Home / Questions / Why dogs shake
Most shaking is harmless and passes quickly. Cold, excitement, stress and drying off explain most of it, and that kind of shaking stops when the cause goes away. Shaking can also mean pain, nausea, poisoning, low blood sugar, a fever or a seizure problem. The question that sorts one from the other is simple: is your dog otherwise acting normal?
Before you worry about the cause, look at the whole dog. A dog that is shaking but still eating, drinking, wagging, playing and answering to its name is in a very different situation from a dog that is shaking and also vomiting, hiding, stumbling or refusing food. The first dog usually has an everyday reason. The second dog needs a vet, and the faster the better if a toxin is involved.
Ask three questions. First, can you see a reason: cold, a bath, a loud noise, a stranger, a walk about to happen? Second, does the shaking stop when the reason goes away, for example when the dog is warmed up or calmed down? Third, is anything else wrong at the same time? Shaking on its own with a clear reason is rarely an emergency. Shaking with no reason, or shaking plus other symptoms, is a call to the vet.
Shivering is how a body makes heat. The muscles move rapidly, and that movement warms the dog up, in exactly the same way people shiver in the cold. Small dogs, short-coated dogs and puppies feel the cold sooner than big, thick-coated dogs, and a dog that has just been in cold water or out on a winter walk may shiver for a while after coming inside.
Shaking off water is a different job, and dogs are very good at it. According to the AKC, a wet dog can shake off about 70 percent of the water on its coat in about four seconds. So a whole-body shake after a bath or a swim is normal, and so is a good shake after a roll in wet grass. Dry the dog, warm it with a blanket, and the shaking should stop within minutes. If it goes on for hours in an older dog, read the age section below.
Some dogs tremble with happy anticipation, and it is one of the easiest causes to recognise. The dog shakes while it waits for the walk, the toy, the treat or the person it loves, and the shaking stops the moment it gets what it was waiting for. If your dog shakes at the front door, at the sight of a lead, or when a favourite visitor arrives, and is otherwise bright and bouncy, excitement is almost certainly the answer. No treatment is needed, and no vet visit either.
Dry dogs shake too. If your dog gives a whole-body shake for no obvious reason, like a bath or a good roll in the dirt, it could be stress related. The AKC calls shaking a classic symptom of stress in dogs: after hopping off the examination table at the vet, or after meeting a stranger, a dog shakes to relieve the tension. Thunderstorms, fireworks, car rides and being left alone are classic triggers as well, and a frightened dog may also pant, pace, hide, tuck its tail or refuse food.
For stress shaking, remove the trigger where you can and give the dog a quiet, safe place to settle. Do not punish the shaking: it is the dog coping, not misbehaving. If being left alone is the trigger, our separation anxiety guide covers the signs and the first steps, and the same settling and independence habits help here too. If the fear is strong, frequent or getting worse, a vet can rule out medical causes and a certified behaviourist can build a plan.
Dogs are wired to hide pain, so trembling can be the only sign you see. The VCA lists trembling in the legs, particularly the rear legs, among the signs that a dog is in pain, and the AKC lists shaking or trembling among the physical signs of pain too. Toy and small terrier breeds shiver more than others, which can make pain harder to spot in exactly the dogs that show it most.
Look for the other signs that travel with pain: limping, stiffness when getting up or lying down, reluctance to jump, climb stairs or go for a walk, whining or groaning on movement, panting at rest, a hunched back, guarding one part of the body, or a sudden change in appetite or mood. Pain can come from arthritis, an injury, a sore back or belly, or a dental problem. A dog that has started shaking and you do not know why should be checked by a vet, because pain is one of the first things the vet will want to rule out.
Just as people can shiver when they feel sick, a nauseous dog may shake. Nausea can come from motion sickness, eating too much, eating the wrong thing, a new medication, or illness in the kidneys or liver. The signs that point at nausea are lip smacking, swallowing or salivating more than usual, yawning, listlessness, hiding, and vomiting. Shaking together with any of those is a reason to call the vet the same day rather than wait and see.
All dog breeds get ear infections, but some are more prone to them, including Cocker Spaniels, Basset Hounds, Labrador Retrievers and Golden Retrievers. If your dog had a recent bath or swim and is now shaking his head, an ear infection is quite possible. Check the ears gently: redness, swelling, dirt, or a bad smell all point the same way, and you should call the vet.
Repeated head shaking is not harmless on its own. It can lead to an ear hematoma, where blood collects in the flap of the ear and the ear swells up. Always dry your dog's ears thoroughly after it has been in water, and if the head shaking is more than normal, get the ears checked before it becomes a bigger problem.
Several things that are harmless to people are toxic to dogs and can cause trembling, seizures, vomiting and diarrhea. The ones the AKC names are chocolate, cigarette butts, and products that contain xylitol, such as sugar-free gum. Other household dangers include grapes and raisins, certain medications, and slug and snail bait. With poisoning, time is critical: signs can take hours to appear and may last for days, so a dog that ate chocolate in the morning may not look sick until the afternoon.
If you suspect your dog swallowed something toxic, do not wait for symptoms. Call your vet or the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center at (888) 426-4435 immediately, and do not try to make your dog vomit unless a vet or the poison centre tells you to. Tell them what the dog ate, how much, and when, and keep the packaging if you have it.
Shaking can be a sign of a sudden change in blood chemistry. Low blood sugar, or hypoglycemia, can cause shaking, and toy and small-breed dogs and young puppies are most at risk. A regular feeding routine on a well-balanced diet helps prevent it. If a small dog or puppy is shaking, weak, wobbly or glassy-eyed, or collapses, treat it as urgent and call your vet right away: low blood sugar needs fast treatment.
Canine distemper is a virus that may cause shaking and trembling in dogs. Unvaccinated dogs and puppies are most at risk. The virus is very contagious, so an infected dog should be kept away from other dogs, and the vet will treat the symptoms and keep the dog hydrated while the virus runs its course. Keeping your dog current on its core vaccines is the protection that matters here.
Older dogs shake for reasons of their own. An ageing body regulates temperature less well, so a senior dog may shake for hours after a cold outing or a swim on a chilly day, and warming the dog up with blankets stops it. Senior dogs also sometimes develop tremors in their legs, especially the hind ones, as they lose muscle mass with age. These tremors usually do not affect how the dog moves or walks.
Age explains a lot, but it should never be the automatic answer. A new, intense tremor in an older dog can be pain, often arthritis, and deserves a check rather than being written off as old age. Our senior dog guides cover the changes that are normal with age and the ones that need a vet.
Generalized tremor syndrome, also called steroid-responsive tremor syndrome or white dog shaker syndrome, causes full-body tremors in young adult dogs, usually starting between 9 months and 2 years of age. It was first noticed in small white dogs such as Maltese and West Highland white terriers, but it has been seen in dogs of all colors and sizes. Nobody knows what causes it. A vet usually prescribes corticosteroids such as prednisone, and the shaking often improves quickly on treatment. If your young dog develops a whole-body tremor that does not stop, this is one of the conditions your vet will consider.
If we see our dog violently shaking, we may fear he is having a seizure. Seizures can appear as uncontrollable shaking for several minutes, but they also show up in other ways: muscle contractions, jerking movements, collapse, and brief loss of consciousness. The most common cause is idiopathic epilepsy, which is usually treated with anticonvulsant medication.
The difference is control and awareness. A shaking dog is awake, knows you are there, and can respond to you. A seizing dog cannot stop, cannot respond, and may drool, paddle its legs, or lose bladder or bowel control. If you suspect your dog had a seizure, stay calm, keep your hands away from its mouth, note how long it lasted, and call your vet, even if the dog seems fine again afterwards. A seizure that lasts more than five minutes, or several seizures in a row, is an emergency: go to the vet now.
Most shaking is not an emergency, but some patterns should not wait:
Home care supports the vet visit, it does not replace it. Warm a cold dog with a blanket and a warm room, and dry a wet dog, including inside the ears, after baths and swims. Keep the dog calm and give it a quiet place to settle if fear or stress is the cause. Offer water and the normal meal, and watch whether the dog eats and drinks normally. Write down when the shaking started, what was happening just before, how long it lasted, and anything else you noticed: that note is exactly what your vet will ask for. Never give human painkillers or other medicines to a shaking dog without your vet's advice: many are toxic to dogs, and they can hide the signs your vet needs to see.
The shortest version of this page is a simple rule. Shaking with a clear reason, a bright dog and a quick stop is usually nothing to worry about. Shaking with no reason, shaking that will not stop, or shaking plus any other symptom is a dog asking for a vet, and the kindest response is to call one.
More everyday questions: why dogs lick their paws, why dogs follow you everywhere, why Chihuahuas shake so much and all our dog questions. Training help: separation anxiety and all training guides.
Yes, often. Dogs shake to dry off, to warm up when they are cold, when they are excited, and to shake off tension after something stressful. That kind of shaking stops once the reason is gone and the dog is otherwise bright, eating and moving normally. Shaking with no clear reason, or shaking that keeps coming back, is worth a call to your vet.
Fear is one of the most common reasons for trembling. Thunderstorms, fireworks, vet visits, car rides and meeting strangers can all set it off, and a frightened dog may also pant, pace, hide or tuck its tail. If the shaking starts with the scary thing and stops when the dog feels safe again, fear is the likely cause. Our separation anxiety guide covers what helps when being left alone is the trigger.
Shaking together with a lost appetite is a sign to call the vet the same day. It can mean pain, nausea, fever or something the dog swallowed. Watch for vomiting, drooling, lip smacking, listlessness or hiding alongside the shaking, and tell the vet about all of them, since the combination points at the cause faster than any single sign.
Senior dogs often develop tremors in the legs, usually the hind legs, as they lose muscle mass with age. They can also shake for a long time after a cold walk or swim because an older body regulates temperature less well. Warm the dog up and see if it stops, but do not put every new tremor down to age: pain, especially arthritis, is common in older dogs and needs a vet check.
A dog that is shaking is usually awake, aware of you and able to respond, and the shaking stops when the cause goes away. A seizure is uncontrollable shaking that lasts several minutes, often with jerking, stiffening, collapse or a brief loss of consciousness, and the dog may drool, paddle its legs or lose bladder control. If you think your dog had a seizure, note how long it lasted and call your vet, even if the dog seems fine again afterwards.
Go now, or call your vet on the way, if the shaking comes with vomiting, collapse, disorientation, trouble standing, or a known or suspected toxin such as chocolate or sugar-free gum. Book a same-day or next-day visit if the shaking has no clear cause, keeps coming back, or comes with limping, not eating, hiding or a change in behaviour. When in doubt, call: a phone call costs nothing and a vet can judge the urgency from what you describe.
This page is general information drawn from the published guidance of the organisations listed under Sources below. It is not veterinary advice, and it does not replace your own veterinarian, who knows your dog. If your dog is unwell, in pain, or has suddenly changed how it behaves, contact your veterinarian straight away. If you think your dog swallowed something toxic, call your vet or the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center at (888) 426-4435 immediately.
Last updated: November 2026. How we work: our methodology.