It’s difficult to tell a dog’s behavior because there’s no way to communicate with it. If your dog is repetitively stretching, you’re probably wondering: “Why does my dog stretch so much?” If you are a dog owner, you may have noticed that your dog has some habits that it usually does regularly. One of such habits might be stretching. While stretching in itself shouldn’t be a problem, there may be times when your dog is stretching so much.
Excessive stretching in dogs might have worried some dog owners because the habit doesn’t seem normal to them, especially when they think that there is no reason for the dog to be stretching. To quell any worries that dog owners out there have, our team at WeLoveDoodles compiled a list of reasons for this behavior.
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Why Does Your Dog Stretch So Much?
If you have noticed that your dog is stretching so much to the point that it might not look like it’s normal anymore, there are some causes that you might have to look into so that you can tell whether or not you have a reason to be worried. There are five reasons why your dog could be stretching. Understanding this list will help you know your companion better.
1. Your companion is tired.
This should be something that shouldn’t concern you, especially if you have a pretty active dog. If your dog stretches so much after a long day, it could be that it is simply tired. This is usually common at night just before the dog goes to bed because that is a sign that it got tired from a long day of being active. However, if your dog is not quite active and seems to be overweight, the tiredness might result from how it often feels fatigued due to it being unhealthy and overweight. As such, you might need to be a bit worried here because this can cause some long-term health problems for your dog, much like how a person who is overweight tends to get tired more often than those who are fit and healthy.
2. It needs more exercise.
Some dog breeds are naturally more active than others to the point that they need regular exercise. However, if you have not been dedicating time to walk or play with your dog so that it can exercise its legs, this may cause your dog to stretch more often than not because of how it might feel that its legs have become stiff. You might want to dedicate a few minutes a day to provide your dog with the exercise it needs to stay healthy and active.
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3. Your dog is getting ready for an activity.
One of the things that playful dogs often do is stretch in front of their owners or front of the people they feel comfortable with. That’s because they are simply preparing their legs and their muscles for playtime. This usually happens if the dog is comfortable enough with you. Of course, this is perfectly normal, especially if the dog is somewhat playful.
4. It enjoys the feeling.
You like the feeling when you stretch out your limbs while you are in bed. It could be the same for your dog as it might just like the feeling of stretching. There shouldn’t be any underlying cause here, as your dog probably loves to stretch its muscles because it feels some pleasure from doing so. You shouldn’t be worried about this habit because it’s just something that most dogs like doing regardless of how often they are doing it.
5. Cause from Pancreatitis.
While a dog stretching more often than others shouldn’t make you worry a lot, there are some instances where the stretching could be something that can become potentially dangerous. If your dog is suffering from pancreatitis, its stomach might be bloated, and the only way for it to relieve some pressure off of its stomach is by lengthening the abdomen by stretching. Some symptoms of pancreatitis include fever, hunching over, bloating, and excessive stretching. If such symptoms are apparent, you might want to take your dog to the vet as early as possible to be sure.
My Dog Keeps Stretching And Yawning
While we may have discussed the reasons why your dog keeps stretching, there might be different reasons why it keeps on stretching and yawning at the same time. This can be perfectly normal and natural for the dog to do, but we should still cover this topic if there are reasons to believe that this can be something that should worry you.
The reasons why dogs stretch and yawn can vary depending on certain factors and causes, such as the following:
- Dogs will sometimes stretch and yawn as a way of signaling to you that you should try to calm down. This happens when you might have gotten angry at it over something.
- Some dogs will also stretch and yawn when they feel stressed because of how doing so allows them to feel comfort and relief, just like stretching and yawning in humans can help us feel calm.
- A dog that is anticipating playtime will stretch and yawn as a way of preparing itself.
- Sometimes, medical reasons might cause excessive stretching and yawning, such as when the dog is suffering from abdominal problems. Stretching is its way of reducing the pressure in its abdomen, while yawning will allow it to intake more oxygen and reduce the CO2 that may be causing its stomach to bloat. In such a case, please take it to the vet immediately.
Why Do Dogs Stretch When They Wake Up?
If you noticed that your dog often stretches when it wakes up, similar to how you also stretch the moment you wake up, this is not something that it has picked up from you. Instead, this is instinctive in dogs. Ancient dogs stretch when they wake up because they are doing so in anticipation and in preparation for something rough that may happen the moment it wakes up. Dogs, by nature, are hunters that can be territorial.
As such, it needs to stretch out its muscles as soon as it wakes up so that it can prepare for a hunt or a battle when another dog invades its territory. With that, this is something that modern dogs do instinctively because they may have carried this instinct from their primitive ancestors. This should be more common in dogs that were bred to be hunters or watchdogs as they need to stretch out the moment they wake up to make sure that they are prepared to hunt or defend their territory immediately.
How To Stop Dog From Stretching So Much
If you want to stop your dog from stretching so much, here are some things you might want to do:
1. Nothing
If the stretching is rooted in something perfectly normal, you shouldn’t do anything about it because it won’t cause any harm to you or your dog.
2. Exercise
As mentioned, excessive stretching can be due to how your dog needs exercise or perhaps because it is overweight. Please give it some exercise to make sure that it gets to work those leg muscles out.
3. Take it to the vet.
Suppose the excessive stretching is accompanied by other factors and symptoms such as a bloated belly, tiredness, or fevers. In that case, there is no better way to fix this problem than to take your dog to the vet to know the underlying causes and to get your dog treated right away.
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Conclusion For “Why Does My Dog Stretch So Much”
There are many reasons why your companion is repetitively stretching. It’s rarely something terrible. However, you should always triple-check with a veterinarian if you feel something is off. You never know what is happening with your companion. It could simply be a habit or something it enjoys doing. As a dog owner, try to stay observant and find the reasons when you’re around your companion. Our team wishes you and your companion the best. Hopefully, the reason your dog stretching isn’t health-related!
For more dog-related questions and answers, check out:
- Why Does My Dog Growl At Me at Night?
- Why Is My Dog Breathing Heavily While Sleeping?
- My Dog Has To Sleep Touching Me: Reasons Why
If you want to help out your companion with stretches, watch “How To Stretch Your Dog” from Union Lake Veterinary Hospital down below:
Andy is a full-time animal rescuer and owner of a toy doodle. When he’s not saving dogs, Andy is one of our core writers and editors. He has been writing about dogs for over a decade. Andy joined our team because he believes that words are powerful tools that can change a dog’s life for the better.
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