How to Tell If Your Dog Is in Pain: A Body-Language Guide

Dogs can't tell us when something hurts, and instinct often drives them to hide it — a hangover from their ancestors, for whom showing weakness was dangerous. That's why pain in dogs, especially the slow, chronic kind, so often goes unnoticed until it's advanced. Learning to read the quiet signals is one of the most useful things you can do as an owner. Here's how to tell when your dog is hurting.

Why dogs hide pain

A dog rarely yelps its way through chronic discomfort. Instead, it adapts — moving differently, doing less, and changing its behaviour in small ways. The result is that pain usually shows up as a pattern of subtle changes rather than one dramatic sign. The trick is noticing what's different from your dog's normal.

Changes in movement and posture

Often the first clues:

• Stiffness, limping, or favouring a leg, particularly after rest.
• Reluctance to jump, climb stairs, or get in the car.
• Slowing down on walks or tiring more quickly.
• A hunched back, tucked tail, or "praying" position (front end down, rear up), which can signal abdominal pain.
• Difficulty getting up or lying down, or shifting position a lot to get comfortable.
• Trembling or shaking without being cold.

Changes in behaviour

Pain changes how a dog acts as much as how it moves:

• Becoming withdrawn or clingy — wanting to hide away, or unusually needy.
• Irritability or aggression, especially when touched near a sore spot, or a normally gentle dog suddenly grumbling.
• Restlessness, pacing, or trouble settling.
• Loss of interest in play, walks, food or favourite activities.
• Changes in sleep — more, less, or disrupted.

The subtle physical signs

• Excessive licking or chewing at one area (a joint, paw or flank) — dogs often groom a painful spot.
• Panting when it isn't hot and they haven't exerted themselves.
• Changes in appetite or drinking.
• A change in facial expression — flattened ears, tension around the eyes and mouth, a "worried" look.
• Toileting changes, or pain when posturing to toilet.

Different kinds of pain look different

Sudden (acute) pain — from an injury, say — tends to be more obvious: a yelp, a held-up leg, clear distress. Slow, chronic pain — like arthritis or dental disease — is the sneaky one, creeping in as "just slowing down with age." Chronic pain is exactly the kind owners most often miss, and the kind most worth looking for in an older dog.

What to do if you think your dog is in pain

See your vet. Pain is a symptom, not a diagnosis, and the goal is to find and address the cause — whether that's joints, teeth, an injury or something internal. Two important cautions: never give your dog human pain medication (many, including common anti-inflammatories and paracetamol, are toxic to dogs), and don't force movement or poke at a sore area. Your vet can assess the cause, provide safe pain relief, and build a management plan.

It helps to arrive prepared: note when the signs appear, what makes them better or worse, and any changes in routine. A short video of the behaviour at home can be genuinely useful, since dogs often mask their symptoms in the clinic.

The bottom line

Dogs are stoic, so pain usually whispers rather than shouts — through stiffness, withdrawal, irritability, licking, panting, and a loss of interest in the things they love. Trust your instinct when your dog "just isn't themselves," look for the pattern, and let your vet find the cause. Catching pain early means more comfort, and more good years, for your dog.

This article is general information and isn't a substitute for veterinary advice. If you think your dog is in pain, please see your vet, and never give human pain medication.