Weird behaviour, but no info out there?

Jinxi

My pup(7 month colloe) does things that seem a bit weird , but there is no info online about it.

1. She chatters her teeth, like she is sucking in air into mouth, when she tastes her eye sleep(I clean it with a tissues and she has licked it off a few times). When she cut her foot a few days ago, she licked her own blood and went on a teeth chattering frenzy, even started foaming at the mouth. It doesn't happen with other blood from raw meat.
Online, it all talks about is seizures, which is not an issue

2. I have seen my uncles collie do this too. Whenever she gets over excited, like when we let her out of her crate every morning, or if visitors come to house, she lifts her upper lip in a sneer or a smile. My sister-in-law shouted at her for snarling at ther but it isn't an agressive snarl. Its like she has not control over it. It is accompanied with a lowering of the head and tail wagging.

Anyone else noticed these things, or other weird but normal things?

mymo

Funny I know a brown and white collie who smiles too, when he's happy or excited he bares his teeth and wags his tail. Not an aggressive bone in his body, we just call it his toothy smile. Also saw it in a springer too once.

As for the rest of it, I don't know sounds a bit strange. My dog will do the chattering teeth thing if he smells a bitch in heat around.
The thing with the blood could have been down to the stress and pain, hard to know. Maybe ask the vet when you go back.

Jinxi

I would have thought that too mymo, had I not seen her do it with her eye-sleep. Its like she is trying to get the taste out of her mouth.
Anyone else seen the teeth chattering
The smile is actually lovely once you know its a greeting, but I hate that other interpret it as agression

anniehoo

Jinxi wrote: »

1. She chatters her teeth, like she is sucking in air into mouth, when she tastes her eye sleep(I clean it with a tissues and she has licked it off a few times). When she cut her foot a few days ago, she licked her own blood and went on a teeth chattering frenzy, even started foaming at the mouth. It doesn't happen with other blood from raw meat.
Online, it all talks about is seizures, which is not an issue

This is just the dog "tasting" believe it or not. They drag air in through their mouth to heighten the sense of taste. Weird yes, seizures definitely no.

wrote:

2. I have seen my uncles collie do this too. Whenever she gets over excited, like when we let her out of her crate every morning, or if visitors come to house, she lifts her upper lip in a sneer or a smile. My sister-in-law shouted at her for snarling at ther but it isn't an agressive snarl. Its like she has not control over it. It is accompanied with a lowering of the head and tail wagging.

This is actually not an agressive dog, but a very shy submissive dog whos actually quite nervous and the lip curl is her shy attempt to look a bit "tougher". Your SIL shouldnt be shouting at her at all. Explain that its a submissive gesture and not aggression.

bullylover

I've had a few Pyrenean Mountain dogs all unrelated but all smiled:) they do it when they meet some one new or some one comes home, one thing to be worried about is the dog snot that comes after the smile cause they usual sneeze!
I asked my vet about it cause my bull terrier started it lately he's nearly 4 now and never did it before and turns out they can learn it! we have a dalmation at work that does it all the time and my dog picked it up from her! Vet said if a bitch has pups she can teach the pups to do it!
I think its cute:) definitly not aggresion in my case anyway:)

Discodog

Mine do it now & then when they find an interesting enough smell. It's pretty normal.

kylith

Rani does what we call an Elvis impression when you rub her belly; she raises her lip on one side. It seems to me to be an 'oh yeah, that feels good' expresison.

andreac

We had a family dog that smiled, was brilliant. She was born in our house and she smiled all the time, it was deadly, so yes, some dogs do smile.

username123

mymo wrote: »

Also saw it in a springer too once.

Yeah I used to have a springer who did it too - only on the one side (always the same side), he was a very submissive boy, he would do it accompanied with avoidance behaviour - looking away, if he was a bit nervous about something.

EGAR

Smiling is very common in breeds like Collies, Staffies, Greyhounds and I have seen a few Springers do it too. This sort of greeting is exclusively used for humans, they do not use it to greet other dogs. And sadly, alot of the smilers get misunderstood as it's being taken for aggression. I've had plenty of smilers surrendered to me because of it.

Teeth shattering, there are several reasons why some dogs do it. Male dogs do it when they smell a bitch in heat, some dogs do it as a pacifying gesture (towards humans) and/or if they are very excited.

Jinxi

I think its a lovely way to say hi. Its definite a nervous thing. tried to look it up online but I didn't get much except some loon who said they learn it off humans. My uncles dog definatly isn't around smiling people all day!
But the teeth chattering is more saved for special tastes, I don't think it's for my benefit!