Pant really hard?

[Frannie & Callie]

Callie is a heavy breather. I'm always about to freak out and take her to the vet for her panting (is she dehydrated? Is she chasing the ball too much? Are her lungs filled with fluid?...I'm such a stereotypical Jewish mother!) but then when I start petting her, she stops the panting. Last night she was shaking the bed with her panting, and would only stop when I was petting her. Do I have a health issue here or do I have a drama queen on my hands??

[Steve Drury]

I'll be anxious to see the replies. Our Maggie is the same way. She is 60+ lbs at 9 months old. Huffin' and puffin' in the dead of winter like it's a heat wave. She was 12 lbs at 12 weeks when we had her at the vet for shots. I asked him about it since she was doing it even then. He said it was normal for some dogs; no cause for alarm.
But I often hear her making noises----snorting and grunting----that make me think she has some kind of respiratory issues.....similar to what a person who snores might have.

[Sue, Murphy and Bella ()*o*()]

Our 13 month old has always done that too. I don;t know about the petting to stop it tho, might have to try that. It can go on for quite awhile too. He's always done it and our vet said the same as Steve's. I think he's just cooling down and he hates to be hot at all so it makes sense to me.

[Kelli, Fenway, & Dustin Pedroia]

Dustin (our goldendoodle and also bigger dog) does the same thing. If he's just lying around he'll be panting so hard his whole body is moving and he also shakes our entire bed. He does this even though he's not done any thing more strenuous than lay on the floor or the couch or the bed. I was pretty concerned about this too, but the vet said it was nothing to worry about. I'm curious to see what everyone else thinks too. Maybe it's a big thing. Who knows??

[Lynda Kamrath]

Just an idea, but our labradoodle huffs and pants in our faces when he wants to go out at night. It always wakes us up and he does not do that when he doesn't want some attention. May be something else with your dog, but it is Hondo's way to communicate with us.

[Nancie & Gracie Doodle]

My Gracie Doodle is 70 lbs and 2 1/2 yrs. old. She is always running on hot and spends quite a bit of time panting. When we throw the ball she just keeps going and going and then when we get home I think she is going to have a heart attack. I don't think she would ever stop chasing the ball and probably would fall over if I didn't make the decision to stop. I can understand the panting after playing but she will just walk around the house panting...not all the time...but randomly. But when she is laying down and sleeping she is quiet as a mouse...except when she is chasing tennis balls in her sleep!!! Since we live in San Diego where it never gets really cold and we don't have snow, I have to assume she just pants because she gets hot.

[Frannie & Callie]

My vet has told me not to worry about it also. Callie is a pretty small doodle...she hovers right around 40lbs. It does make me feel a little better that other doods are panters too! I've let Callie's coat grow super long this winter (she looks so cute!), so she may be too warm inside the house (hadn't thought of that!). We're back in the 50s outside, so perhaps I should take her in for a trim! Nancie - I'm cracking up because Callie is the same as your Gracie Doodle...I'm working from home today and have been throwing a squeaky tennis ball down the stairs for an hour, over and over...Callie is panting her furry butt off but is completely unwilling to stop the game!