Puppy Hero

Blog archive

Why Do Dogs Kick Their Legs When You Scratch Them?

It would be hard to find a dog in this world that doesn’t love belly rubs. But sometimes, when you’re giving your dog a belly rub or you’re in the middle of a good scratch session, she kicks her legs. There’s a scientific reason why your dog does this. Read on to find out more.

Why does my dog kick his back legs when I scratch him?

Dogs kick their legs when you scratch them because of something called the canine scratch reflex. It is an involuntary reaction that happens when you hit your dog’s sweet spot. The sweet spot contains a cluster of nerves that get activated when you rub your dog’s belly or scratch in the area. The nerves send a message to the spinal cord, which in turn makes the dog’s hind legs kick. It is essentially an involuntary response to remove a source of irritation.

Where is a dog’s sweet spot?

A dog’s sweet spot is under the skin on the tummy. All dogs have a sweet spot but the location can be slightly different in every dog. Rubbing or scratching the sweet spot causes your dog’s hind legs to shake or kick.

Do dogs like the scratch reflex?

The scratch reflex is an involuntary reflex that is designed to dislodge any irritation from a delicate part of the dog’s body. Most dogs like getting scratched and having their belly rubbed. As long as your dog is not showing any signs of discomfort or distress, you should not let the scratch reflex from stopping you from giving her a belly rub or scratch.

What are some other reasons dogs kick their legs?

Most of the time dogs kick their legs when you scratch their sweet spot. It is also common for dogs to kick their legs on the ground and kick up some dirt to mark their territory. Sometimes, dogs will kick their legs or twitch during active REM sleep – this type of jerking during sleep is more common in young dogs and senior dogs.

However, kicking of the legs can also be the sign of something more serious like muscle spasms, seizures, degenerative joint disease, or medial patellar luxation (the knee cap sliding out of place).

If your dog is eating and drinking normally and appears happy and healthy, then an occasional kicking of the legs is probably nothing to worry about. But if your dog kicks his legs frequently or has other symptoms, you should get him checked out by the vet to rule out any underlying health conditions.

18 January, 2023