All dogs salivate to chill down, but if you’ve got a pup with big or open lips like a Boxer, you will recognize that these breeds tend to have more drool than others.
Drooling may be a part of being a dog, but some dogs tend to drool more than others. Their owners carry dishtowels and rags round the house to wipe off the drool. In some dogs, the high quantity of drooling is genetic.
It is important to know that saliva actually helps your dog digest its food. There’s also a condition called Hypersalivation, which may be treated and may be a sign of illness. Additionally, dogs with floppy lips tend to drool more than those with tighter lips.
There are many things which will cause your dog to drool. Some maybe less worrying, but dribbling are often a crucial clue, and a symbol that something is wrong with your pet.
Why do big dogs drool so much
Big dogs with short muzzles, like Boxers and Bulldogs, drool or dribble more often because their saliva collects in their cheeks, then is released once they shake their heads. These breeds also are likely to dribble after having a drink of water for the same reason.
Big dogs also will dribble in response to certain triggers. For example, if they anticipate that their food bowl will get filled soon, the body will produce saliva as they get excited. Big dogs also will drool in response to anxiety – if they’re nervous or anxiously dribbling more often, it is a subtle cue that they’re feeling uncomfortable. Some aggressive dog breeds also drool more than others.
Other Possible Medical Causes
While some dogs drool more when nervous, most of the time it does not mean that something is wrong with your dog or that it has a health problem.
Dental problems, like tooth abscesses, can cause big dogs to drool. There are also some oral diseases that cause an excess of drooling because your dog is unable to swallow their saliva. or a ill health that’s preventing the dog from swallowing her saliva.
Excess drooling can also be a sign that your dog is suffering from some sort of nerve damage. This causes parts of the face to lose mobility, and can cause saliva to build up in and around your dog’s mouth. This is usually accompanied with symptoms like gagging and choking.
Another possible cause: mouth irritation. If your pup ate something toxic, whether a poisonous plant or dangerous human food, it can also cause excess drooling. Contact your vet if the drooling persists or if she repeatedly paws at her mouth.
Some Popular Breeds that Drool More than Others
Big dogs drool more frequently, and in greater quantity, than others. Deep-jawed, droopy-lipped dogs may unleash a puddle of saliva! There are some breeds known for drooling more than others:
Basset hounds and other hound breeds
Bulldogs
Newfoundlands
St. Bernards (like Beethoven!)
Mastiffs
Boxers
These breeds of dogs tend to drool more because the skin around their mouth is looser than normal, and thus their mouth collects more saliva. Other breeds may rarely or never have visible drool coming from their mouths.
Note
“Normal drool is going to be clear or white in color, and will be fairly odorless. it’s going to bubble, drip, pool, or ooze, but it shouldn’t be bottomless”.
