new puppy is twitching in its sleep

Question
First off, I apologize if this is a really dumb question, but this is the first puppy that I've had that has ever been mine to take care of alone.  I recently got a mini-schnauzer/terrier mix less than a week ago.  I adopted him from a lady who had bought him from a breeder.  He's only about 9 weeks old now.  He doesn't seem to have any medical problems and is up to date on all his shots.
My concern is that when he is sleeping (he sleeps on the bed with me) he twitches in his sleep a lot.  I am really a bit scared that he maybe has some medical thing like seizures that I simply don't know about - but I was told by my mom that he is just dreaming.  So here is my question(s): do dogs actually twitch in their sleep from having dreams; what amount of twitching is "appropriate" and not anything to worry about?  Thanks so much.

Answer
Anthony,

There's no dumb question : ) I am an excessive worrier about my dogs too, so don't feel bad!

Dogs absolutely do move while dreaming. Their legs and paws will twitch as if running or walking, and sometimes they will even growl and bark. It's pretty cute, and entertaining, and nothing to worry about. If he were seizing, you'd know it, and he'd likely wake himself up. During a seizure, a dog's entire body will sort of 'lock up' - get really stiff, and there will be a lot of trembling, disorientation (they actually lose consciousness for a while and don't even notice that you're with them), excessive panting, etc. If he just seems to be halfway running in his sleep, I wouldn't worry.

Good luck with the new puppy!

Ashley