Why do they smack their lips?


  • Yes. Esp. at night when they are first crated for the night. I have no clue as to why…


  • Mine too, but he is usually doing when he just gets up. He drinks a lot of water, so I don't think I could make him drink more, he has free reign.


  • It's funny, cause lip smacking and loud eating is one of my pet peeves in humans… and now my dogs are doing it.... They have full access to water whenever they want also, so I didn't think that was it, but just wanted to see if other peoples basenjis did the same thing...


  • Somestimes before Hollie throws up she will smack her lips. If I am with her at least it gives me enough warning to get her outside or grab a towel (why do they always throw up on the carpet and not the vinyl??)!!


  • Senji always smacks his lips when he's enjoying a good belly rub. Sometimes he licks his runny nose when his allergies are acting up, and it looks like he's smacking his lips.


  • If it's in the car & C3PO starts smacking his lip it almost always means.."I'm about to puke :eek: " BLEH!

    At home he sometimes smacks his lips after eating a cookie & is too lazy to get water to wash it down :rollseyes: LOL


  • Chance does it too…It almost reminds me of my great grandpa. He used to do that when he took out his dentures.
    Chance will make this lip quiver though where it almost looks like he is grinding his teeth but he isn't actually grinding them. Its odd. :rolleyes:


  • I agree that they smack their lips before they throw up. I know this sounds gross, but I also noticed mine doing it a lot lately and often I think she throws up in her mouth a little and then is licking it away. Her stomach will often make a little hiccup or something and then she will do it…gross!


  • Tucker does this also. He even smacks his lips when I make a loud noise. For example, if he is on the bed and we've been playing or something like that, I can make a feint at him and bark at him (or something like that) and he'll play along and act like I scared him, but he'll also smack his lips almost every time I do that (fake like 'I'm gonna get him!').

    Maybe you can try to pay attention to this when you are playing next time and see if yours does this as well…


  • @jenwilson:

    Somestimes before Hollie throws up she will smack her lips. If I am with her at least it gives me enough warning to get her outside or grab a towel (why do they always throw up on the carpet and not the vinyl??)!!

    Jazzy licks her lips a lot before she throws up, but it's different w/the smacking. I can't describe the difference. Both Jazz and Keoki do it most when they are settling in to their crates for the night. It's not thirst, as they have water in their crates. No clue.

    When my dogs are going to throw up and they are indoors, they always run to the back door to be let out, and they all run {heaving the whole way} off the deck and out in to the grass before they let go.

    It is nice . . . :) Probably stems from the fact that when they were puppies and threw up, I ran w/them outside to the grass and now they know that's where they are supposed to throw up.
    In the car, I hold up the little trash can and Jazzy sticks her head in there to throw up. LOL Again, stemming from puppy hood treatment.

    I never have to clean up vomit. :D


  • If it is like a small lip licking movement, it is probably a calming signal. Google calming signals in dogs. They use it to say 'chill out', or 'I am feeling a little uncomfortable'

    Except pre-barfing…that is just because of the extra saliva produced before vomitting. Or sticky mouth because of a crunchy treat....


  • Sometimes out tri, when shiffing trees, chatters his teeth, pretty loud. I'm not sure what it means?


  • @JazzysMom:

    When my dogs are going to throw up and they are indoors, they always run to the back door to be let out, and they all run {heaving the whole way} off the deck and out in to the grass before they let go.

    There should be a whole thread on this! Tucker went through a period where he puked a lot. I'm guessing it was the Mcdonalds and Popeye's that he guilted me into giving him all the time (my bad, I know). He almost always waited until I wasn't around to puke, right on the shag rug. IMPOSSIBLE to clean up thoroughly. I've managed to grab him a few times and carry him onto the balcony, and one trip to the sink (that was funny) at my parent's house. Imagine me running around with a heaving dog in my folks house looking for some receptacle while being watched by 4-5 people, finally just holding him over the sink. Unfortunately there was a follow up that I didn't catch.

    Tucker also smacks the lips a lot as he's settling down to sleep.


  • I've managed to grab him a few times and carry him onto the balcony

    I pitty the people below you!


  • @Barklessdog:

    I pitty the people below you!

    It was so he could puke ON the balcony. ;) It's easier to clean off the concrete than shag carpet.


  • Ours are self cleaning if you can't get there quick, no matter who's it is!

    Our tri askes to go out side to puke- he can be such a good boy sometimes.


  • @Barklessdog:

    Ours are self cleaning if you can't get there quick, no matter who's it is!

    That's disgusting! :eek: Tucker does the same thing, though. :D I'm sure there's been a LOT more 'incidents' than I am aware of that 'solved' themselves…I've only had the pleasure of witnessing that once... I see the ham, I don't see the ham, I see the ham, I don't see the ham... ROFL!

    I usually know when it's going to happen, relatively speaking, because Tucker 'mows the lawn' while on our walk.


  • the weirdest thing happened with our dog, he stole a granola bar from my daughters hands, ate the whole thing foil wrapper & all within seconds. The next morning we find the foil wrapper like brand new, in one piece, in his crate, like an owl pellet or something???

    Our dogs live to steal pizza, if they can get it.


  • Okay, I LOLed at that one… At least now you know how to properly 'peel' a granola bar (if you're in to saving wrappers!). Good for coupon retrieval!


  • Your Tucker Avitar looks like he is full of the devil!

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