My Dog Drools After Excitement

The sight of messy, sticky drool is nothing unusual for experienced dog owners, whether a little or a lot of it. Drool is just part of dog ownership territory. If your dog has a habit of salivating as a reaction to excitement, he's not an oddball, but rather a typical canine.

The vast majority of dogs drool in exciting situations, if not all of them. If you notice conspicuous saliva trickling out of your pet's mouth, he's in good company. Drooling is particularly common for dogs of certain breeds. Mastiffs, for example, are particularly big on drooling. If the idea of cleaning up slobber from your couch doesn't appeal to you, you might want to adopt a dog from a breed that isn't as drool-happy. Even then, it's important to remember that all canines generally drool, regardless of breed.

If your dog sees or experiences something exciting, then his drooling is likely a physiological reaction to the stimulus. Not only can thrilling situations bring upon this type of reaction, so can hunger, nervousness and even excessively hot conditions. Don't always assume that a drooling dog is necessarily excited, as a handful of different things can lead to salivation. When your dog drools, consider what might have caused it. If you rule out excitement, it might mean the room is too hot and you need to turn the air conditioning on. It might mean that he sees his carrier on the floor and associates it with routine veterinary visits.

Many things can trigger excited reactions in dogs -- and they go beyond playtime sessions. The sight of unfamiliar house guests can drive your pooch into a frenzy, for instance. Seeing another dog playing outside from the window can do the same. Smelling food is another possible trigger. If your dog drools when he spots you opening his can of beef, he might be experiencing an overwhelming combination of a revved up appetite and classic excitement.

If your dog's drooling is indeed caused by excitement and only that, you don't have to panic. If you want to minimize the mess it causes, you might want to put a bandanna on him, however. A bandanna can make a handy tool for rapidly and effectively wiping up your pet's sticky drooling face, according to veterinarian Lowell J. Ackerman and Arden Moore, authors of "Happy Dog: How Busy People Care for Their Dogs." Never make presumptions about your pet's drooling, though, especially if you notice that it seems to have increased in intensity. Excessive drooling can sometimes point to medical issues in dogs, such as the ingestion of toxic substances or perhaps even dental woes. Take your dog to the veterinarian immediately if you think that his drooling is a sign of a health problem.