If your dog is chattering its teeth after yawning often or if you were shocked to witness your dog chattering its teeth out of the blue recently, we understand why you would be confused and worried about this behavior. While any behavioral or medical issues in dogs are always best consulted with a vet, it is always a good idea for a pet parent to go to a vet’s office with a bit of knowledge about their pooch’s behavior and the possible underlying causes.
Among all the reasons we will discuss later in this post, oral issues and teething in dogs are common reasons they chatter their teeth while yawing. Although rare, sometimes serious conditions might also lead to teeth-chattering. Having said that, you should be able to differentiate all medical reasons as the symptoms can be much more severe than just mere teeth chatters.
While teeth chattering in old dogs is common, given the muscle-weakening and fatigue witnessed in senior dogs, this problem in pups and adult dogs might raise concerns. This post will discuss why your dog’s jaw chatters when he yawns, followed by what you should do if you ever witness your pooch quivering its jaws when yawing.
Why Does My Dog’s Jaw Chatter when He Yawns?
Oral pain:
If your pooch had been hurt earlier while chewing or during playtime and is chattering its jaw out of the blue, please check for any oral or dental issues. Periodontal diseases, infections, or inflammation in your pooch’s mouth might induce jaw quivers. You might also witness splinters in your dog’s mouth, dental caries or abscesses, or bumps or injuries in the oral cavity. Hypersalivation, irritation, and difficulty while chewing are some of the symptoms of oral injuries in dogs.
That being said, teeth chattering when yawning is also common among teething pups. Teething can cause pain and aggressiveness among dogs, and behaviors such as teeth chattering, chewing, and nipping are believed to help your pooch manage the pain.
Old age:
If your senior dog is chattering their teeth while yawning, you needn’t probably worry about it, as jaw quivering is relatively common among senior dogs. Jaw fatigue can also be one of the reasons why your old dog is chattering their teeth while yawning.
Cold:
According to USDA, the optimal room temperature for your pets is above 50 degrees Farenheight and below 85 degrees Farenheight. Just as humans, dogs can also chatter their teeth if they aren’t able to handle the room temperature drop. So, if the surrounding is cold while your dog is chattering their teeth, it probably indicates that the cold has taken a toll on your pooch’s body.
Anxiety and fear:
Teeth chatters, barking, pacing, and body shakes in dogs are some of the signs of anxiousness. If a pooch is in a stressful home environment, sees or hears something scary and loud, or is simply overstressed, symptoms of fear and anxiety might cause your pooch to chatter their teeth.
Excitement:
If your dog is very excited, the overjoy they are experiencing can also cause occasional jaw chatters in them. While your pooch can coincidentally quiver their jaws when yawning due to excitation, if they’re exhibiting the behavior only when yawning, something else is probably causing the issue.
A sign of neurological disorders:
Seizures are one of the common symptoms of many neurological disorders, so if your pooch’s jaw is quivering, in rare cases, the underlying neurological disorder might have manifested itself as a partial or focal seizure. However, it isn’t wise to jump to a scary conclusion just because your dog’s teeth are chattering while yawning, especially if there hasn’t been any history of seizures or other neurological problems.
What Should I Do If My Dog Chatters His Teeth when Yawning?
As we’ve discussed before, there can be a few underlying reasons why your dog chatters his teeth while yawning; while most of the reasons are harmless and temporary, injuries or neurological disorders will probably need medical attention quickly. If your pup is chattering its teeth due to anxiousness, nervousness, excitement, or cold, calming them down, increasing the room temperature, and making them feel loved and comfortable should stop the teeth chatters. But, if none of the above works, the chatters are sudden, frequent, and rapid, and you see other warning symptoms accompanying the behavior, it can indicate a medical urgency.
The first thing you should do is to observe if your pooch is chattering his teeth in general or if the behavior is only evident whenever they yawn, as the two most common underlying reasons behind teeth chatters after yawning are oral or dental pain and old age. If the teeth chatters are out of the blue and you suspect any injury, please check your pup’s oral cavity if they allow you to. If they’re hesitant and annoyed when you try to check, your dog is probably hurt, and our advice would be to consult a vet as soon as possible.
Moreover, if your pooch chatters their teeth during a distressing situation and if the chattering repeats frequently, you might want to get your pooch checked to rule out any anxiety issues. The vet might prescribe calming medication to your dog to help them fight the situation better. However, if the occurrences are rare and the surrounding situation demands it, such as during a loud noise or when your pup is overjoyed to see their human bestie, you probably needn’t worry about the issue.
Conclusion
We hope we were able to answer your queries on why your dog might be chattering their teeth after yawning. The issue, most likely, isn’t a serious medical condition unless your pooch has dental or oral problems, a history of neurological issues, has been hurt recently, or the chattering is rapid and repetitive. Having said that, please note that self-diagnosing your adorable pooch is never a good idea, and even if you’re almost sure why your dog is acting a certain way, please make sure that you confirm with an expert before making any decisions regarding your pooch’s health.
