Why Do Dogs Sneeze When They Play Fight
Camila Farah
A play sneeze is more of an excited snort or a sharp exhalation of air from the nose.
The sound is similar but shorter and not as deep. Dogs sometimes also use the sneeze as a calming signal to other dogs. Another reason that dogs sneeze while playing is to communicate to other dogs. This causes the dog to wrinkle their highly sensitive nose which can cause a tickle that the body interprets as a signal to sneeze.
When a dog sneezes it s usually a sign that the dog is healthy and the body is doing its job. What about sneezing though. You may notice a dog sneeze just as play begins to escalate and become more intense. The sneeze is a mark of when your dog is really loving what you re doing so our pups have found a weird new way to say maybe it looks like we re fighting but it s all cool we re buds you may have your own reasons for loving your dog their cuddly fur their perfect.
Fogle believes dogs sneeze when play fighting because when they get excited they wrinkle their nose which causes a tickle. Dogs have extremely sensitive noses so this tickle is all that s needed to get them to sneeze. The sneeze in this context is a reminder to the playmate that the scrimmage is just play not a true fight. When your dog is in the middle of a play fight with you or another dog you might notice that they sneeze with some frequency.
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The sneeze in this context is a reminder to the playmate that the scrimmage is just play not a true fight. When a dog is playing and the game starts to get aggressive he might stop for a second and sneeze to let the other dog or human or whoever he s playing with that it is all in fun. There are a lot of different reasons why dogs sneeze when they are playing or excited. The play sneeze is also a sign the dog is having a great time.
Calming signals a term created by norwegian dog behaviorist turid rugaas serve to help destress a dog as well as deescalate a potentially threatening situation. Whilst it remains a mystery as to why it happens small breeds can start sneezing during play. He went on to say that it doesn t even have to be the dog wrinkling the nose that causes the tickle. Dogs mimic our facial expressions and empathetically yawn when we do in order to bond with us.
The sneeze is a cue to the playmate to keep things fun light and safe. That the fight is not real but rather for sport. For other puppies and playmates it can become confusing if they are not used to this behavior but it s totally normal.
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