Reasons for Chattering Teeth
Joy
Chattering teeth is a happy reaction to things your pup loves. The dog park, a human or canine friend, their favourite game or whatever delights her. Joy teeth chattering, like other emotion-related teeth chattering, is a natural reaction.
Excitement
Dogs chatter their teeth when they are excited. Anything from a treat, playing or seeing her human after being apart, as well as other exciting situations, can cause teeth chattering. It’s more common in males than females. If you’ve never known a dog who does it, you’ll be surprised at the sound.
Here’s a quick video of an adorable dog whose teeth are chattering because he’s excited about playing with his toy:
The Urge To Mate
Did you know that female dogs’ pheromones are in their urine, and males want to mate when the scent reaches them? If your intact male canine is suddenly chattering his teeth and there’s an unspayed female present, he probably has the urge to mate.
An important fact about dogs’ superior sense of taste is that a portion of canine tasting is done through a pup’s nose with his vomeronasal organ, also called a Jacobson’s Organ, which enables him to “taste” smells. It’s a pouch-like structure on the roof of his mouth behind his front teeth that sends pheromones (chemical messages) left by other dogs. Teeth chattering helps them to move the large scent molecules to the vomeronasal organ for investigation.
A Delicious or Terrible Taste
Doggy tastebuds register bitter, sour, salty and sweet. You may see your pup chattering her teeth if you give her a special treat or her favourite food. Horrible tastes can also result in teeth chattering.
A Compelling Smell
Humans like the scent of perfume, cologne, some cleaning products, candles and more. Your pooch’s sense of smell is 10,000 to 100,000 stronger than yours. She has 50 times more olfactory receptors, and the part of her brain that identifies smells is 40 times larger than ours.
With that kind of smelling power, it makes sense that canines would chatter their teeth with excitement when they lick or smell a special find. You know how insistent they are on walks when they want to investigate a scent.
Distress
Your pooch may chatter his teeth after licking or smelling because something is scaring him. Fireworks, thunder, a dog who lunged at him or anything that makes him wary.
Fear of Another Dog
Fido’s teeth might chatter when he encounters a dog who frightens him. Chattering teeth signal other canines that the chatterer will not challenge them, making it a submissive act.
Medical Issues That Cause Teeth Chattering In Dogs
Dental Problems
Broken teeth, gingival inflammation, a dental abscess, periodontal disease or cancer can sometimes cause dogs to chatter their teeth. If you notice bad breath (indicates infection), excessive drooling, preference for soft food/treats or difficulty picking up or chewing food, your pup may be suffering from one of the aforementioned dental issues. Antibiotics, removal of an abscess, and anti-inflammatory medications may be utilized to remedy dental problems.
Gastrointestinal Problems
Vomiting, diarrhoea, halitosis, weight loss, bloody stools, constipation, abdominal enlargement and loss of appetite are symptoms of gastro problems. Your vet will probably investigate the issue with lab work and an ultrasound or endoscopy. If she rules out toxicity, inflammatory bowel disease and stomach cancer, she may put your pup on special food to treat food allergies.
Temporomandibular Joint (TMJ)
A veterinarian checks for TMJ by opening and closing the dog’s mouth to determine if there’s resistance to movement and grinding. An x-ray or CT (computed tomography) may be needed. The vet will put the bone back where it’s supposed to be (using general anaesthesia), and post-reduction stabilisation may be needed.
Focal Motor Seizures
Focal Motor Seizures only affect the face and jaw and cause teeth chattering. Your vet can prescribe medication to prevent future seizures.
Inflamed Muscles or Ear Infections
This isn’t very common, but your vet can take a CT, x-ray and analyse bloodwork. Inflammation can be treated with an anti-inflammatory, and infections require antibiotics.
Summary
Most of the time, teeth chattering after licking or smelling something is the result of overloaded senses due to joy, excitement, the urge to mate, a delicious or terrible taste, a compelling smell, distress or the fear of another dog. There are dental and other medical issues that your veterinarian should investigate if your pup’s teeth chatter all the time.
