I'm at a loss with one of my dogs. 3 year old bitch with a perfect scissor bite, with the exception of some tooth stains normal tooth wear. I'll be taking in for her first true dental cleaning early next year which is pretty good for a toy dog even with regular brushing. This problem has shown up off and on for the last year but in the last month we can't seem to get through a training session without it cropping up.

I've had her skull X rayed last month and it showed no issues.

The issue comes when handing out treats and training rewards which is why this is such an important issue for me. We can go through a handful of zukes, chicken, jerky, cheese, etc while clicker loading and she's doing great. Then she takes a treat and gives me a shrill squeak like she's just been over corrected and immediately heads to avoidance, backing up eyes closed like something just knocked her back. X(

I check her mouth, I see no damage or wear spots, my vet has also checked for me and found nothing. So I'm at a bit of a loss on how to pursue this other than what I've done so far. I've never seen a problem like this so random so I'm wondering if maybe she's biting her tongue or cheek somehow? She has no trouble eating other things in normal meals like kibble, rmbs, or chewies.

Any ideas greatly appreciated.

Does it ever happen when she is eating a meal or only when eating treats? She could be biting her tongue or cheek, depending on fast she is going for the food. Can you try to change the delivey in some way? I know ideally we hold the treat between the thumb and palm, but perhaps presenting the food in a completely open, flat palm will make her take the treat differently and avoid pinching herself (if that is what happening...)

Also, has it happened with different treats or can you isolate it down to one or two? Maybe the hardest treats? It seems it would be hard to hurt herself with string cheese, small pieces of raw meat, etc...

I'll keep trying to brainstorm...

I have never seen it happen chewing toys, normal food, or things she's not suppose to have. It's by in large just when taking treats out of my hand. Doesn't matter the size as I've seen it happen with something as small as zukes or as large as a big greenie. I've also seen it happen with cheese, chicken, dog biscuits, and beef heart chunks.

She does have moderate food drive so she will happily try to take a treat which is why I'm so bothered that randomly I could be causing her pain.

I say moderate because she will willingly take and chomp down just about any dog appropriate treat and will cycle through her "tricks" to get it right. The want is there as well as the control as opposed to my lab who will tackle you and attempt to eat your entire hand off after a normal chunk of dog food.

I can try dropping treats on the floor tonight and see if it happens again.

Melissa a couple of things come to mind. First is her neck. Do you notice if it happens when she is extending her neck reaching for the treat?

The only other possibility I can think of is her ears, any chance of an ear infection; I'm not sure if it is the same with dogs but I was cursed with them as a child and it hurt to chew.

It's a good idea Sheila about her neck and ears.

I poked and flexed her neck to see if anything felt off. She was very willing to participate the little petting slut. So far nothing feels off or overly stiff.

I grabbed my scope and looked inside her ears. Nothing looks out of the normal but that doesn't mean there is not an inner ear infection. I'll follow up with my vet to see what he thinks since this occurrence seems to be increasing in frequency. When we were there last time he thought maybe she was just getting excited and biting her tongue because we really couldn't find anything that would indicate a cause.

The only other odd thing about her that comes to mind is that she does sleep in weird positions for a dog. I just thought she was a little different but maybe it's an indicator (or cause) of something else.