Why Is My Dog Shivering?

There are many reasons a dog might shiver — mainly pain, cold, or stress — but there are other conditions that can affect it too. What should you do if your dog is shivering?

Knowing the main causes lets us check that our dog is okay, or figure out what's wrong so we can decide whether we need to see a vet. At Soyunperro we'll explain the causes behind shivering in dogs and the possible solutions.

What Happens to a Dog When It Shivers?

Shivering is an involuntary bodily response that can stem from various causes, from external factors like low temperatures to health problems like epilepsy or poisoning.

Other, psychological causes can also make a dog shiver, such as fear, anxiety, stress, or excess excitement (like when they get overjoyed). Let's look in detail at what happens to a dog when it shivers, based on the underlying cause.

Shivering From Cold in Dogs

Dogs have a physiology quite similar to that of humans. That's why, when it's cold, their body involuntarily starts to produce muscle contractions in order to generate heat, which cause the shivering. Just as we shiver when we're cold, our dogs shiver to warm themselves up.

The muscle movement during shivering produces heat that our dog uses to relieve the sensation of cold. Keep in mind that dogs have a higher body temperature than humans, and even though they're covered in fur, they can still feel cold at times.

Sometimes shivering happens when the dog gets wet, which is quite normal, since the coat that protects them from the cold is now wet and the body starts generating heat through these muscle tremors.

In short, it's completely normal for a dog to shiver when it's cold. To stop the shivering, we simply need to take it to a warm place and keep it dry and away from drafts.

A Dog Can Shiver From Fear or Stress

Another common cause of shivering in dogs is fear and/or stress. It's a behavioral and psychological issue that results in shivering. For example, around Christmas with fireworks, since their senses are more developed than ours, they hear and feel this sound amplified. That's why this kind of reaction is common at that time of year.

The same can happen in any situation that causes stress in our pet, such as when we leave the house. Nerves are also one of the main reasons a dog might start shivering — for example, when we've been away for a while and the dog gets very excited to see us.

Preventing this type of shivering is simple when it comes to excitement: we simply need to practice relaxation techniques with our dog, and before long we'll notice the shivering decreasing. However, fear-based shivering is very difficult to eliminate, though we can help our dog by consulting an ethologist.

To help a dog stop shivering from fear, we should also practice relaxation techniques, avoid forcing it out of its hiding spot, avoid staring straight into its eyes so as not to intimidate it, speak softly, and stay calm ourselves, without any aggression.

Pain Can Cause Shivering in a Dog

There are also conditions that cause pain and, as a result, possible shivering. For example, osteoarthritis or muscle pain from an injury or wear, which cause shivering throughout our dog or in specific areas, such as a limb. This type of shivering only goes away once the underlying problem is resolved — that is, with proper medication for the condition, which removes the pain.

Other, more serious illnesses can also cause muscle spasms or shivering. For example: parvovirus, epilepsy, or even ingestion of a toxic substance that causes poisoning in our dog. In cases of poisoning, the dog may shiver as well as vomit, pant, and seem lethargic or act strangely.

If we suspect our dog may be in pain, have a health condition, or may have been poisoned, we must see a vet — no exceptions. There's no home remedy that can cure this type of shivering; we need to treat the underlying problem for it to go away.

Other Reasons a Dog Might Shiver

Dogs can shiver while sleeping. This type of shivering is completely normal — most of the time it's because our dog is dreaming about something exciting or nerve-wracking. It's also very common for them to pant, growl, or even bark while dreaming.

Cold can be another reason our dog shivers while sleeping, which we'll know if the room temperature is very low. This used to happen more often when it was more common for dogs to sleep in the yard, or in more rural areas where that's still the case. In that case, we can cover them with a blanket.

Regardless of the causes already mentioned, our dog may be experiencing a drop in blood glucose, which would cause this shivering. This mostly happens in active puppies and is resolved by giving our dog food, or honey for a faster rise (which is better in these cases).

My Puppy Is Shivering — What Should I Do?

When it's a puppy, we need to take extra precautions, since its immune system isn't fully developed yet and is weaker. Any problem or illness can be much more serious for a puppy than for an adult dog.

If our puppy is shivering, we should make sure it isn't cold, that it has eaten well, and that its mood is normal. As mentioned earlier, puppies can experience drops in blood glucose if they aren't fed every 4-5 hours. Giving them honey helps produce a faster glucose spike.

We won't cover tricks or methods here — if our puppy is shivering and we don't know why, the best thing to do is see a vet, or if we're on good terms with them, call and explain the problem.

Puppies are so fragile that we recommend consulting a specialist as a rule, even if just to rule out other viral issues, since the consequences can be fatal.