Dog Breathing Weird? Here’s What Could Be Wrong

Whether it’s wheezing, breathing hard, or just heavier than usual – you might have wondered, why is my dog breathing weird? And as it turn out, it could just be a sign they’ve gotten a good bout of exercise…or it could signal something more concerning.

So in this post, we’re going to cover what’s a normal respiratory rate for dogs, what are the signs something could be wrong, and how tracking your buddy’s sleep is key to picking up on a health issue early on. Let’s get started.

What’s a normal respiratory rate for dogs?

For dogs, a normal respiratory rate is considered 15-30 breaths per minute.¹ But it does depend on factors like your dog’s:

Size	Smaller dogs tend to breathe faster than medium- and large-sized dogs. This could be due to their smaller lung capacity and faster metabolisms.
Age	Puppies, likewise due to their smaller lung capacity and faster metabolisms, breathe faster than adult and senior dogs. However, senior dogs tend to be vulnerable to age-related health conditions, like heart or respiratory problems. Which could also make them breathe faster.
Breed	Brachycephalic dog breeds tend to have difficulties breathing in general because of how their skulls and snouts are shaped. They may be more vulnerable to sleep-related breathing disorders, like sleep apnea. On the other hand, physically active working dog breeds may pant faster after a long day of chasing around sheep, working in a K-9 unit, or pulling a sled over long distances.
Activity level	Panting is a normal response after vigorous exercise – and even more so among high-energy dog breeds. But it should taper off after a bit of time to cool down. On the other hand, dogs that are more sedentary might be more likely to become overweight with time. Which can also affect how easily they breathe.
Emotional state	Dogs may breathe faster when they’re stressed out, anxious, or frightened by something in their environment. Watch out for the usual culprits like loud noises, including fireworks or even thunderstorms.
Temperature	Dogs tend to pant to regulate their body temperature. So if it’s hot outdoors, they might pant more to cool down. Likewise, if you two are out hiking somewhere in the mountains (or somewhere higher in altitude), your dog might pant a bit more because of the lower levels of oxygen in the air.

What counts as labored breathing in dogs?

If your dog is clocking in over 30 breaths per minute, they might be experiencing shortness of breath – or “dyspnea.” This type of labored breathing can occur both when they’re at rest or after a long walk or play session – and your dog might breathe harder and weirder than usual.

This condition usually counts as a medical emergency – so get your dog to a vet right away if you notice:

• Rattling or gasping noises as your dog tries to breathe
• Wide, dilated pupils
• A bluish tongue and/or mucus membranes
• Heaving motions around your dog’s abdomen and ribs

💡Keep an ear out for how your dog breathes while they’re asleep. If they seem restless or move around a ton, it could be a sign of a deeper medical issue.

(Which you can actually track and pick up actionable data to share with your vet if you’ve invested in a Sleep Tracker for dogs, which we’ll cover a bit further below.)

How can I check my dog’s breathing rate at home?

Now we do understand if you’re worried if your dog sounds like they’re wheezing, breathing harder or heavier than usual, or even sound congested. Here’s how you can check their breathing rate at home:

• In a familiar, comfortable environment, get your dog to lie down in a relaxed position.
• Place your hand on your dog’s belly.
• Set a timer on your phone for 1 minute.
• Remember: one inhale and one exhale count as 1 breath.
• Count how many inhales and exhales your dog lets out within this 1 minute time limit.

Vets advise counting your dog’s breathing rate over the next couple of hours to establish a baseline – and to ensure it isn’t consistently elevated.

Just make sure not to check your buddy’s breathing rate if they’ve just come home from a walk or running around the backyard all day! Panting doesn’t count as an increase in breathing, since the inhaled air doesn’t fully reach your dog’s lungs.

Your dog should be breathing between 15-30 breaths per minute – but don’t worry if it’s a bit less if your dog seems healthy otherwise. Their breathing should ideally seem smooth, without interruption.

Warning signs if you’ve got a dog breathing weird

These signs likewise count as red flags in your dog’s breathing and might signal a deeper medical problem. Keep an eye out if they persist over a few days – and get your vet for a checkup if you notice your dog:

• More restless while sleeping – especially if your dog moves around a lot,
• Coughing or gagging,
• Tiring out more easily after your regular walks or playtime,
• Gums or tongue that are a light or bluish color,
• Lethargic,
• Collapsing or even fainting,
• Not eating as much,
• Showing a distended belly

⚠️ All of these signs may be linked to heart disease – or even heart failure – in dogs.² And the earlier you catch it, the more likely you’ll be to prevent your buddy’s health from worsening.

Now these “obvious” signs like coughing, gagging, not eating, or even fainting are easy enough to catch…but sadly, they could be a sign your poor buddy’s condition might’ve worsened over time.

So what if you could catch on to these red flags much in advance?

💡 It’s where tracking your dog’s sleep can be a lifesaver.

Because jotting down your dog’s every nighttime twitch, snore, or sleepy shuffle is…well, doable – but you do need your own sleep, right?

Besides, with a Sleep Tracker for dogs, you’re not relying on memory or risking missing some details.

📈 Rather, you’re using actionable data for your dog’s sleep patterns – which also means a more productive conversation with your vet.

🐶 With its built-in motion detector, your trusty Tractive GPS doubles as an Activity and Sleep Monitor for dogs.

Which picks up on your dog’s movements throughout the day (and night) – and helps you figure out:

• How much sleep your dog normally gets,
• How much quality sleep your dog normally gets,

And most importantly…

• How many times your dog’s sleep has gotten interrupted.

⚠️ Which may or may not signal the restless sleep linked to cardiovascular trouble, cognitive decline, and a host of other medical conditions.

Either way, it means you can catch on to a weird change in your dog’s sleep patterns much, much in advance…and save them from a worse health problem down the line.

Discover Sleep Tracking

Why is my dog breathing weird? The more concerning reasons

No matter how much exercise they’ve gotten, how excited they are, or how hot (or cold) it is outdoors – your dog’s breathing should return to normal after a bit of rest.

But if it doesn’t, it could be due to:

Pain or chronic stress

Both of which can make your dog’s body struggle to cope with an increased demand for oxygen – and breathe harder as a result. This applies regardless of the underlying cause.

⚠️ Watch out for foreign objects stuck in your dog’s throat, which may cause them to cough, wheeze, or gag in an effort to release it. Splinters from sticks you throw for fetch, pieces of food, grass, or even toys can get lodged in their windpipes – leading to wheezing as your buddy tries to breathe normally.

Those few extra pounds

We know, a chonky dog can be adorable – but the resulting health issues down the line just aren’t worth it. (Which include diabetes, cardiovascular trouble, and even painful conditions like arthritis in dogs.)

So it’s a good idea to check your buddy’s weight on the regular. Excess weight puts extra strain on your dog’s heart and lungs – and makes it more likely they’ll wheeze, have to breathe harder, or faster to keep up with you.

Read more: Body Condition Score & BMI Calculator for Dogs

💡Here’s a handy BMI calculator for dogs to help you figure out if your buddy needs a bit more exercise:

Get Your Dog’s BMI

Other medical conditions

Which can include:

• Allergies, including to environmental factors like pollen, mold, dust, secondhand smoke, and even the harsh chemicals in common household cleaning items. These allergens can inflame your buddy’s airways, leading to wheezing – and in some cases, anaphylaxis.
• Infections from viruses, bacteria or even fungi can lead to conditions like kennel cough – which is primarily spread from dog to dog.
• A collapsing trachea
• Heat stroke,
• Tumors or growths in your dog’s lungs, trachea, and airways.
• Respiratory issues, including diseases like chronic bronchitis, pneumonia, or tracheal collapse. These tend to be more common among small breeds and brachycephalic dogs.
• Parasites like lung worms can cause inflammation and damage to your dog’s lung tissue and blood vessels and airways, which can make breathing difficult. This might result in your dog sounding congested, since their lungs might have produced more mucus, which can block the airways.
• Cardiovascular issues, which can lead to difficulties transporting enough oxygen to your dog’s blood – leading to an increased respiratory rate, coughing, weakness, or bluish mucus membranes.
• Other lung-related problems, including pulmonary edema – or fluid buildup in your dog’s lungs, often as a result of heart problems.
• Injuries to your dog’s windpipe or chest, whether from fighting another dog or animal – or even a too-vigorous bout of playtime.

Why is my dog breathing weird – but less heavy than usual?

A low breathing rate in dogs is generally a good thing – it usually means your buddy’s:

• Sleeping well,
• Relaxed and happy next to you on the couch,
• Getting fitter and healthier from exercise,
• Adjusting to the cold – meaning their bodies are trying not to lose warmth by breathing more,

Much like their heart rate, your dog’s breathing rate might drop when they’re very relaxed or asleep. Just follow the same steps we covered above to build a baseline for how they breathe during naptimes.

(And don’t worry – in deep sleep, their breathing rate can drop even below 10 breaths per minute, which is 100% normal.)

⚠️ Sadly, if your buddy’s breathing remains consistently low – it may also indicate nerve or heart problems.

So besides keeping an eye out for signs like disturbed sleep, drop by your vet for a checkup. (Ideally, with your dog’s Sleep Tracking data at hand.)

Start Sleep Tracking

Breathe easier & manage your buddy’s health – 100% stress-free

Watching your buddy wheezing their heart out isn’t pleasant – which is why it’s important you take action much before their health takes a turn for their worse. Remember: a normal respiratory rate for dogs is around 15-30 breaths per minute. (Though it may be just a bit higher if you’ve got a puppy or a smaller dog at home.)

Any lower isn’t a cause for concern if your buddy seems healthy otherwise. It’s usually a sign they’re relaxed, about to fall asleep, or are adjusting to their new exercise regime.

My dog is breathing heavy – when should I head to the vet?

If it’s just after you two are done with playtime, give your dog a few minutes to rest. Normally, their breathing rate should return to normal once they’ve cooled down.

But if your dog’s labored breathing persists – along with these signs – head to your vet right away:

• Rattling or gasping noises as your dog tries to breathe
• Wide, dilated pupils
• A bluish tongue and/or mucus membranes
• Heaving motions around your dog’s abdomen and ribs
• Restlessness while sleeping – especially if your dog move around a lot,
• Coughing or gagging,
• Tiring out more easily after your regular walks or playtime,
• Lethargic,
• Collapsing or even fainting,
• Not eating as much,
• Showing a distended belly

All of these signs could signal a medical emergency, including heart or lung problems.

💡And if you’ve noticed your dog breathing weird – but aren’t sure if it counts as an emergency – it always helps to keep track of other, more subtle signs of their health. Like how well they’re sleeping, for example. (Because the more your dog’s sleep is interrupted, the worse it is for their health.)

Which has never been easier to do, especially if you’ve got a Tractive device strapped to your buddy’s collar – monitoring their activity and sleep.

Stay on top of your dog’s wellness

Follow every step in real-time with unlimited range. Get alerts if they wander too far. Keep them happy & healthy with Wellness Monitoring. And let others – like walkers or sitters – keep an eye on your dog too.

Discover Tractive GPS

Want to see how the experts might treat a dog breathing weird or heavier than usual? Here’s Dr. Karen Emerson from the Emerson Animal Hospital taking care of little Abby the Yorkie!

And if you’ve liked this post, share it with a friend or a loved one – and let’s help build a safer, kinder world for our furry friends together.

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Your furry friend’s health and wellbeing means as much as to us as it does to you. So we’ve made it a priority to only share medically-relevant content on our blog.

This post was checked, double-checked, and medically verified by Georgia-based vet, Dr. Dwight Alleyne.

Originally from Long Island, New York, Dr. Alleyne began his career at a no-kill animal shelter before becoming a licensed veterinary technician. He graduated from Cornell University Veterinary College in 2006 and completed an internship at Purdue University.

Now practicing in Georgia, Dr. Alleyne specializes in soft tissue surgery and ultrasounds. He also writes pet health articles on his website, “The Animal Doctor Blog” (www.anmldrblog.com).