*Burp*

I had a friend over to visit yesterday evening.  Ozzie and Henley were super excited to see him, jumping and bouncing around, bringing him toys, etc.  When he leaned down to ruffle Ozzie's neck floof, Ozzie raised his face, appearing to be going in for a smooch, and promptly burped right in my friend's face!  Even Henley dropped his toy with a horrified look on his face!  Luckily, we just burst out laughing and Ozzie shook it off and moved on.  Why in the world would a dog burp in someone's face?

Dogs burp for the same reasons we do: eating too fast, drinking too quickly, dietary/digestive issues, and excitement or anxiety.  In Ozzie's case, that burp was due to excitement, but he's also been known to burp if he eats too quickly, and Henley burps when he drinks too fast, often spitting out water all over the floor when he does so. Is burping ever a concern?  Well, sure, if it's happening all the time, is associated with coughing or vomiting, or is part of a bigger issue like recurrent diarrhea and a loss of appetite. Otherwise, it's probably not that big of a deal.  If your dog is otherwise healthy, but does burp frequently, there are things you can do to decrease the frequency of those gassy outbursts.

Slow feeder bowls, snuffle mats, and even just spreading the food out on a flat surface will slow down how quickly your dog eats, thus he will capture less air due to gulping.  Smaller, more frequent meals can also mean less air swallowed. It's also true that giving high fat diets or treats, and those that are harder to digest like popcorn, for example, can lead to burping more frequently. Focus on giving a high quality diet, with a good balance of fats, carbohydrates, and proteins, and limit the fatty snacks and popcorn. And for those excited or anxious burping dogs, try to keep the environment calm, particularly at mealtimes.  You can keep them on leash for greetings to control jumping, spinning, and bouncing.  Teach them to sit in place and wait for guests to greet them instead. And if their anxiety is overwhelming, try crating them when people arrive and then letting them out, on leash, after the initial excitement settles.  And if their anxiety is strictly about excitement and enthusiasm, and not about aggression or fear, you might even be able to give them something like CBD oil to help calm their nerves and control those nervous burps.

I'm pretty sure Ozzie would be mortified if he knew I'd told the world he burped in someone's face.  He's been working so hard to fill Desi's shoes and be a good pet assisted therapy dog, and burping in faces isn't high on the list of behaviors for pet therapy animals!  Luckily, Ozzie is mostly calm on his visits, not anxious or overly excited, so he's unlikely to burp in those situations.  He is a collie, however, so burps could still happen.  Every collie we've ever had was a burper, versus our Labrador who could clear a room with her flatulence.  But that's a different story all together.

As always, if you have questions about your pet's behavior, you know where to find me.

Mr. Burps himself.  But don't tell him I told you!