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Why is my dog's head slowly moving up and down for 30 minutes?

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Shih Tzu | Female | spayed | 5 years and 10 months old | 18 lbs

My dog has been putting her head up and down for about 30-45 minutes. She does it in a yes and no sort of movement, but its not fast at all.

1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

Sara Farmer, DVM

Answered By Sara Farmer, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on November 17th, 2019

If you can call Piper's name and she stops, and if she seems to be her normal self otherwise it's possible that she is having an idiopathic head tremor. The cause of the tremors is unknown but they occur in many breeds and usually are not harmful. If she has had any seizures, if she seems disoriented, or if she seems painful I'd recommend seeing your veterinarian.
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