How to Calm a Panting Dog: 3 Tips & Tricks
When does panting go from a cute, stereotypically "dog" behavior to something you need to address? Read on for research-backed advice on how to distinguish normal panting from excessive panting — and three tips to help your dog calm down.
Key Takeaways
- While panting is normal, 40 or more breaths per minute is a sign of excessive panting.
- Your dog's panting might be due to heat, exercise, stress, or trouble breathing.
- If your dog is hot, try cooling them off by taking them into a cooler location, encouraging them to drink, and getting them wet.
- In the absence of exercise or heat, your dog might be panting because of stress.
- To calm a panting dog, try making them feel safe or giving them a calming supplement.
- Calming supplements, like our CBD calming treats, are most effective when taken shortly before a stressful encounter or situation, such as Fourth of July fireworks or a road trip.
See Related: How to Give Your Dog CBD Oil
How Much Panting Is Too Much?
Almost all healthy dogs pant. As a pet parent, you've almost certainly seen your furry friend engage in this completely normal behavior.
Most of the time, panting is absolutely nothing to worry about. Dogs naturally pant when they're hot or tired. They can also pant because of stress.
However, if your dog is panting excessively, you might need to intervene.
But what's the difference between "normal" panting and "excessive" panting? After all, those of us with a particularly drooly dog might consider all panting excessive, especially when it's happening right in front of us!
Breaths Per Minute
The way to tell if your dog's panting is excessive is by counting each breath. Don't worry, you don't have to get out an abacus. Counting for just a minute will do.
If your dog is taking fewer than 30 breaths per minute, congratulations. That's generally considered normal.
Above 30 is where things start to become a little unusual. And if your dog is breathing 40 or more times per minute, that's generally considered excessive panting.¹
Consider Context
Remember, panting is a normal behavior. If your dog starts panting right after getting the zoomies on a hot day, that's to be expected. They're likely trying to catch their breath and cool down.
But if that panting continues for an unusually long period of time, or if your dog starts panting seemingly for no reason, you have reason to be concerned.
Bonus: 4 Weird Ways Stress Can Affect Your Dog
Why Your Dog Might Be Panting
To further help you distinguish between normal and unusual panting, let's consider some of the most common reasons dogs pant.
They're Scared…
Our beloved furry friends might consider themselves the protectors of the house, but they can often be real scaredy cats. Vacuums, brushes, doorbells, visitors, squirrels, delivery workers... all kinds of totally harmless things can put dogs in a panic.
When dogs get scared, their bodies release a cascade of stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline. That puts them in fight or flight mode.
But if they can't fight a threat or flee from it, dogs sometimes start panting.²
…Or Stressed
Dogs might also start panting when they're stressed out. For example, one study found that dogs panted much more at the vet — a stressful environment for many pooches — compared to at home.³
Generally, in the absence of some stimulus like heat or exercise, panting is often considered a sign of stress.⁴
Trouble Breathing
Your dog might also be panting because they are struggling to breathe. If they can't get enough air through normal breathing, it's only natural for them to start breathing more to try and compensate.
The question, then, is why your dog isn't getting enough air. That could be due to several different factors:
- Breed: Some dogs naturally have trouble breathing due to constricted airways.
- Allergies: Your dog might be having an allergic reaction, which is making it more difficult for them to breathe. We offer an Allergy & Immune Support Mushroom Tincture that can help dogs with seasonal allergies. If you think the reaction is due to something else, consult your vet.
- Choking: We've all laughed at the viral videos of food-obsessed dogs gulping down whole burritos without chewing. Unfortunately, this can sometimes result in food or other objects becoming lodged in your dog's airways. If you think that's the case, see this how-to guide on what to do.
Exercise
Just like humans, dogs often pant to catch their breath after strenuous exercise. Heavy breathing after exercise is perfectly normal and nothing to worry about.
The only exception is if your dog continues to pant heavily with no sign of improvement.
Heat
Remember, dogs don’t sweat like we humans do to cool down. Panting is one of the only ways dogs can naturally cool off. By panting, they utilize evaporative cooling to lower their body temperature.⁵
Heavy panting in hot weather is normal.⁶ Don't tune out that noisy breathing totally, though. If your dog won't stop panting in the heat, that can be a sign that they aren't able to properly cool off sufficiently.
That can be dangerous.⁷ A dog that is unable to cool off is a dog in need of assistance.
Three Tips to Calm a Panting Dog
#1. Cool Them Down
If you think your dog is panting due to heat, the best thing to do is to cool them down.
Take them out of the sun, for starters. If there's a cool environment, like an air-conditioned room, even better. A breeze or a fan will also help.
Try and encourage your dog to drink water, too. If they're refusing water, try something tasty like a weak bone broth to get them to drink.
One interesting study found a rather novel cooling technique: dunking a dog's head in cool water! To be clear, the dogs in this study were trained to voluntarily dunk their heads in water that was 22 degrees Celsius.
This dunk was found to be extremely effective at lowering the dogs' body temperature.⁸
If you think your dog won't be a willing participant in this technique, don't worry. Getting them wet some other way, such as spraying them — or, in serious cases, immersing them in cool water — can also help lower their body temperature.⁹
#2. Make Them Feel Safe
Assuming your dog is panting from stress, the best thing to do is to comfort them.
Some dogs respond well to closeness. Your presence can make them feel safe and calm them down.
However, other dogs like being given space when stressed. You could take them to a safe, calm place, like a crate or quiet room, away from any potential stressors.
A spritz of calming pheromones or our fast-acting Quick Calm CBD spray might also help your dog cope with external stressors.
#3. Give Them a Calming Supplement
If your dog is panting from stress and step #2 didn't do the trick, try giving them a calming supplement.
Our Calming Chews, for example, contain organic, full-spectrum CBD to help keep your dog calm and relaxed. You can choose between Beef and Pumpkin or Duck and Apple. And if neither of those appeals, try our Hemp Hearts, which come in Blueberry, Pumpkin, and natural Extra Strength flavors.
These calming treats are generally most effective when given half an hour before your dog is likely to become stressed. Ideally, then, you would give your dog supplements in anticipation of them panting excessively due to stress.
But they can still help your furry friend cope with external stressors after they've started panting.
If All Else Fails
We've covered the most common causes of excessive panting in dogs, and touched on three tips that should help your panting dog. But this isn't an exhaustive list. If the above advice doesn't work, or you think your dog's panting is being caused by something else, consult your vet immediately.
Conclusion
Dogs pant for all kinds of reasons. Figuring out why your dog is breathing heavily is the first step. Once you've done that, use our three tips to try and solve the problem — and soothe your pooch.
And remember, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. A calming supplement (whether it be full-spectrum CBD oil or hemp treats for dogs) given in preparation for stress can save you — and your dog — from having to deal with excessive panting before it even begins!
Keep Reading: How to Calm Down a Cat in 5 Simple Steps
Sources
- Excessive Panting in Dogs
- Prevalence, comorbidity, and behavioral variation in canine anxiety, Stress-Related Behaviors in Companion Dogs Exposed to Common Household Noises, and Owners' Interpretations of Their Dogs' Behaviors
- New Study Looks at Dog Anxiety and Veterinary Visits
- Interpreting the behavioural signs
- Panting in dogs: Paths of air flow in response to heat and exercise
- Mechanical aspects of panting in dogs
- Pathophysiology and pathological findings of heatstroke in dogs
- Voluntary head dunking after exercise-induced hyperthermia rapidly reduces core body temperature in dogs
- Cooling Methods Used to Manage Heat-Related Illness in Dogs Presented to Primary Care Veterinary Practices during 2016–2018 in the UK
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Earth Buddy is an environmentally conscious and family-owned company dedicated to providing natural solutions for pets. From our CBD oils to our colostrum supplements, our products are designed to promote calmness and encourage relaxation for our furry friends. To learn more and stay connected, follow us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, and Pinterest.
