Panting To Pup-sicles: Why Do Dogs Stick Their Tongue Out?

Dogs stick out their tongues for three main purposes:

#1. Natural Physiological Reasons

Panting To Regulate Body Temperature

While dogs have a few merocrine sweat glands in their paw pads, they don’t have anywhere near as many sweat glands as humans do. This means they have to regulate their body temperature in other ways to help prevent themselves from overheating.

The main way they do this is by panting.

“When a dog pants, heat rises up from his chest and escapes through the moisture of his tongue, mouth and throat,” explains veterinarian Dr. Joanna Pendergrass.

“As he exhales during panting, the moist air evaporates and keeps him cool. So, even though your dog won’t have sweaty armpits when he’s hot, you’ll know he’s trying to cool off when he starts panting.”

When happy and active dogs are panting, it’s a completely normal behavior (even if the panting is quite heavy) – as long as it corresponds with the surrounding air temperature and/or amount of physical activity (PetMD, 2020).

In any case, hot weather, cold weather, whatever the weather – always make sure your dog has access to plenty of water so she can stay fully hydrated.

If it’s really hot, a handy trick is to place ice cubes in the water to keep it cool.

Flehmen Response

Dogs, along with lots of other animals (e.g. cats, goats, horses. hedgehogs, elephants, and giraffes), demonstrate what’s known as the flehmen response.

The flehmen response is a funny-looking grimace/sniffing behavior that works to analyze pheromones, or the chemical scents secreted by other animals.

It involves the dog curling her lips and wrinkling her nose to channel a scent into the vomeronasal organ so she can analyze it in more detail – to the point where she can almost taste it.

What Is The Vomeronasal Organ?

The vomeronasal organ is a special organ that is made up of cells that can sense smells.

These cells are located in the main nasal chamber and they can detect heavy moisture-borne odor particles.

Blepping

Blepping occurs when a dog leaves her tongue sticking out for no obvious reason. It can happen after grooming, eating, licking, waking up, or just about anything else.

While the exact meaning behind the behavior is unclear, some suggest it may be used to investigate a scent or as a sign of relaxation.

However, if an unfamiliar blepping behavior suddenly occurs, it may mean your dog isn’t feeling well or has an underlying health issue, such as soreness in the mouth or difficulty breathing.

In such cases, do check in with your vet to determine any possible medical causes.

#2. Communication And Expression

Dogs rely on their mouths and tongues to explore and understand their environment, express how they feel, and communicate with other dogs and people.

Different forms of tongue movements can indicate different emotions or states of mind like joy, happiness, stress, or excitement.

Positive Emotions

Happy Or Excited

Excited dogs often pant rapidly and stick their tongues out, while happy or content dogs may have a relaxed tongue that is slightly sticking out.

Friendly

When dogs lick another dog (or person) or show their tongues, it can be a greeting or a sign of affection or friendliness.

They may also stick their tongues out when they are grooming or seeking attention.

Relaxed

Some dogs may also stick their tongues out when they are sleepy or relaxed, much like humans do when they yawn.

Negative Emotions

A dog with a tense or stiff mouth and tongue may be feeling anxious or fearful.

Fear, Anxiety, Or Stress

While panting is a normal behavior for happy and active dogs, it can also be a sign of fear, anxiety, or stress.

A quick flick of the tongue is also a common canine stress signal. Some dogs will even lick the air or random objects when they are nervous (Ha & Campion, 2019).

For example, you may notice your dog panting or licking the air when you are at the vet’s office, if you’ve just scolded her for some reason (not to be recommended – teach her what you want her to do instead!), or she is scared of thunder and there’s a storm coming.

In this case, it has nothing to do with temperature regulation and everything to do with being scared or stressed.

Understanding Canine Body Language and Emotions

Understanding these different tongue gestures can help us better understand our dogs’ moods and behaviors and respond accordingly.

They all depend on the context and it’s important to be able to read your dog’s body language to give you a better idea of how she’s feeling at the time.

iSpeakDog has a great body language photo gallery featuring a wide range of dogs in different emotional states.

I highly recommend taking a look to see some of the different tongue positions and how they compare to the rest of the dogs’ body language, depending on whether they feel happy, excited, relaxed, scared, anxious, or stressed.

#3. Medical Conditions

While natural physiological reasons and communication are some of the most common reasons why dogs stick their tongues out, some dogs may do it because of underlying medical conditions or even if they’re dealing with the side effects of a new medication.

Dental issues, such as periodontal disease, missing or broken teeth, neurological disorders, and respiratory issues can all cause tongue protrusion.

Missing Teeth

Sometimes a dog’s tongue hangs out of the side of her mouth because some of her teeth are missing.

Our dog-in-a-million pitbull-Labrador cross, Maggie, developed some inflammation of the gums as well as a small cyst on her lower right gum that had to be removed. Unfortunately, this also meant the loss of two teeth.

In that typical dog way she didn’t care at all, but forever after she had this cute lopsided grin where her tongue was always hanging out on the right-hand side of her mouth.

Underbite or overbite

Some dogs with an underbite or overbite may have their tongues hanging out just because of the way their mouths are shaped.

The term “occlusion” refers to how the upper and lower teeth fit together when the mouth is closed.

“Malocclusion,” on the other hand, indicates that the teeth do not fit properly together – usually due to abnormal tooth positions (dental malocclusion) or misaligned jaws (skeletal malocclusion) (Pet Health Network, 2014).

According to Dr. Ruth MacPete, there are three classes of malocclusions:

• Class 1: Teeth do not fit together well because of crowding, misalignment, or rotation.
• Class 2: The upper jaw teeth are forward compared to the lower jaw teeth (i.e. overbite).
• Class 3: The lower jaw teeth protrude forward relative to the upper jaw teeth (i.e. underbite).

Malocclusions such as these can occur naturally in dogs, but they can also be hereditary.

Which brings me to my next point.

Genetic Condition

Many cases of malocclusion in dogs can be attributed to genetics, with breeds such as Boxers, Shih Tzus, Bulldogs, and Pugs being particularly susceptible (Pet Health Network, 2014).

But there’s more…

Hanging Tongue Syndrome

Sometimes, dogs have a condition known as hanging tongue syndrome, where their tongue does not retract into the dog’s mouth properly due to neurological problems, oral cancers, or anatomic defects (National Genomics Data Center, 2023).

The condition can affect brachycephalic and smaller breeds in particular, due to their genetics or abnormal jaw structure.

Brachycephalic breeds include “smooshy-faced” dogs such as Cavalier King Charles spaniels, French Bulldogs, Bulldogs, Boxers, Shih Tzus, Boston Terriers, Mastiffs, and Pugs.

“These dogs have functional tongues, but, because of genetics, the tongue may be too large for the oral cavity, an abnormal jaw bone doesn’t support the tongue or missing teeth allows the tongue to slip out through the gap,” explains veterinarian Dr. Kevin Wilson.

What Is A Brachycephalic Breed?

• Brachycephalic breeds of dogs can be identified by their shortened snouts or faces that appear flat and, as a result, have narrow nostrils and smaller airways.
• The term “brachycephalic” originates from the Greek words “short” and “head.” The breeds’ wrinkled muzzles and smooshy faces have made them increasingly popular in recent years.
• Because of the unique shape of their faces and airways, brachycephalic dogs sometimes need help with regulating their temperatures during hot and humid weather.
• Brachycephalic breeds have uniquely structured heads and can struggle to pant enough to cool off, which means they can easily overheat.
• Some flatter-faced dogs do struggle to self-regulate their temperatures during and after exercise (American Kennel Club, 2021).

Smaller breeds, like Maltese Terriers or Chihuahuas for example, may also present with hanging tongue syndrome.

A Chihuahua’s tongue is often too large for her mouth, hence that signature look with the tip of their tongue poking out that the breed is known for.

According to Dr. Wilson, hanging tongue syndrome can also occur as the result of severe dental disease caused by rotting lower teeth.

The condition usually involves a dried-out tongue, which can lead to symptoms like bad breath, bleeding and cracking, dry tongue, swollen tongue, or a thickening of the tongue (National Genomics Data Center, 2023).

Any kind of prolonged tongue protrusion may be a sign of one of several possible underlying health problems so it’s always worth checking with your vet if you notice anything amiss in your pup.

Mouth Injury

“Trauma to the jaw, tongue or head can lead to nerve dysfunction or scarring of the tongue,” says Dr. WIlson, adding that in such cases, the dog may not be able to use the tongue normally.

Pain

I’ve already talked about panting as a way for dogs to regulate their body temperature and also as a possible sign of stress, but heavy panting can also be a sign that your canine companion is in pain or distress.

If you notice that your dog is panting heavily, has rapid breathing, excessive drooling, or any other change in her behavior, it is always best to consult with your veterinarian for further advice.

They can perform a thorough physical exam and recommend further testing or treatment if necessary.

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Resources

• Body Language Gallery – iSpeakDog
• Dog Behavior: Modern Science and Our Canine Companions – James C. Ha and Tracey L. Campion
• Brachycephalic Dog Breeds: A Guide to Flat-Faced Dogs – Sassafras Lowrey
• Canine Brachycephaly: Anatomy, Pathology, Genetics and Welfare – K. J. Ekenstedt, K. R. Crosse, and M. Risselada
• Dog Orthodontics (Malocclusions) – Dr. Ruth MacPete
• Hanging Tongue – National Genomics Data Center,
• How Do Dogs Sweat? – Dr. Joanna Pendergrass
• Veterinary Q&A: Hanging tongue syndrome – Dr. Kevin Wilson (cited by Neena Pellegrini)
• Why Do Dogs, Cats, Camels, and Llamas Make That Weird Face? – Jason Bittel
• Why Do Dogs Pant? Is Your Dog Panting Too Much? – Sophia Catalano DVM
• Why does your dog’s tongue stick out? – PetCareRX