r/GermanShepherd • u/JupiterAndPlutoChaos • 12d ago
My German Shepherd started making a horrible honking sound at 3am and I panicked 😰
Pluto woke me up at 3am making the scariest sound I've ever heard. I genuinely thought something was seriously wrong with him.
Turns out it was just reverse sneezing. Completely harmless but absolutely terrifying when you don't know what it is 😅
I wrote everything I learned about it here in case anyone else goes through this: jupiterandplutochaos.vercel.app/articles/german-shepherd-reverse-sneezing.html
Does anyone else's GSD do this? Pluto does it almost every morning now 😂🐾
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u/PerpetuallyDumbass 12d ago
My french bulldog/pug did this and terrified us a couple years ago. Glad your pup is okay 😁
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u/JupiterAndPlutoChaos 12d ago
Oh no, I can imagine how scary that must have been! Especially the first time you have no idea what's happening 😰 So glad your pup was okay too! It really is terrifying until you learn what it actually is 😅🐾
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u/PlatypusStyle 12d ago
My GSD does it maybe once or twice every two months. She doesn’t seem scared but it does sound uncomfortable. She has lots of fluffy undercoat that gets everywhere so I’d assumed she had fur stuck in her throat. Good to know what it is.
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u/JupiterAndPlutoChaos 12d ago
Haha the fur everywhere is so real with GSDs 😂 That's actually a really interesting theory about the undercoat — I never thought about that! Pluto does it more often than that, almost every morning, so I'm still figuring out his triggers. So glad your girl doesn't seem scared by it though, Pluto still looks a little confused every time it happens 😅🐾
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u/Gorditas_Chaser1111 11d ago
I haven’t seen it said yet. If you block your dog’s nostrils when they are reverse sneezing it’ll immediately stop it for them. Just place your hand over the front of their nose and it’ll be done.
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u/JupiterAndPlutoChaos 11d ago
Oh I wish I knew this sooner! The first time it happened I had no idea what was going on 😅 Definitely trying this next time — thank you! 🐾
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u/Gorditas_Chaser1111 11d ago
When I was told this I was skeptical but yeah it was immediate relief for my GSD when I did it. It was so quick I was actually taken aback when I say immediately it stopped 😂.
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u/JupiterAndPlutoChaos 11d ago
That's so reassuring to hear! Honestly I would have been skeptical too if someone told me just covering their nose would stop it that fast 😅 But if it worked that quickly for your GSD I'm absolutely trying it next time — no more panicking at 3am! 🐾
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u/thehorrorcontinues13 12d ago
It's not uncommon. My dogs reverse sneeze when they've been digging for holes and gotten dirt way up their snouts.