream of the series, she came back to me all fat and happy, her fur coat all full and luxurious, her deep brown eyes full of love and wisdom

This dreamer experienced these dreams during a stressful academic period where she was completing a thesis on closed adoption and attachment, topics with personal resonance for her. She identified some of the themes of her dream herself, writing to us that “my dog’s death and rebirth represented a deep seated personal transformation as a result of the research process”. The successful resolution of the dreamer’s research is vividly represented by the dog’s rebirth, a potent image of the psychic journey the dreamer was on as she wrote up her dissertation. 

This dream also lifts up archetypal associations of dogs as links to the underworld and death. There was depression, a symbolic death, and a sorrow about the dog that was also most likely a sorrow about her own early life attachment wounds. The dog and the dreamer were on a journey through an underworld, both ultimately emerging happy and full of love. 

It is likely that this series of dreams is expressing the dreamer’s unmetabolized grief around adoption, which was coming up for her in her highly personal research work. The process of writing this thesis may also have been a process of mourning, which is reflected in the dream series. The rebirth of the dog may suggest the final integration of this grief, as happens when we do deep psychological work. 

The dream also points to the many sacrifices we have to make to take on an enormous project like writing a thesis. In a sense, the dog is sacrificed to the great task of writing. However, very few things in the psyche actually die, even though we’re sure that something in us has suffered unto death.

When we struggle to achieve something significant in our life, how many relationships, both intimate and otherwise, do we have to deprive of resources just to have the time and energy to do this reconstructive, great task? This dream offers the dreamer an opportunity to think about what it cost her to sequester herself to do this writing, the kind of suffering that being secluded and focused induces, what parts of her soul went unfed, and what an enormous relief it is to be completed with a Herculean task and to be able to rest back into your natural personality and once again tend the things that give you joy, love and wisdom. 

Dreams of Our Childhood Dogs

Buddy the Retriever and a Killer Clown

I am in the hallway of my childhood home. Around the corner of the hallway, you can see the backdoor. The whole door is of window panels. It is night and dark in the house, and I find myself feeling terrified and looking around the corner to the backdoor. I see the clown from IT staring hungrily back at me through the window panels. I immediately hide back in the hallway. I think about my childhood golden retriever, Buddy, in the backyard with the killer clown. I later gather enough courage to look back at the door, and there is no clown. I am somehow brave enough to tip-toe up to the door and peer through the panels looking for my furry friend. There he is, laying down on the back deck. He doesn’t notice me, but he looks tired and old. I am more than relieved and deeply comforted to see him there. 

In many dreams, our childhood dog appears, often as a source of comfort and solace. In this dream, we have a golden retriever that is clearly relaxed and undisturbed by the horrifying presence of a monstrous clown. Dogs, being instinctive, are not neurotic like humans. Our ego can get wound up and panicked by circumstance, leading us to ignore our instincts, which may well be telling us there is nothing to fear. In this dream, Buddy the dog seems to direct the dreamer to take a calmer approach to her fears. The dream dog is a medicine for the phantasmagoria of horrors that we can get caught up in in our own minds.

Dream Dogs that Bring Comfort

I often dream about my beloved dog Bubba, who passed away 5 years ago. During my last dream I saw that Bubba was resurrected from his grave. I was so happy that I saw that happening. He looked young again and very vibrant. My only agony was that I didn’t know how to count how old he was this time around. He passed away when he was 18, and I was wondering if I should count the 5 years that he has been dead (making him 23) or if I should start over. Both options made me happy. If he were 23, that meant that I took really good care of him and he was one of the most unique and long-lived dogs in the world. The other option meant that he will be having another full life to live with me. I was so happy that he was alive. I felt complete again. As I was waking up though, and realizing it was just a dream, I became very sad and I started crying. 

In this dream, the dreamer experiences dogs’ capacity to share with us their joy, energy and happiness. This dreamer accompanied her dream with the note that “the only life transition I am going through at the moment is menopause. I also find it difficult to find joy. I am not experiencing depressive feelings but I rather find it hard to enjoy things that used to make me happy. I do genuinely miss my dog. I think I am experiencing complicated grief”.

According to Jung, dreams are compensatory. So while the dreamer is feeling all these more downhearted, possibly depressive symptoms, the dream maker reminds her of joy, loving connection, and eros. The dog is sent as a guide to help this dreamer through a difficult time, showing her that even though in waking life she can’t imagine her psyche being able to generate joy, that capacity is still there. The “joy button” is still working inside her, even though she is struggling to find it.

When Dogs Attack Us In Our Dreams

A dark, German Shepherd dog was attacking me. It felt like I really knew this dog, like it wasn’t just some random dog on the street. It felt personal. I didn’t notice any blood or wounds. I kept trying to get the dog to see I was an OK human, and that it didn’t need to attack me. I repeatedly tried to stroke it and calm it, even though I was a little scared. I tried to hide that fear. It felt like desperation; like my heart was hurting because I wanted it to love me. I think I had tears in my eyes. 

Another common dream of dogs involves being attacked by a fierce, aggressive dog. In this example, the dreamer, who is dealing with grief, loss and the end of a relationship, tries desperately to befriend an aggressive German Shepherd. 

Here, the dream ego has a choice – to run away, to fight, to trick, or to befriend. Yet, she is insistent on befriending this dog. Despite her fear, it feels desperately important to her that this loving intention lands. We might wonder what would happen if the dream ego chose to take a more authoritative stance; to assert herself as the leader of the pack and to order the dog to sit, to lie down and to stop. Sometimes, we might need to give up our hope for attachment, bonding and affection in order to assert our own authority, separateness and will. 

In her associations, this dreamer tells us that she is a loyal person, who wants to be loved and liked, and that in some areas of her life, she struggles to understand why she is not loved. She is also trying to be less angry, which tells us that she considers herself an angry person. Her reaction to the dog is to try and pet him, but the dog part of her psyche might actually be looking for a different kind of engagement. Stroking and petting is not the only way to bond. Perhaps what the dog part of her psyche is looking for is an element of muscularity and assertiveness. 

There is also a possibility here, hinted at when the dreamer says that she knows this dog, that if she is able to stand up, feel confident, and harness the dog, it may have the potential to be a protective companion to her. If she can take effective control over the aggression inside of her, she may find it productive, rather than something to fear and suppress. 

Five More Dog Dreams

Readers sent us hundreds of dreams, and sadly, we could not analyze them all. Here, we reprint five more dog dreams that stood out to us for you to consider and reflect on. 

A House Overrun By Dogs

I’m at home with my husband in our living room when all of the sudden I notice there are random stray dogs of all sizes, colors and breeds coming into our house. I have no idea where they are coming from or how they got into our house. I start to freak out and want them out of the house but my husband doesn’t seem to mind that they’re there. My husband says it’s OK if they hang out here for a while. I’m furious and overwhelmed. Some of the dogs find their way out to our yard and hang out there. Then a line of cars pulls up outside and the dogs’ owners come out of their cars to get their dogs. Some come to our front door to talk to us and are mad at us for some reason, like we were trying to steal their dogs. I walk outside to see how many dogs are left and there aren’t many left. There is one bigger black dog that keeps coming over to me. It looks like a golden retriever but bigger and with black fur. I’m not scared of him and I’m petting him and in my mind I think I might keep him. 

Two Dogs, a Bear and a Doe

I am at a cabin I’ve never been to with my mom. There is fresh snow on the ground. I see my mom walking on top of a hill about 25 yards away. She disappears and I spot a large brown bear about 20 yards from me in the large, un-enclosed yard. My two dogs are outside with me. Newt (a scruffy dog we’ve had for a year) has the zoomies and I am trying to grab him. Fig (a large hound, my baby, I’ve had since he was a pup) is leashed and is caught on a bush right in front of the bear. I am panicking, trying to gather both dogs. The bear does not seem to see us though we are right in front of it. Right past the bear is a tree line, and I see there is a doe making direct eye contact with me. 

Taxidermy Dog

I’m at my grandmother’s house. The cooking stove in the kitchen is not hot, not cooking. The house seems to be empty. On the floor there is a taxidermy dog, similar to a Shiba. His paws are nailed to a large, wooden board. The dog seemed to be somehow alive, but I’m not sure. I think he is just a taxidermy object, who used to be alive. After a while, I see him running free in the hall. I am heartbroken, sad and helpless. I see that the pieces of the wood are still attached to his paws. “He is alive and in pain”, I am thinking. 

Shana the Sheepdog

I’m with my present-day family (but in a different home environment) I suddenly realize, to my horror, that our dog Shana is not with us and hasn’t been for some time. Shana (a pretty Shetland Sheepdog) was my beloved dog from childhood, not a dog in the present day. I am very worried about her absence and think she must have died. Then I see a rolled-up blanket on the floor and unwrap it, finding her inside. Shana is alive, but very weak and diminished, and has lost weight. When she walks, one of her paws (the right rear paw) seems compromised and she can’t put weight on it. I pour water for her into a glass bowl, not a dog dish but a bowl meant for humans, and she drinks out of it eagerly, gaining energy. 

An Ancient Tablet

I’m in a room with some people who are familiar though not identifiable. There’s a clay stone tablet on the wall with ancient writing on it. Someone takes it off the wall and places it on the floor. I go over to look at the tablet. It starts to grow, expand and puff up; and then it turns into a snarling golden retriever. The dog runs at me growling. I scream and then wake up. 

A shorter version of this post appears at https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-archetypal-angle/202410/what-does-your-dog-dream-mean