Head Pressing in Dogs: A New Trick or an Emergency?

Surely your dog pressing their head into corners or against objects sounds harmless enough?

It is one of the things that might come across as funny, quirky or weird. Or maybe it can make you think your dog is pouting. What would you think of it if your dog started doing that?

Head Pressing in Dogs: A New Trick or an Emergency?
Photo Baxter Boo

Compulsive pressing head against a wall or objects without an apparent reason is an emergency.

Head pressing indicates damage to the nervous system. Yep, that serious.

What kind of damage? The kind which needs immediate veterinary attention.

Potential causes include:

  • tumors
  • metabolic disorders
  • infection of the nervous system
  • toxicity
  • head trauma

Toxicity can be from exposure to a poison, such as lead, or toxic accumulation of toxins in the body from liver damage or liver shunt.

Accompanying symptoms can include:

  • balance issues
  • compulsive pacing
  • circling
  • impaired reflexes
  • disorientation
  • vision problems
  • and seizures
Head Pressing in Dogs: A New Trick or an Emergency?
Photo dogheirs.com

If your dog starts doing this, be on your way to a vet.

You can observe other symptoms along with head pressing, such as pacing, circling, seizures, vision problems, poor reflexes …

If you found this article because your dog is doing this, drop everything and go.

Related articles:
Circling in Dogs: Why Is My Dog Walking in Circles?

Further reading:
Pressing the Head Against Objects in Dogs

Categories: Emergencies • Head pressing • Symptoms

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Jana Rade

I am a graphic designer, dog health advocate, writer, and author. Jasmine, the Rottweiler of my life, was the largest female from her litter. We thought we were getting a healthy dog. Getting a puppy from a backyard breeder was our first mistake. Countless veterinary visits without a diagnosis or useful treatment later, I realized that I had to take Jasmine's health care in my own hands. I learned the hard way that merely seeing a vet is not always enough. There is more to finding a good vet than finding the closest clinic down the street. And, sadly, there is more to advocating for your dog's health than visiting a veterinarian. It should be enough, but it often is not. With Jasmine, it took five years to get a diagnosis. Unfortunately, other problems had snowballed for that in the meantime. Jasmine's health challenges became a crash course in understanding dog health issues and how to go about getting a proper diagnosis and treatment. I had to learn, and I had to learn fast. Helping others through my challenges and experience has become my mission and Jasmine's legacy. I now try to help people how to recognize and understand signs of illness in their dogs, how to work with their veterinarian, and when to seek a second opinion. My goal is to save others the steep curve of having to learn things the hard way as I did. That is the mission behind my blog and behind my writing. That is why I wrote Symptoms to Watch for in Your Dog, which has turned out being an award-winning guide to dog owners. What I'm trying to share encompasses 20 years of experience.

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