Snorting
 

My 2 year old yorkie Diamond makes this snorting noise for no reason sometimes. well one day I was watching Dogs 101 on Yorkshire Terriers and they said what the name of this snorting habit was called and why it happens but I didnt catch it. They also said it was common. does anybody know what it is?

I don't know, but Deegan does it all the time when he's playing. Someone told me that it meant they were happy, but who knows...

As I recall, they talked about "reverse sneezing" that Yorkies do. Do you think that's what he's doing? I can't remember what I've read to do, though.:aimeeyork

I think snorting and reverse sneezing are easy to differentiate... Deegan does the reverse sneeze thing sometimes and I can tell because number one, he's not playing or in a happy playful mood, and two because it sounds more like they are gasping for air compared to sneezing where the air sounds like it's being pushed out. You just have to determine which one it is.

Reverse sneezing is very common in Yorkies. It occurs when they are breathing and they breath from the mouth and it comes out through the nose. Nothing is wrong with your baby. It's normal.

~Kathy:animal-pa

Oh my gosh! I have heard Rocky and Raindrop do that, and thought something was wrong with them. Reverse sneezing. Oh this is funny. I am so glad I read these threads. :thumbup:

i call what lexi does,snorting, when she get excited she does that, mainly when i walk into the house when ive been away from her for a few hours.
what i do is i hold her 2 nostrils shut so she has to breath out of her mouth and it usually works the first try, if not, i do it until she stops... i also rub
her throat too.. she gets very scared when that happens, its like she cant get enough air to breath... and she comes running to me to help her and it
surely works.

i call what lexi does,snorting, when she get excited she does that, mainly when i walk into the house when ive been away from her for a few hours.
what i do is i hold her 2 nostrils shut so she has to breath out of her mouth and it usually works the first try, if not, i do it until she stops... i also rub
her throat too.. she gets very scared when that happens, its like she cant get enough air to breath... and she comes running to me to help her and it
surely works.

My yorkie did both snorting and reverse sneezing. The snorting sounded like a snort out of the nose. He'd sometimes get some wetness (not sure what it was and dont wanna know... LOL!) on me but it was during play and fun.

The reverse sneeze is this God awful sound like they are hacking. I freaked out for the longest time because of it but then he did it in front of the vet she said it was the reverse sneeze and to rub his throat gently. It helped a lot.

But the snorting, like a pig snorting, is common. My other yorkie, does the same when he gets crazy in playing.

Hope that helps.

Yorkie Health Facts

This site may help.

Click on REVERSE SNEEZING (Pharyngeal Gag Reflex)

Another informative site:

Associated Content

Reverse sneezing site


Reverse Sneezing and Collapsing Trachea in Toy Breed Dogs - Associated Content

Thanks for the great information. Very interesting. I have heard my Rocky do the reverse sneezing thing, but at first I was afraid something was terribly wrong with him, and he didn't do it all the time. He has regular check-ups with the Vet, and they did mention reverse sneezing. I thought this was rare. Little did I know!!!

My Sass does this snorting when I come home & she's excited. I just try to calm her down.

How often would you say your dogs do it? I didn't think it was a big deal, but Thor has a one minute bout of this at least a couple times every day. If he's excited, or surprised, or sometimes just if he's drinking water, like he gulps it down too fast or something. Is it normal for it to happen this frequently? :confused:

You are welcome!!

With me having 5 dogs, (4yorkies and 1 mini-dachshund) one of mine will do with at least once a day. Candy the dachshund does it alot when she drinks. Rocky does it when he goes outside, gets excited, runs through the house. Sometimes Rocky's will last a minute. I just rub his neck, and tell him he is alright. Candy's last longer, 1-2 minutes it seems. Hers is usually when she is on a leash too, and trying to get a squirrel. She wants to run, I want her to walk. LOL ! She is 10 years old.

Pharyngeal Gag Reflex!!! thats it. Thanks so much.

Wow Mimi does this too.. She starts snorting like crazy when she is overly excited.. I was scared at first and it seemed to calm down after she was done being excited lol.. I'm glad its common, everytime she does start snorting I gently blow on her nose to give her air. It actually works, she stops snorting.:p

You are welcome!!!!

There are four things that Yorkies can be doing to make that type of noise, and each are different from the other. The reverse sneezing is when you see their rib cage expand and the sides sink in while they do this, and yes, emotions can trigger it or even drinking water. There is another thing some do and it's called "honking", because it sounds like a goose. My Zada does this and has nothing to do with the reverse sneeze. Another thing they have problems with and it sounds like a reverse sneeze, is a soft or collapsed trachea. This is one reason they should not be led by a collar. Their trachea's are very small and soft and easily damaged. The last type is Kennel cough. This also causes them to make some retching sounds and then let out a "hack" like sound.

I thought the goose honk was the same as a reverse sneeze. What's happens in a goose honk?

I never thought of the snorting or reverse sneezing as a bad thing. L0L

Daisy our 9# doesn't do either one. Skippy is 5# and when he runs or gets excited he reverse sneezes. When he is very relaxed and is waiting for a tummy rub, he snorts. When he sleeps he snores. So cute.
Anita

My Tatum also does this but it's usually only when she is excited. Like Gina (Lexi's Mom) said - it happens when I come home and have been gone for a while and she is excited to see me...or when she is playing with Stedman. She "snorts" every single time almost. Now Stedman does it sometimes when he is drinking water, and sometimes out of the blue - but I think his may be more of a reverse sneezing type of thing. He doesn't do it at all when he is excited, like Tatum does.

snorting
 

mine too . .now she starting sneezing about ten times in a row ..

Tonight is the first time I have ever visited this website. I was searching online for yorkie diets when I came across it. As I was scrolling down the different topics-I came across SNORTING! I stopped and clicked on it because my seven yr old yorkie "Pippin" snorts and has for several years or more. I have worried that it is due to his weight! He is overweight! Not dangerously overwieght. His vet loves to call him "His little rolly polly yorkie" and has told me his diet (IAMS) is fine. He suggests that I let him exercise more by doing things on his on. Like quit carrying him from bed to couch to back door, ect.!!! He is very pampered!!! I feel like I have to do everything for him due to his small size. Pippin is very short and compact with round baby face! He is also very demanding!!! LOL!!! He mainly put on extra weight after he was nuetered six yrs ago. When I came across your reply earlier I was so touched and amused by it due to the fact that I do the exact same thing to Pippin when he starts snorting and gasping for air!!! He usually does it when he is excited. Like when I get home or when he is playing with our other two dogs(schnauzer and standerd poodle)! He will also wake up from a deep sleep and do it! It has just always made perfect sense to me to gently cover his nose and open his mouth. It also works for me as well! When I do this-my husband always laughs and acts like I'm being so rediculous!! He says I should be a Yorkie Paramedic!!! So, like a I said earlier-I was so delighted to know that I'm not being rediculous, it's not my imagination that it works, and I'm not the only Yorkie Paramedic out there!!!!! I'm also happy to know that this is common in yorkies and not directly due to his weight!! However, he seems to be doing it more often the older he gets. If you don't mind-I would like to know how old your yorkie is and if he/or she is having the same problem!?! I wish you and your yorkie the best!!!
Love, Jenifer and Pippin-Box Church, TX

This is a good thread to be bumped up. Snickers ONLY snorts when he is pulling on his leash and his harness is holding him back....this only happens for the 1st few min of his walk if he sees another dog or person. He will snort but when he starts, he usually slows down himself. It worries me but I know nothing is wrong...I just wish he would not pull so much for those inital 2-3 minutes.

im so glad i read this post my ruby has had it twice now, i was terrified thought she was going to die,i hope it never happens again