Just like humans, dogs also have to sneeze occasionally. This can be a symptom of a cold or an allergy, among other things. However, if your dog sneezes while playing, it usually has other reasons. What these are and why sneezing during play in dogs is no cause for concern, we explain to you in the following.
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Why sneezing in dogs is often harmless
There are a lot of behaviors in dogs that we don't understand at first and that don't make sense in our eyes. This is mainly due to the fact that our four-legged friends communicate a lot with their body language, while vocalizations play a lesser role compared to communication between humans.
One such behavior is sneezing, for example, which can be observed quite often in dogs during play. As a caring owner, you may be concerned about your four-legged friend's health in this case. After all, sneezing in dogs may well indicate a health problem.
Sneezing in dogs as an appeasement signal
Dogs use a number of different appeasement signals to communicate. These serve them to avoid quarrels and conflicts. These include, for example, turning their heads away, yawning, and licking their own noses.
In addition, sneezing can also be such an appeasement signal. This does not always have to be the case. However, if a dog sneezes in the game, he very likely wants to make it clear that everything is okay and that he does not intend to harm or seriously injure the other player.
Sneezing in a dog as an act of jumping over
Occasionally, dogs may also sneeze due to great excitement. In this case, it is a so-called jumping over action, which has nothing to do with the actual event.
Maybe your dog sneezes with joy when you come home from work or when he expects you to take him for a walk right away. Even in this case, the sneezing is completely harmless and therefore you do not have to worry about the well-being of your four-legged friend.
Sometimes it is just a sneeze
Of course, it can also be that your dog simply sneezes without being sick or wanting to tell you something in this way. Maybe a blade of grass tickled his nose while he was running around or he inhaled some dust. Just like with us, the tingling sensation that accompanies this also triggers a sneezing reflex in dogs.
Not all dogs sneeze during play
Even though sneezing is very common in playing dogs, this behavior by no means occurs in all animals. After all, all dogs are different and accordingly express themselves in different ways. Therefore, it may well be that your dog does not sneeze at all during play and instead communicates in other ways.