Attacked when we sneeze
I thought Chelsea would grow out of it, but instead she seems to take it ever more seriously. A simple "atchoo" and she comes running from another room and jumps up and starts licking, if you don't let her jump up she barks and acts crazy for a minute. You can't fake it either- only a bonafide sneeze gets the reaction. But sometimes its a little disconcerting when you are having a sinus attack, holding a cup of coffee, or trying to ascend the stairs and suddenly you are attacked by a concerned (or aggravated ) OES. Is this a "sheepie-ism" or is Chelsea just weird? Up. |
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| YIPES!! I "might" get a look if I'm lucky, but nothing at all so dramatic. Must be nice to be so well looked after. |
| I would always get crazy barking from Newman when I sneezed or coughed. It was like he was concerned or something. |
| Mine does the same thing. If I sneeze he'll come running from where ever he his and jump up and lick my face pretty forcefully. He seems concerned but who knows what they are thinking. |
I get the OPPOSITE response! LOL! Abigail heads for the hills if I sneeze! I don't know if it's a lack of concern or a concern about her 'catching' something from me or she just plain doesn't like the sound of a sneeze! The others have no reaction at all. 
Cathy and the wigglebottoms |
| Wow - how do you deal with that kind of behavior? Let it go or tell them no after they've bounced on you for sneezing? |
| My dog, a wheaten terrier, will come running when i sneeze. Does anyone know why they do this? he looks so concerned |
| Mopsy goes crazy when I sneeze - but only to me not the rest of the family. You know that little breath you take when you start to sneeze? The ah in ahchoo? Well if she even hears that her head spins like the exorcist! |
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I can't help but laugh at this one, though I see how it could be dangerous if you were going up or down stairs, or driving or something.... If it is something that has been going on a while, I doubt you'll train it out now... so be careful! LOL I had a cat who did that though, her name was Mouse, she was a tiny white thing as a kitten hence the name, who grew to be a HUGE cat. She freaked out at many sounds, sneezing, coughing, a baby crying... just made her nuts. |
| I have a border collie that does the same thing. While trying to find out if anybody else on the internet had any info on dogs reacting to sneezes, I found this thread. But yeah, our Border Collie will come racing in from wherever she is if somebody sneezes. She's not fooled by any fake sneezes, she reacts immediately to the swift intake of air (the pre-sneeze) and seems very very concerned about it.
The only minor difference between ours and those reported here is that she doesn't lick our faces. But she looks very intently at us and jumps up and/or gets right up to your face and sniffs around. There's got to be a reason for this |
| Here's a Usenet thread from 1998 where people report the same behavior
http://groups-beta.google.com/group/rec ... c8e8b26ed/ priest wrote: Quick Question..... My Dog always jumps up on me and licks my face when i sneeze Just as I am trying to grab for a kleenex...or sometimes when I cough Leela Keshavan wrote: YES. Sneezing, Coughing , Speaking in an excited high pitched friendly way, Kissing my husband ( or his kissing me). Also - *any* dog like sounds (panting, whining, barking) that we attempt to make earn us the favor of a 50 pound lab puppy leaping up to pin us back on the couch - and lick off our faces. Pat Crean wrote: We just figure DomiNoe lived in the middle ages in a former life and believes it's his sworn duty to push our spirit back into our bodies whenever we sneeze <g> We've nearly exploded a few times stifling sneezes to avoid being bowled over by 75 pounds of dalmatian..... Shannon Larkin wrote: Guinness gets very worried when we sneeze. He'll wake up from a sound sleep, and find you, wherever you are in the house, and lick your face just to make sure you're okay. Then, he'll go back to sleep. The funny thing is that his own sneezes don't bother him at all. -Shannon |
| Add maggie to the list -- she flips out when anyone sneezes. She jumps, lunges and barks. It is kind of scary and hard to anticipate since sneezing can be so unexpected. |
| Yes, our dog Inga comes running from all over the house when either my husband or I sneeze, she looks you right in the face as if to say are you ok, she also gets upset if we stretch, she was a rescue, so we don't know much about her. Does anyone have a clue why she also reacts to stretching or raising arms above heads??? |
previous owner was arrested?!?  |
Guest wrote: previous owner was arrested?!? ROFLMAO!!!!!!!! Good one! When we stand up and stretch or put our arms up and so on we're making ourselves "big". If you every watch dogs just being dogs you've probably seen one get really "tall" trying to assert his (or her) dominance over another dog. Some dogs are very sensitive to this and may make themselves smaller in response to signal, yes, I "hear" you, and I am indeed submissive to you. Or it can be perceived as threatening and the dog is unsure how to respond. It depends. And some dogs have learned that you are probably just holding your hands up to protect some delectable snack from them so may have the opposite response and try to leap up. Or follow you around leaving drool marks. Trying to trip you. That kind of thing. I'm not naming names.  Kristine |
It is so funny, sometimes when we sneeze Charlie sneezes back! It has become a bit of a game now, to see if we can get him to sneeze at us. Gotta love these silly sheepies!  |
| Wow, this is an old thread, which explains why I never read it when it first was posted. We've had five sheepies, and four never really cared if we sneezed. One, Portage, would come right up in front of you, stare, whimper a little, and dance around in an uneasy fasion if you sneezed. He would not stop until you told him it was okay. Over time we just took to saying, "Sorry Portage" when we sneezed and that seemed to be enough to calm him/let him relax. I always wondered if he was worried our heads would explode or something. He never jumped or acted fearful. He just stared, fixated on our faces, looking very uneasy. He passed away two years ago this October. He was the sweetest dog ever. We still often say "Sorry Portage" after one of us sneezes, and it still brings a tear to my eye whenever it happens. |
| Kirby comes running from a different room when ever he hears a sneeze. It does not matter who sneezes, he comes running, and sticks his head in our face. In the car, comes from the back seat. Glad to hear he is not the only one. He is very concerned. |
WOW. I am glad to know I am not the only one with this problem! Every time I sneeze, Winnie comes running and lunges at me. (She does NOT do this when hubby sneezes, however  . This can be a problem because I have seasonal allergies and sneezes often are frequent. Have found that reassuring her that I am all right, and giving the Sheepie bum a good rub, will calm her down....a little..... |
WeLoveOurSheepies wrote: It is so funny, sometimes when we sneeze Charlie sneezes back! It has become a bit of a game now, to see if we can get him to sneeze at us. Gotta love these silly sheepies! Haha! I can imagine that Tedi used to start whining and licking and barking and everything when he was little but I've been training him out of it.. Still he comes asap when I sneeze but just sits and stares.. If I sneeze multiple times he goes back to his old behavior but one sneeze is fine for him for now  |
| I was able to teach our OTB lab Jake to sneeze when I was sneezing...it seemed to help. He would also do it for a fake sneeze. I was also able to teach Jake and Chauncey to lick their lips. Both of these " tricks " drove/drive hubby crazy. |
| Our Sheltie has always tried to "catch" our sneezes. After a lot of thought, our best guess is that they love the tastes and smells of what comes out when we sneeze (search for a slow motion video of someone sneezing to remember what that is). That's why fake sneezes don't get the same reaction. After our Rush successfully catches a sneeze, he looks very satisfied. I think we've caught him licking the air once or twice. He's so set on getting the full blow that he runs and jumps on us. I tense up now wherever I am if I feel a sneeze coming on... even at work! Weird but cute, I guess. |
| I have a collie and he does the same thing, in fact i just lost my temper with him as i sneezed and he jumped on the table and knocked over a mug of coffee. He goes crazy when i Sneeze, he can be outside and hear me sneeze and he will start running and barking. I dont understand it. |
| I sit here with blood running down my arm from a quick bounce off me and wondering if anyone has a solution to this problem. Tucker is such a good boy in all other ways, but when I sneeze he immediately jumps on me and he is a big boy. He will stop all other behaviors with a no, enough, leave it, down or whatever but even if he is far enough away from me (not often very far away) to get a command out-it doesn't stop him. |
I can't offer a solution, but if I sneeze near Ru I have to hold one arm out with my hand on his shoulder/ neck to protect myself, or just out in front of my face to stop him charging at me. Of course the other hand is covering my mouth  He goes straight for my nose, not biting, but he tries to punch me with his nose! It's like he's trying to punch that sneeze right back in there!  "OMGI'mgonnasneezeandRu'srighttherearrrrrrrghhhhhh-chooooooo!!" |
| I'm not 100% sure if this is it or not, but some people say that sneezing is a "mini seizure." My mom thinks the reason they sniff and lick you is because their senses can sense the seizure and are making sure you are okay. Seems accurate but I'm not sure. |
| Just in case you are still wondering or anyone else is brought to this page -found this answer from a dog trainer: "Fear of humans sneezing is common in dogs. The most likely explanation is that the sound of a sneeze resembles a signal that dogs use themselves. A human sneeze is similar to a snort, cough or a "tooth-snap" in a dog or a wolf. Snorts are relatively neutral sounds that usually signal that something else is about to happen. Coughs and tooth snaps, however, are specific sounds that are used to communicate threat and defence. I suspect that your dog is misinterpreting the sound of your sneeze as if it is a threat. Try to control the volume of your sneezing and keep your post-sneezing behaviour quiet and calm, and see if this makes a difference." |
Guest wrote: Just in case you are still wondering or anyone else is brought to this page -found this answer from a dog trainer: "Fear of humans sneezing is common in dogs. The most likely explanation is that the sound of a sneeze resembles a signal that dogs use themselves. A human sneeze is similar to a snort, cough or a "tooth-snap" in a dog or a wolf. Snorts are relatively neutral sounds that usually signal that something else is about to happen. Coughs and tooth snaps, however, are specific sounds that are used to communicate threat and defence. I suspect that your dog is misinterpreting the sound of your sneeze as if it is a threat. Try to control the volume of your sneezing and keep your post-sneezing behaviour quiet and calm, and see if this makes a difference." Thanks for sharing that! |
| Ditto!! Could explain Harry's reaction to sneezes here. Husband seems to take great joy in making as much noise as possible, poor Harry....tail tucked heading for cover. |
| Bo somehow can hear me if he is outside and I sneeze inside the house. He runs in to check on me! He also licks my face as if to make sure I'm okay. |
Oh how funny and now we know we're not alone! You wouldn't suspect it but I have really big LOUD sneezes and they come in at least 4-13 times in a row. The kind you could pass out from. Anyway, Foz has ALWAYS come running or jumps off couch, gets up whatever to come over and bark LOUDLY at me. I put my hand out to try to silence him but it doens't work. When Annie was around, she saw to it that she would get up when I sneezed and try to bit Foz. Only then did he stop. Annie was good for lots of reprimanding around our house  |
| My beautiful dog does exactly the same thing!! When anyone in the family sneezes she runs over & stands on your chest & licks your face!..... She is extremely worried about it.. She is definitely trying to protect us.we love it it's .. Kinda cute! |
| I never have had a dog that does it. I wonder what makes then do it or not. I'm guessing partly it's learned - as I have a multidog house, and as new ones always come in, they learn from the previous dogs in the house pack. Ours never even twitch or lift their heads when Todd or I sneeze. I'm a multiple-sneezer too - usually 2-3-4 sneezes in a row. |
| My Border terrier does this, if any of us sneeze, he comes running from wherever he is and jumps up and licks your face but there's no consoling him for around 5 minutes, so its a bit of a nightmare when anyones got a cold. He's always done it from being a puppy but I wish I knew what makes him like this, I almost feel guilty for sneezing lol, oh he doesn't like it when you inhale too quickly either so i'm also sorry for breathing lol |
| The arm movement might have been a prelude to abuse, so sad. Or they may have chased the dog about waving the arms and it frightened the dog. Long, slow process to undo psychological damage. Quote: Abigail heads for the hills if I sneeze! LOL! Harry has developed this lately as well. He will awaken from a sound sleep at sneeze sound and start to get up and move away. All I can do to assure him everything is OK. Woe if I have a second or third sneeze. They must be totally smothered. |
| I have a bit of a cold and today when I was sneezing Sprocket brought me the tissue box. Clever boy.x |
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| My Sheepdog is 17 months and when I sneeze he goes nuts! Only with me...not my husband. He comes running, barking and jumping. I have had 5 sheepdogs and this is the first one that does this???????? i don't know why |
| Since this thread started years ago, Harry has gotten worse when we sneeze. He now gets up and leaves us, goes off to hide. As a result we have to severely stifle each sneeze. The other night I let one go, thinking he was asleep, nope. He heard it, looked at me disgustingly and struggled to his feet and went to another room Are sneezes major dog insults? |
| So odd... I've had large multiples of dogs my entire life, since childhood...plus foster dogs...times five decades...so that is a LOT of dogs. I've never had one react at all to a sneeze. And Todd and I sneeze pretty loud and usually in multiples too. |
| You must do the "wrong" type of sneeze!!! Strange how some dogs react and some don't. Dougal,Sprocket's older brother takes no notice.x |
| It's just a sneeze, not the neighborhood deafening sneeze of our neighbor, no whistles, no flapping lips, just Ha-Chew. Something about the "chew" gets to him. I'm going to bust something trying to stifle sneezes. Oh well, he's a love and has lived far beyond what we expected. Good boy Harry, the guy on the right of the avatar. |
| we have a welsh terror and when I sneeze he come running and barks. If I sneeze more than once he starts to menace me and snapping his jaws. He has bitten me more than once for no apparent reason. He is almost 2 yrs old and at times is the sweetest dog in he world but has bitten me about 3 times, my one son 2 times and now just today bit my wife. We are at the end of the of the line and do not know what to do |
uppetybup wrote: Anyone else get attacked by a very concerned OES with barking and jumping and licking when you sneeze? I thought Chelsea would grow out of it, but instead she seems to take it ever more seriously. A simple "atchoo" and she comes running from another room and jumps up and starts licking, if you don't let her jump up she barks and acts crazy for a minute. You can't fake it either- only a bonafide sneeze gets the reaction. But sometimes its a little disconcerting when you are having a sinus attack, holding a cup of coffee, or trying to ascend the stairs and suddenly you are attacked by a concerned (or aggravated ) OES. Is this a "sheepie-ism" or is Chelsea just weird? Up. My Sheepie Morgan does the exact same thing....it does not matter where I am he will come running, I just tell him it's ok mommy just sneezed. This has happened since he was a pup. He is 3 now and still runs to me I repeat it's ok then he is fine.  |
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