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One of my rescue pups has started exhibiting a strange behavior when she is resting/inactive. Not all the time, but frequent enough to start causing me concern.
Best way I can describe it is that after laying down, she will "shutter" or "chatter" her jaw at a rapid frequency. Her mouth doesn't open hardly at all. Just a rapid, momentary open/close motion. She does it for just a few seconds, maybe three at the most. Sometimes just once, other times three for four times. Happens at least once few days, (that I notice). No real pattern that I could quantify. She only exhibits this behavior when she first lays down, never after the first few minutes. Have also never seen her do this when she is active and moving about. Have never witnessed this behavior with any other dog I have had throughout my life, so that's why I'm a bit concerned.
Is this behavior a symptom of something much more serious? To where I should have her checked out at a veterinarian? I can just see that if I were to take her to a vet, she would not exhibit the behavior and the vet wouldn't have a clue what was going on.
Agree with the previous post. Take a video for your vet. Any other behavioral changes going on? Some new stressor in the house? Is she a puppy or an older dog? How long have you had her?
We adopted a senior lab that would do this sometimes when she was excited. Her teeth were pretty worn, like she chewed a lot of something hard over the years, most were pretty flat. I suspect that contributed to the "chatter".
She did fine. We had her for 8 years, and saw it less frequently overtime.
Agree with the previous post. Take a video for your vet. Any other behavioral changes going on? Some new stressor in the house? Is she a puppy or an older dog? How long have you had her?
Thank you for your response. All of you. A video is a good idea . . . if I can catch it in time.
No recent change in the daily routine. If there is a stress, it is me because I am running for re-election to the city council and she may be tuning into my internal uncertainty. I got her and her bonded male as rescues four years ago. The vet said that she was 1 1/2 years old at that time, which would make her 5 1/2 now. Not a puppy, nor an older dog. Somewhere in the middle. She has always been a happy pup and doesn't have an enemy in the world. Still that way. Only dog I have ever known that likes to look out the window when I drive. Very curious little thing.
We just got back from an outing and she is curled up right now in a little bed at my feet. When she exhibits this behavior, I believe she is still awake. It happens just after she lays down and curls up. Surely she doesn't fall asleep that fast!
That is a process for getting more air over the olfactory nerves. I have a dog who adores treats that does it when something good appears and he hopes it is for him.
For some reason, known only to your dog, it is important to take a good deep smell of the surroundings when she goes to bed. She's a rescue so perhaps checking the area for danger before she goes to sleep?
My dog did this as well and we had her for 14 years. I asked my vet about it and they didn't have any concerns over it. I could never quite figure out a pattern of why she did and that explanation is interesting
Goofy Girl does this chatter when she's exhausted. It's usually followed by her tongue sliding out of her mouth and hanging out for awhile. she also shudders and shakes for a few seconds. I think it's flashbacks from her previous living conditions. outdoors in a pen, not loved, rarely fed and bred too many times. when she wakes - she usually comes over for a snuggle. if she's doing it when we're sitting on the couch, I'll go over and snuggle her and gently wake her.
I've determined they shot guns around her - she recognizes the noise and ducks and runs, terrified of loud noises, brooms, and even after almost 4 years, she is still overjoyed to get food daily and fresh water.
there's a special place in hell for animal abusers.
That is a process for getting more air over the olfactory nerves. I have a dog who adores treats that does it when something good appears and he hopes it is for him.
For some reason, known only to your dog, it is important to take a good deep smell of the surroundings when she goes to bed. She's a rescue so perhaps checking the area for danger before she goes to sleep?
My male does that when he smells a b|+ch coming into season. I knew it was him being a pervert but I didn't know that it was for getting air over the olfactory nerves. I learned something.
A few of my dogs do it. It seems prey related- when they see a bird outside they often do that. Cats do the same too.
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