Why do dogs tremble?
Dog phobia is a very broad topic and there’s not always a straight answer to the reasons dogs suddenly start panicking or panting and getting afraid.
While dogs can start shivering because of dreams, old age, dog’s new environment, or illness, there are also underlining factors that could cause dogs shivering.
Most times, fear in your dog is normal and the causes are harmless.
However, in some cases, as a dog owner, you have to monitor the situation carefully and act quickly when necessary, that’s when you know the time to get worried.
Categories of Causes of Dog’s Fear
- Dog trembles in sleep
A dog can start shaking and acting scared for a few minutes after waking from sleep or while in sleep.
Dogs are known to have dreams, and they may experience trauma in the events that happen in their dream which could cause tremors.
A dog can even make strange noises from sleep and run from that location. He can even start running around the house scared.
This tremor during sleep can be observed in many dogs and is completely harmless and even important for the dog.
It is used to reduce stress and is a sign of muscle relaxation.
The more the dog has experienced during the day, the more likely it is to begin to tremble when it is resting at night.
However, sometimes, dogs trembling while sleeping can be traced to seizures especially when diarrhea, vomiting, or limping is followed, and in this case, the attention of a veterinary doctor is required.
- Dogs Tremble because of Cold
A dog can start shivering, panting, or shaking because of extremely cold weather, this is normal.
Dog breeds with no undercoat or that just have their fur shaved by the owner can also be trembling because of cold.
Small dogs or puppies can also be affected by cold and start to get scared of their environment.
This tremor is also a completely harmless reaction of the animals, they’re just afraid of getting frozen.
- Dogs tremble because of their Nature
Some dog breeds are prone to shaking most of the time, and they are commonly referred to as shaker dogs.
These dogs have generalized tremor syndrome and popular dog breeds that are predisposed to shaking or tremors are the following.
- Doberman pinschers
- West highland white terrier
- chow chow
- Samoyeds
- English bulldogs
- Dalmatians
- Maltese
- Springer spaniels
- Labrador retrievers
- Weimaraners
These particular breeds are known to like to tremble. Some of these dogs are bred for hunting, and they are frequently under tension so that they can react to stimuli at the speed of light.
The dog is trembling because he is particularly tense. Our hybrid terrier presents us with this tremor whenever he spots a cat or a rabbit.
- Poor dog Training or Socialization
It is generally observed that small dogs are more likely to tremble than large dog breeds. Especially the so-called mini dogs like to tremble continuously.
It can be easily deduced that small dogs fear more because they are not well socialized in their environment yet, and they often feel insecure as a result of this.
Dogs can get scared of random objects, loud noise, fireworks, or thunder because they’ve not experienced them before.
Over time, these dogs will get used to these occurrences and will not tremble as much as before.
Also, if you always carry your dog around, he may feel insecure and tremble when left alone or the first time he’s riding in the car with you.
By offering good and professional training to your dog, he can easily overcome this fear.
It is therefore important for every dog that you get to know as many environmental stimuli, noises, and strange living beings as possible and can interact with them or react to them normally.
- Trembling as a symptom of diseases
In addition to all of these natural and mostly harmless reasons that cause a dog to tremble, there are also dog illnesses whose symptoms include tremors.
A tremor can indicate pain. Dogs often start trembling in their extremities when they are injured.
In these cases, watch out for a possible limp and check the affected leg.
Large dogs in particular are prone to stomach twisting. Trembling is one of the main symptoms of this life-threatening condition, along with restlessness, panting, and a bloated stomach.
In this case, you must take your animal to the vet immediately.
Abdominal pain from digestive problems can also cause tremors.
If the tremor occurs after great physical exertion and symptoms such as disorientation and weakness occur, your dog may have hypoglycemia.
Glucose can be given to the dog as a first-aid approach in this case, and a veterinarian should be consulted thereafter.
