There’s nothing more comforting than hearing your dog let out a deep sigh as they curl up with you on the couch. However, sighing isn’t just a sign of contentment. There are several physical and emotional reasons for sighing in dogs, including stress, frustration and attention seeking. That means we must look at the wider context to help us interpret what our dogs are communicating with this action.
Learning more about why dogs sigh and when sighing — or something that seems like sighing — could be a cause for concern can help us better understand our pets’ physical and psychological well-being.
What Is Happening When a Dog Sighs?
Sighing in dogs, as with humans, involves taking a deep, sometimes audibly louder, inhalation — about twice the length of a normal breath — followed by a slow, pronounced exhale. Sometimes, the sigh will occur through the mouth, as it does with humans, but often, a dog will sigh through their nose, while their mouth is closed.
Why Might Dogs Sigh?
There are many reasons for sighing in dogs — some obvious, others more subtle. It can be an emotional or learned behavior, but it’s also a natural body function which helps regulate the respiratory system (the organs and structures responsible for breathing). It’s easy to misinterpret the reason for sighing in dogs, especially as we tend to attribute human emotions to dog behaviors.
“As every behavior is a function of the environment, no matter the species, I recommend assessing the context of the situation with which the [all of the] body language, such as sighing, is occurring to infer the meaning,” Dr. Vanessa Spano, Senior Veterinarian and Board-Certified Veterinary Behaviorist at the Schwarzman Animal Medical Center, says. She explains that it is important to remain as objective as possible when analyzing dog body language to avoid making false assumptions about the sighing.
Natural Reflex
Sighing isn’t just an action attached to emotions, it is a natural spontaneous reflex that happens for all mammals, including dogs, multiple times every hour to help keep the lungs working properly. These occasional deep breaths stretch the lungs and prevent alveoli (the tiny air sacs in the lungs that facilitate gas exchanges with blood) from collapsing.
While all dogs will sigh to preserve lung function, this action can be subtle and isn’t something you are as likely to spot as the more “dramatic” sighing associated with an emotional response.
Contentment or Relaxation
A dog that is comfortable or feeling relaxed can sigh, and it might be accompanied by an audible groan of pleasure. “For example, if the dog is curling up in his bed, and upon settling down he sighs, this likely indicates the dog would like to rest,” Dr. Spano says. She also points out that sometimes your dog might not be specifically sighing, but rather taking deeper, slower breaths as a result of being in a relaxed, restful state.
Sighs of contentment are typically accompanied by soft body language, such as loose ears, a neutral tail position, a soft expression in the eyes, and a slightly open mouth.
Boredom or Frustration
If your active dog is stuck inside on a rainy day, and they let out a sigh, it could be a sign that they need more stimulation. Additional mental enrichment, like puzzle toys, brain games or an indoor training session, could alleviate their boredom or frustration.
Attention Seeking
Dogs are smart and can learn to sigh to get your attention. If this behavior results in you petting or playing with your dog, it’s something they might start offering more often.
Anxiety
“If the dog is in a chaotic environment and displaying other behavioral signs of anxiety, such as yawning or lip licking, a sigh is likely communicating that the dog is stressed,” Dr. Spano says. Because deep breathing can help counteract feelings of stress, sighing could be a natural calming response from your dog’s body.
Other signs of anxiety in dogs include a tucked tail, ears flat against the head, trembling, excessive panting, and a hunched posture. If these are accompanying sighing, removing your dog from the stressful situation makes sense. Using desensitization and counterconditioning training techniques can help change your dog’s reaction to the situation from negative to positive over time.
Pain or Discomfort
Dr. Spano says that sighing isn’t a typical sign of pain or discomfort in dogs. However, it is a possibility. For example, if you have a senior dog with arthritis, and they’re taking some time to find a comfortable position, they may let out a sigh of relief when they find it.
Typically, there will be other signs that your dog is in pain. These can include limping, lethargy, restlessness, excessive panting, and changes in behavior such as withdrawal or aggression. Your dog may also vocalize their pain by whining and whimpering.
When Is Sighing or a Similar Sound a Cause For Concern?
True sighing is not usually something to be concerned about, unless you suspect your dog is doing it because they’re anxious or in pain. However, there are times when other vocalizations or breathing issues are incorrectly interpreted as sighing, and these can indicate an underlying health issue.
“Sighing is not a typical part of the canine behavioral repertoire,” Dr. Spano says. She explains that it is more common for dogs to yawn, whine or whimper than to sigh.
“If your dog is yawning, and especially if there are other body language signs co-occurring like showing the whites of their eyes and lip licking, this also indicates stress and anxiety,” Dr. Spano says.
Whimpers can indicate discomfort, depending on the context of the situation. “If, for example, you notice that your dog is holding her leg up on a walk, and then you touch that leg, and she vocalizes or whimpers, this likely indicates discomfort or pain,” she says. “In this case, the dog should be assessed by a veterinarian.”
Don’t delay contacting your veterinarian if your dog is breathing heavily or gasping. Unlike an occasional reflexive sigh, labored breathing is when a dog is having difficulty getting air in and out of their body with most, if not every, breath and wheezing can be a sign of a blocked airway.
This article is intended solely as general guidance, and does not constitute health or other professional advice. Individual situations and applicable laws vary by jurisdiction, and you are encouraged to obtain appropriate advice from qualified professionals in the applicable jurisdictions. We make no representations or warranties concerning any course of action taken by any person following or otherwise using the information offered or provided in this article, including any such information associated with and provided in connection with third-party products, and we will not be liable for any direct, indirect, consequential, special, exemplary or other damages that may result, including but not limited to economic loss, injury, illness or death.