What To Do If Your Dog Is Choking and How To Prevent It

Choking is one of the scariest emergencies a pet parent can experience. The good news is that most choking incidents are completely preventable. With smart habits, thoughtful training, and a bit of preparation, you can dramatically reduce the chances of ever facing a true emergency.

This guide covers how to keep your dog safe, what to do if choking does happen, and why learning pet CPR and first aid is one of the best decisions you can make as a dog owner.

How To Prevent Choking in Dogs

Choose safe chew items

Many choking incidents start with unsafe chews. Avoid cooked bones, rawhide, small toys, or anything that splinters or breaks into large chunks. Choose durable, size-appropriate chews and supervise your dog while they have them. For me, personally, I never have stuffed toys around. Stuffing if swalled could be very dangerous.

Match your dog’s chew personality

Some dogs nibble gently. Others are power chewers who swallow pieces whole. If your dog gulps food or chews, switch to chews that cannot be broken into chunks. For meals, slow feeder bowls and puzzle feeders can slow down fast eaters.

Keep your environment safe

Socks, kids toys, hair ties, sticks, and food scraps are some of the most common choking hazards. Keep floors tidy, garbage secured, and countertops clear. It takes only a moment for a dog to grab something unsafe.

Monitor playtime

When you play fetch, make sure the ball is too large to fit fully into your dog’s throat. A compressed tennis ball can lodge in the airway. Choose oversized, sturdy toys that cannot collapse.

The Training Every Dog Needs: Leave It and Drop It

Two of the most important skills a dog can learn are Leave It and Drop It. These cues prevent countless emergencies and are essential for keeping your dog safe in the real world.

Leave It

This teaches your dog not to pick up something in the first place. It prevents swallowing hazards, garbage eating, grabbing toys that are too small, and picking up random items on walks. Leave It should be taught early and practiced often, both inside the home and outside.

Drop It

Drop It teaches your dog to release objects immediately. This is important for every dog but especially important for dogs who like to pick up sticks, balls, discarded food, or household items. A solid Drop It can stop a choking hazard before it becomes dangerous.

If your dog does not have these skills yet, start now. They are simple to teach, incredibly powerful, and can save your dog’s life long before you ever face an emergency.

If you need help teaching Drop it and Leave it, reach out to our Dog Training page today.

It could save your dogs life!

How To Tell If a Dog Is Choking

Common signs include:

• Gagging or retching

• Difficulty breathing

• Pawing at the mouth

• Panic or frantic behaviour

• Blue gums or tongue

• Inability to make sound

  
  

If you see these symptoms, act quickly!

What To Do If Your Dog Is Choking

1. Stay calm and approach safely

Dogs can feel our energy and freaking out will stress them out even more.

Also, good to know, a choking dog is scared and may bite unintentionally. Take a breath and move carefully.

2. Look inside the mouth

If it is safe, open your dog’s mouth and check for the obstruction. If you clearly see it and can gently remove it with your fingers, do so. Never blindly reach down the throat because you can push the object deeper.

3. Use the standing Heimlich-style method

If the object is not reachable:

• For medium and large dogs:Stand behind your dog. Wrap your arms around their waist. Make a fist and place it just below the ribcage. Give firm, quick upward thrusts.

  
  

• For small dogs:Hold your dog with their back against your chest. Place two fingers below the ribcage and push in and up with quick motions.

**These are general first-aid guidelines meant to help in an emergency, not a replacement for proper veterinary or first-aid training!

4. Get to a veterinarian immediately

Even if the object comes out, your dog should be examined. The throat can be irritated, swollen, or bruised after a choking episode.

Why Every Pet Parent Should Take a Pet CPR and First Aid Course

Preparation is powerful. A Pet CPR and First Aid course teaches you what to do in real emergencies, including choking, poisoning, bleeding, heatstroke, and more. More importantly, it helps you stay calm and think clearly.

There are affordable online courses that cost about the same as a bag of dog food. They take one to two hours and can give you skills that may one day save your dog’s life. Every pet parent should take one, and anyone who works with dogs should consider it essential training.

Final Thoughts

Choking is frightening but mostly preventable. With the right training, a safe environment, and awareness during play, you can greatly reduce the risk. Teach Leave It and Drop It early, choose safe toys, supervise chewing, and invest in basic pet CPR and first aid training. A little preparation goes a long way in keeping your dog safe and healthy.