Find Out Why Your Dog Shakes His Head A Lot

The dog shakes his head a lot for several reasons; in the worst case, something is bothering your ears, and we should urgently intervene and get you to the vet before the case gets worse.

The main problems in our pet’s ears tend to be for many reasons, such  as large ears that prevent proper ventilation of the ear canals, and are an excellent refuge for bacteria and fungi and cause infections and ear infections. In the case of the Cocker breed, its huge  ears that  fall on the sides of its head are something very characteristic.

Causes of why a dog shakes his head a lot

In dogs that have a lot of fur, the ear canals tend to produce more wax than normal. This, over time, can cause ear infections. To avoid this issue, it is highly recommended that you shave these channels.

Furthermore, there is also the case of dogs that are prone to have seborrhea, that is, when their skin and fur are very oily. In these cases, excess wax is likely to occur in the ears, and you should take steps to prevent the onset of conditions.

Another frequent cause of why your dog shakes his head a lot can be the presence of an object in his ears. If the animal lives in a weed garden, there are a large number of particles and spikelets that can enter the dog’s ear canals, especially during the summer. This causes a lot of pain and therefore you must see him urgently so that he can undergo surgery and general anesthesia, if necessary.

If there are children in the house, their antics may include introducing an object into the dog’s ear canal. In addition to being a real problem and an urgency, it may also happen that the dog interprets this as  aggression  and defends itself, causing undesirable results.

Dog shakes his head a lot due to lack of ear cleaning and poor hygiene

If we decide to  clean the ears of our pet, the ideal is to use cotton,  which has the characteristic of adhering to wax. Ear remedies can also be a good solution, but never use products that may cause irritation.

If we decide to bathe the dog, it is important to prevent water from getting into his ears. The ideal is to cover them with cotton or anything that can protect them.

Sometimes the problem arises from the dog’s sudden head movement, or the problem can get worse if the dog tries to remove what is bothering him. Thus, when he shakes his head hard, the movement can cause problems, because when he bangs his ears against his skull, the blood vessels in the ear canal can be damaged. This will produce bruises.

occasional head movement

There are also occasions when the dog moves his head from side to side in a fun way that we find funny and very cute. There’s nothing cuter than seeing our friends nod like that when we’re talking to them and this is apparently their way of expressing their opinion  about what we’re talking to them while we’re looking directly at them.

The explanation for this movement is due to the fact that when we are talking to them, sometimes they cannot hear and interpret what we are trying to say, and they move their heads to direct their ears to the sound and try to understand a little better what we are saying. It is common for them to do this if we address them in a different tone than usual. A tone they don’t identify as either scolding or affectionate.

If you notice that your dog shakes his head a lot, more than usual, to avoid bigger problems and surprises, the best thing to do is to take him to a veterinarian. It will give you the correct diagnosis and indicate the best treatment to alleviate irritation, infection, detect if he has any object inside his ears, if it is for some other reason, etc.