Why Is My Dog Chattering Their Teeth When It Isn't Cold Out?

Chattering teeth can feel like something straight out of a cartoon. It's a behavior you might have only personally experienced if you live somewhere where winters get bitterly cold, and the bone-deep chill isn't something you can physiologically shrug off the way you can a little chill breeze after climbing out of the pool.

Never mind experiencing it yourself; what about your dog? Chattering teeth is stereotypical as a behavior in reaction to the cold, but if your dog is chattering their teeth, does it mean they're cold?

That fur coat of theirs should keep them warmer (at least if they have one; shorthairs are subject to more temperature variation), but that doesn't mean they can't get chilled.  

The truth is, while true teeth chattering in humans is relatively rare outside of the cold, it's quite a bit more common in dogs! It's also not just because of the cold, though that can be a cause on a particularly cold dog walk. 

So the question is, what causes chattering teeth?

What is Chattering, Anyway?

The word "chattering" is a description of a particular behavior. Specifically, it's a rapid or incessant, repetitious, often nonsensical sound.

Birds chatter out their clicks and calls, people chatter their teeth in the cold, and other animals make chattering noises, either as communication or simply in reaction to something. If you've ever wandered down the road and had a squirrel make noises at you, that's chattering.

While chattering can be noisy and potentially irritating, you may wonder: is it painful? Is it dangerous? Is chattering cause for concern?

To know that, you have to know why it happens. In fact, there are quite a few different reasons why dogs might chatter their teeth, and they can be broken down into several categories. Read on to learn just about everything about chattering teeth, and see if you can diagnose what's going on.

Physical Causes for Teeth Chattering in Dogs

Physical or physiological reasons for teeth chattering in dogs come down to two things.

The first is, as mentioned above, the cold. When it's cold out, your dog might get a bit of a chill, and they may shiver. Chattering is a related behavior, another involuntary micro-motion the body does to help generate a bit of warmth.  

Cold affects different dogs in different ways. Smaller dogs have less meat on their bones and less warmth in their cores, so Chihuahuas, Dachshunds, and other smaller dogs (especially those with shorter, thinner fur coats) are much more susceptible to the cold. You shouldn't shave your dog's fur coat; they need it!

Even larger dogs can get chilled and chatter, though. Only a few breeds, like huskies and mastiffs, are built for the cold. Even they, as much as they love it, can be vulnerable to the cold, especially if it's extremely cold outside.  

It's also important to remember that dogs run hot compared to people. The average human body temperature, as you likely well know, is 98.6 degrees. Dogs generally run hotter, with an average body temperature between 101 and 102.5 degrees. That couple of degrees can make a lot of difference in how cold the weather feels to them!

The second physiological reason a dog's teeth might chatter is actually related to one of their strongest features: their sense of smell. Dogs have a special organ deep in their nasal cavities called the vomeronasal organ.

It's a funky little organ that combines the senses of smell and taste into a unique dog-specific sense they use to do all those cool scent tricks they know. That sense – tmell? Smaste? – whatever you call it, is a powerful sense, and strong odors (even those we humans can't smell) can cause physiological reactions.  

Think about how if you were to bite into a lemon wedge, and how that sheer sour explosion would make your face pucker up. That's the kind of reaction we're talking about here.

When your dog is smelling something, particularly something intense that they want to get more of, their teeth might chatter as a side effect of putting that whole olfactory system to work.

Luckily, other than the cold, these aren't necessarily causes for concern. Your pooch can be warmed up fairly easily, and if all they're doing is smelling something, chattering is perfectly fine.

Behavioral Causes for Teeth Chattering in Dogs

When you get right down to it, a lot of behaviors in dogs are, well, just that: they're behaviors.

They can be actions trained into them intentionally or accidentally, like begging for food or reacting to sounds in a specific way. Or, they can be inherent behaviors that trigger upon certain sorts of stimuli.

One of the biggest behavioral reasons dogs chatter their teeth is as an expression of anxiety, stress, or fear. This can be separation anxiety (though if you're not around to see it, how would you know it's happening?), or it can be anxiety about being in a new, scary place or anxiety about being surrounded by loud noises or in a thunderstorm.

This one is fairly easy to diagnose. If your pooch is chattering their teeth and it's clear they're stressed for some reason, well, it's probably stress! You can also see other behaviors, like body language with lowered countenance and a tucked tail as well. Different dogs react to stress and fear in different ways, so not all of them will chatter their teeth, but some certainly will.

Younger (and even older) dogs in social situations with other dogs might chatter their teeth for similar reasons. If your dog has anxiety about meeting other dogs or is usually a submissive pooch in the pecking order, it's possible that they'll feel some fear or anxiety when they're exposed to unfamiliar dogs, and that can express itself as chattering teeth.

A similar reason is excitement. If you've ever been so excited that you shake, bounce, or feel wired, well, the same thing can happen to hyperactive dogs. If your pup pal chatters their teeth when you mention treats or going for a walk to the park, it's probably excitement!  

And, of course, just like fear and stress, excitement is pretty obvious. It's fairly unlikely that chattering teeth is the onlysign that your dog is excited. If nothing else, that tail is probably going a mile a minute too!

The good news here is that, like the physical reasons for chattering teeth, these aren't usually a cause for serious concern. You may want to figure out if they're stressed or afraid, but it's more of a "fix the circumstances" kind of problem or an "avoid the mean dog" situation, not a trip to the vet.

Health-Related Causes of Teeth Chattering in Dogs

The third category, and the more serious of the three, is health-related issues. Health issues involve a variety of medical conditions, some of which can be serious enough to warrant a trip to the vet.

The first reason is simply tooth pain. Periodontal disease, tooth disease, gum disease, and other forms of pain in the mouth can cause reactions. Anything from a cavity to an abscess to a broken tooth can cause chattering teeth. This can be as a soothing behavior, a reaction to pain, or a sensitivity to cold.  

If you notice teeth chattering when your furry friend is drinking water, eating, or getting a treat, it's possible that they're having some kind of reaction to tooth pain. They may also chatter when panting, as the cold air triggers tooth sensitivity and pain. Keep an eye out for other oral health symptoms, like inflamed gums, difficulty eating, drooling, or a reluctance to be touched.

Another medical issue that can cause chattering teeth is actually canine epilepsy. While popular culture likes to depict epilepsy as an all-or-nothing, full-shaking-on-the-ground seizure disorder, it actually has a wide range of different possible symptoms. Some dogs (and people) can just lock up, their brain essentially going on standby mode until it can recover. Others have shaking manifest in a specific limb, including the jaw. This kind of teeth chattering is tricky to identify because you need to rule out other causes or identify other symptoms that might be harder to notice. Keep an eye out for otherwise-random muscle twitches, spasms, and collapses.

If you have a particular kind of dog (small breeds, usually white), teeth chattering can be a sign of something called multisystem neuronal degeneration. Also known as "shaker syndrome," this disease is degenerative and causes full-body tremors, including teeth chattering. Depending on your breed, your vet should warn you of the potential for this disease and what to watch out for.

A final health-related reason is simply age. As dogs get older, their bodies start to accrue issues, and they can be anything from arthritis to dementia to chattering teeth. It's just something that can happen to older dogs, so if your pup qualifies for their senior discount from the AARP (AARF?), they might have chattering teeth as one of those symptoms of old age. On the plus side, as long as it doesn't interfere with their ability to eat and drink, it's not really a cause for immediate concern.

How Concerning is Teeth Chattering in Dogs?

If your fur baby is chattering their teeth, how concerned should you be? Is it dangerous behavior, a sign of something worrisome, or just a harmless quirk of this particular pooch?

The truth is, it depends a lot on the situation and any other symptoms that might crop up.

As with any unexpected or unexplained behavior, if your fur baby is chattering their teeth, take a look for symptoms of other issues. Are they eating and drinking fine? Are they still able to go to the bathroom effectively, and is the consistency acceptable? Are they sullen or bright and happy?  

Look, as well, for how frequently, when, and where it happens. It could be a reaction to something nearby, a reaction to another dog, or a reaction to loud noises or stressful situations. In these cases, the best solution is often to remove the dog from the situation and bring them someplace where you can calm their anxiety.

If teeth chattering is a reaction to happiness and excitement, it's harmless. If it's a reaction to stress or fear, it's also relatively harmless, at least in terms of their health. Obviously, you want to minimize how much stress and anxiety you put them under, but sometimes it's unavoidable.

Of course, if chattering teeth is because of the cold, warm them up. It will be pretty obvious if it's too cold for their health.

If your fur baby chatters when they're stressed, you might be able to give them a chew toy or a comfort plush to keep in their mouth. In addition to giving them a calming item, it can help prevent chattering from being irritating or hurting their teeth.  

On the other hand, if they're chattering because of some kind of health issue, you should be able to identify that something is going on based on other symptoms.

Drooling, depressed personality, muscle spasms, pain reactions; any of these can be an indication that something more is going on. In these cases, you should at least call your vet and schedule an appointment to get them looked at. They may need medication to help control whatever is happening, or even something like oral surgery and antibiotics to fix the problem.

When you get right down to it, sometimes dogs chatter their teeth for no real reason, and it can be hard to discern what, if any, problem might be occurring. It's one of the more mysterious behaviors a dog can exhibit, and unless there's a clear correlation between the behavior and some stimulus or additional behavior, it might just be one of their many adorable quirks.

Have you ever had a dog with mysteriously chattering teeth? If so, what did you do about it? What did the cause end up being? I'm curious about what sorts of experiences you may have had, and I'm sure other readers are, as well! So tell us your story in the comments below. I'd absolutely love to hear it!