You’re sitting on the couch with your dog, enjoying a cup of coffee along with a delicious breakfast leftover, when all of a sudden, your dog starts making honking noises. Their neck shoots out, their eyes bug and they sound as if they are gasping for air in a hideous, snorting procession of spasms.

Your heart sinks and you say to yourself, “Oh no, is my dog choking? Is this an emergency?”

Take a breath. What you’re seeing is probably what’s known as reverse sneezing, and although it may look and sound alarming, it is usually harmless.

Today, we’ll discuss what a dog reverse sneeze is, why it happens, what to do when your dog is reverse sneezing, and when to call your vet.

🌬️ What Is a Reverse Sneeze in Dogs?

While a normal sneeze is air forcibly being pushed out of the nose, a reverse sneeze is the opposite: air is sucked rapidly into the nose.

It’s often heard as loud snorting, honking or gagging and can look like your dog is having a spasm or can’t catch their breath. This can take a few seconds to a minute or two, and your dog may look confused about what has just happened — but he’ll generally rebound and feel fine the moment it’s over.

Veterinarians call it “paroxysmal respiration.”

😨 Why Do Dogs Do Reverse Sneeze?

The origin is not always clear, but these are typical triggers:

✅ Environmental irritants: Dust, pollen, smoke, strong perfumes or cleaning sprays.

✅ Excitement or pulling on the leash: Overexcitement or excessive pressure on the collar can bring on an episode.

✅ Sudden temperature changes: Transitioning from cold to warm air can also cause reverse sneezing.

✅ Nasal or throat irritation: Whether from mild allergies or the inhaled presence of a tiny particle.

✅ Breed tendency: Smaller breeds (the likes of Yorkies, Shih Tzus, and Chihuahuas) tend to be more affected because of their smaller than average airways and elongated soft palates (1) (2) (3).

You can think of it as a dog clearing their throat or basically doing the animal version of blowing their nose.

❤️ Does It Hurt Your Dog?

It can be frightening to see your dog reverse sneeze, but it is not painful and causes no harm to your dog.

Many dogs play, eat, and otherwise go about their happy lives just fine once someone has helped them to recover from an episode. But it makes sense to be worried, especially if you’re seeing that for the first time.

👀 What Does a Reverse Sneeze Look Like?

Here’s what you may notice:

🐾 Abrupt stop and pose, elbows out.

🐾 Neck extended, head forward.

🐾 Snorting, honking, or gagging sounds.

🐾 Eyes may be wide or appear panicked.

🐾 Can happen anywhere from seconds to a few minutes.

But like many terribly annoying dog behaviors, it often stops as abruptly as it began, as your dog licks his lips and moves on.

🩺 How Worried Do You Need to Be About Reverse Sneezing?

Because reverse sneezing is usually harmless, there are no standard treatment, home remedy, or medications for dog reverse sneeze troubles. However, there are instances in which you should call your vet:

🚩 The episodes are frequent, many times daily.

🚩 Reverse sneezing occurs with cough, nasal discharge, or difficulty breathing.

🚩 Your dog appears listless, losing his appetite or showing signs of illness.

🚩 The episode is more than a few minutes long, or your dog becomes unconscious.

🚩 If there is blood in the discharge or severe pain.

If in doubt, video the attack and pass it to your vet for a rapid assessment.

🤲 How to Help During a Reverse Sneezing Episode

Your dog will usually be fine not doing anything, but if you’d like to do something:

✅ Remain calm: It is your energy that makes you dog feel secure.”

✅ Employ a little manual intervention: Gently rub your dog’s throat: This might stop the spasm.

✅ Gently hold your dog’s nostrils closed: This promotes swallowing that can clear your pup’s irritation.

✅ Get your dog into the fresh air: If his episode is brought on by an irritant in the home.

✅ Don’t get your dog excited during those episodes: Avoid overexciting your dog either during or right after the episodes.

The episode will generally resolve spontaneously and soon your dog will be wagging her tail and conjuring up “zoomies” once again.

🏠 TREATMENT AND PREVENTION FOR REVERSE SNEEZING IN DOGS

Although you cannot always prevent canine reverse sneezing, you can minimize its occurrence with a few simple steps:

✅ Guard against irritants: Don’t let your dog breathe in cigarette smoke or be exposed to strong perfumes or dusty environments.

✅ Use a harness: In place of a collar for leash walks, less pressure on the throat.

✅ Keep your home clean: Regularly vacuum up allergens.

✅Seasonal allergies: If you’re seeing any seasonal pattern, please check with your veterinarian.

✅ Humidify your air: If your home is very dry, a humidifier might be a good solution.

If your dog experiences these episodes regularly, your vet might test for nasal mites, allergies and other health issues to make sure there’s nothing else going on.

💙 Why Knowing About Reverse Sneezing is Beneficial for You and Your Dog

Once you know what dogs reverse sneeze is, you turn fear into confidence.

Instead of freaking out, you can help calmly ride it out with your dog, limiting their stress and yours, too. The fact that it’s usually benign and a self-limiting condition, means you can relax and focus on spending quality time with your furriest best friend without added concern.

🌟 When to Embrace the Quirks of Dog Parenthood

Every dog has its quirks: Some love belly rubs, some bark at mailmen, and some … reverse sneeze when they’re excited to see you.

Reverse sneezing is just one of the strange, amusing and harmless oddities of dog parenting. If your dog is otherwise healthy, eating well, playing and having a blast at what dogs do, these little morsels are simply another story to recount to your dog-owning compadres.

🐾 Conclusion: Is Reverse Sneezing in Dogs Anything to Worry About?

In most cases, no, you do not have to stress. When dogs reverse sneeze, they typically do so to dislodge some minor irritation in their nasal passages, the episodes are generally short-lived, benign, and do not require any intervention.

It’s a good idea to keep an eye on it as part of the ongoing monitoring of your dog’s health, and there may be some patterns that evolve over time, but don’t let reverse sneezing rape your peace. Enjoy the snuggles, the daily walks, the silly tail-chasing and, yes, even the strange reverse sneezes that remind you of just how delightfully weird your dog truly is.

👉 You Want to Know More About Your Dog’s Health?

At Doggy’s World, we’re here to give you access to guides that are easy to read, science backed and caring; that help you understand your dogs health and behavior. Whether you’re looking for grooming tips, choosing the best dog breed for you, or you want to know which are the most popular dog breeds, we have you covered.

Find our wellness and care resources here.

Because every dog deserves a parent who “gets it,” and every parent deserves to have a happy, healthy pup.