Dog shaking, trembling or shivering
Shaking, trembling and shivering are common in dogs and often have everyday causes such as cold, fear, stress or excitement. Shaking can also be a sign of pain, low blood sugar, poisoning or illness, so what else you notice matters. See a vet now if the shaking comes with collapse or weakness, a seizure, vomiting, heavy panting in the heat or signs of pain, or if your dog may have eaten something toxic.
General health information, not a diagnosis. If you are worried about your pet, contact a vet.
How urgent is it?
Go down the list and stop at the first row that matches your pet.
See a vet now
- Signs of a seizure: falls over, legs stiff, jerking or paddling, chewing or drooling, wets or soils itself, and does not respond to you
- A seizure lasts longer than 5 minutes, or your dog has more than one seizure within 24 hours
- May have eaten something toxic, such as chocolate, xylitol (in sugar-free gum and some baked goods), moldy food or compost, wild mushrooms or human medicines, even if your dog still seems fine
- Is weak, wobbly, confused, very sleepy or hard to rouse, or has collapsed. In a young toy-breed puppy, trembling with sleepiness or wobbliness is enough, especially after a missed meal, because it can mean low blood sugar
- Shaking on a hot day, after hard exercise or after time in a car, with fast or heavy breathing, dry or sticky gums, unusual gum color, sluggishness, confusion or a seizure
- Shaking after a fall, a car accident or another injury, or with sudden signs of strong pain such as crying out, a hunched back, refusing to move or be touched, or weak or wobbly back legs
- Started trembling suddenly for no clear reason and it does not settle once your dog is warm and calm, or the shaking comes with vomiting, diarrhea, restlessness, a racing heart or strange behavior
- Was out in the cold or got wet and keeps shivering after being warmed up, or seems weak, slow or stops moving
- A puppy or a dog that is not fully vaccinated has muscle twitching, especially with eye or nose discharge, cough, diarrhea or poor appetite. Keep it away from other dogs and tell the clinic before you arrive
See a vet within 24 hours
- Shakes and pants while resting in a cool place, paces, or keeps getting up and lying down as if it can’t get comfortable
- Has bouts of trembling every now and then for no clear reason, but is otherwise alert, eating and acting normally
Watch at home
- Shivers when cold or wet, or trembles when scared, stressed or excited (fireworks, thunder, vet visits, visitors, walks), stops once warm, dry and calm, and is otherwise acting normally
- Twitches, paddles its legs or whimpers in short, relaxed bursts while asleep, with no stiffness, drooling or wetting, wakes when you call its name and then acts normally
- An older dog’s back legs tremble when standing or after a walk, but it is eating and alert: keep watching, and book a regular appointment because this can be a sign of pain or muscle loss
Not sure which row fits?
Describe your pet’s symptoms and get a free urgency check in about a minute.
Check my pet’s symptomsCommon causes
| Cause | What you may notice | Usual urgency |
|---|---|---|
| Feeling cold | Shivering after time outside in the cold or getting wet; short-haired, short-legged, very young, old and thin dogs feel the cold faster | Watch |
| Fear, stress or excitement | Trembling during fireworks or thunder, at the vet or around strangers, often with hiding or trying to get away; some dogs also tremble briefly when excited, for example before a walk | Watch |
| Dreaming | Brief, relaxed twitching, paddling or soft whimpering during sleep; wakes easily when called | Watch |
| Getting older | Trembling in the back legs as muscle is lost, or shivering for longer after getting cold | Watch |
| Pain (for example arthritis or a back problem) | Trembling legs, panting at rest, restlessness, reluctance to move or use stairs, a hunched back | Within 24 h |
| Shaker syndrome (generalized tremor syndrome) | Head or whole-body tremors in an otherwise well young adult dog, most often small white breeds; worse with excitement, better at rest | Within 24 h |
| Illness affecting the body or nerves (for example liver or kidney disease, distemper) | Tremors or twitching together with other signs such as poor appetite, drinking more, or eye and nose discharge in unvaccinated dogs | Within 24 h |
| Low blood sugar | Trembling, weakness, sleepiness or wobbliness, which can lead to seizures or collapse; most often in toy-breed puppies under 6 months, or after eating xylitol | Now |
| Poisoning | Tremors that can start within hours of eating chocolate, xylitol, moldy food or human medicines; may come with vomiting, restlessness or seizures | Now |
| Seizure | Falls over, stiff or paddling legs, not aware of its surroundings; often confused or wobbly afterward | Now |
| Heat stroke | Shaking with heavy breathing, unusual gum color, sluggishness or confusion in hot weather or after exercise | Now |
What you can do at home
- If your dog is cold or wet, bring it inside, dry it with a towel and let it rest on a blanket in a warm spot away from drafts. Keep heat lamps and space heaters away from your dog, as they can cause burns.
- If your dog trembles from fear, for example during fireworks, give it a quiet place it can retreat to and keep it away from what scares it where you can.
- If your dog twitches in its sleep, let it sleep. If you want to check on it, call its name or make a noise rather than touching it, because a dog woken suddenly may startle and bite.
- During a seizure, stay calm, keep your dog from falling off furniture or down stairs, move hard objects out of the way, and time how long it lasts.
- Film an episode of shaking on your phone and note when it happened, how long it lasted and what your dog was doing. This helps the vet tell trembling from a seizure.
- For a young toy-breed puppy, feed regular, frequent meals of puppy food to help prevent low blood sugar.
What not to do
- Do not put your fingers or any object in your dog’s mouth during a seizure. Dogs do not swallow their tongue, and you could be badly bitten.
- After a possible poisoning, do not try to make your dog vomit or give anything by mouth unless a vet or animal poison control tells you to.
- Do not give human medicines or supplements to calm the shaking. Some can cause tremors in dogs, and some contain xylitol.
- Do not wait to see if it passes if your dog may have eaten something toxic. Signs can take hours to appear. Call a vet or animal poison control right away.
- If you suspect heat stroke, do not use ice or cover your dog with wet towels. Pour cool (not cold) water over it, let a fan blow on it, and go to a vet now.
- Do not punish or hold down a frightened, trembling dog. Fearful dogs that cannot get away may bite.
What to tell the vet
- When the shaking started, how long each episode lasts, and whether it affects the whole body or one part (show the video)
- What your dog was doing when it started: sleeping, playing, eating, out in the cold or heat, or in a stressful situation
- Anything your dog may have eaten: chocolate, sugar-free products, moldy food or compost, mushrooms, plants or medicines
- Whether your dog was aware of you and responded during the episode, and how it acted afterward
- Other signs, recent medicines or flea products, vaccinations, appetite and drinking
Questions owners ask
Why is my dog shaking?
The most common reasons are feeling cold, fear or stress, and excitement, and many dogs twitch while dreaming. If the shaking stops once your dog is warm and calm and it is otherwise acting normally, you can usually watch at home. If your dog has started shaking and you don’t know why, contact your vet, because shaking can also be a sign of pain, low blood sugar, poisoning or illness.
My dog is shaking and acting weird all of a sudden. What should I do?
Treat sudden shaking with unusual behavior as urgent. Think about whether your dog could have eaten something toxic, such as chocolate, sugar-free gum with xylitol, moldy food or human medicines, because signs of poisoning can take hours to appear. If that is possible, or if your dog is weak, wobbly, confused, vomiting, panting heavily or having a seizure, call a vet or animal poison control right away. Keep your dog in a quiet, safe place and do not give anything by mouth unless the vet tells you to.
Why is my dog shaking and panting?
Shaking and panting together often happen when a dog is scared, for example during fireworks. They can also be a sign of pain, of heat stroke on a hot day or after exercise, or of poisoning: chocolate and caffeine, for example, can cause panting, restlessness and tremors. If your dog pants and trembles while resting in a cool place, cannot settle, or may have eaten something toxic, contact a vet. If it happens in the heat, cool your dog down and go to a vet now.
Is my dog trembling or having a seizure?
During a generalized seizure a dog usually loses awareness, may fall over, stiffen or paddle its legs, drool, and wet or soil itself, and is often confused afterward. Dreaming dogs twitch or paddle in brief, relaxed bursts and wake when you call their name, while a dog having a seizure is stiffer and cannot easily be woken. Some seizures affect only part of the body, so if you are unsure, film it and contact your vet. A seizure lasting more than 5 minutes, or more than one seizure in 24 hours, is an emergency.
My dog is shaking like it’s cold. Is that normal for small or older dogs?
Short-haired, short-legged, very young, old and thin dogs feel the cold faster. Older dogs may also find it harder to warm up after getting cold or wet, and some develop trembling in the back legs as they lose muscle, which can also be a sign of pain. Warm your dog up with a blanket in a draft-free spot. See a vet if it keeps shivering once warm or seems weak or slow, or if a young toy puppy trembles and seems sleepy or weak, because these puppies can develop low blood sugar.
Related symptoms
Sources
- Seizures in Dogs, VCA Animal Hospitals
- Seizures and Anticonvulsant Medications, University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine
- What Does It Mean When Dogs Twitch In Their Sleep?, VCA Animal Hospitals
- Shaker Syndrome in Dogs, VCA Animal Hospitals
- Xylitol Poisoning in Dogs, VCA Animal Hospitals
- Chocolate Poisoning in Dogs, VCA Animal Hospitals
- Heat Stroke in Dogs, VCA Animal Hospitals
- How Do I Know if My Dog Is in Pain?, VCA Animal Hospitals
- Behavior Problems in Dogs (Pet Owner Version), Merck Veterinary Manual
- Congenital and Inherited Disorders of the Nervous System in Dogs (Pet Owner Version), Merck Veterinary Manual
- Nervous System Disorders and Effects of Injuries in Dogs (Pet Owner Version), Merck Veterinary Manual
- Disorders of the Spinal Column and Cord in Dogs (Pet Owner Version), Merck Veterinary Manual
- Disorders of the Pancreas in Dogs (Pet Owner Version), Merck Veterinary Manual
- Canine Distemper (Hardpad Disease) (Pet Owner Version), Merck Veterinary Manual
- Canine Distemper, Merck Veterinary Manual (Professional Version)
- Tremorgenic Neuromycotoxicosis in Dogs, Merck Veterinary Manual (Professional Version)
- Toxicoses in Animals From Human Cold and Allergy Medications, Merck Veterinary Manual (Professional Version)
- Toxin Latent Period ≤3 Hours After Ingestion of Mushrooms, Merck Veterinary Manual (Professional Version)
- People Foods to Avoid Feeding Your Pets, ASPCA Animal Poison Control
- Cold Weather Animal Safety, American Veterinary Medical Association
- Why Is My Dog Shaking? Causes & Solutions, American Kennel Club
- Dog Dreaming vs. Seizures: How to Tell the Difference, American Kennel Club
- Hypoglycemia in Dogs: Signs, Symptoms, and Treatment, American Kennel Club
Last reviewed October 25, 2026