Why is it that most normal nosed dogs don’t snore, whereas most short nosed dogs do snore? Simply, most short faced dogs have a soft palate that extends too far down their throat, encroaching into the trachea (wind pipe). This is due to the fact that these breeds need to fit the same anatomy as a long nose dog into a much smaller space. This is because humans breed flat faced dogs for shorter noses, but not shorter soft palate length which has remained the same.
Although there are many other factors and considerations to talk about, this is the most obvious and concerning anatomical problem – elongated soft palates. It is not normal for dogs to snore. It is common for short faced dogs to snore because they have a problem, which leads to many other problems – some of which can be corrected, but some that can’t and will progress to worsening concerns.
For clients who say to us, “I thought, and have been told by my breeder, that snoring is normal for these guys, even at a very young age?.”
We reply: “If you have a young child, and at about 2-3 years of age they were snoring really loudly, would you go and get that checked out? Or do nothing because someone told you its normal?.”
Hence we recommend early intervention to actually avoid reaching the stage of secondary airway changes. Now, most dogs will not reach this stage, but you never know which ones will or won’t. Again the primary reason for early intervention is for most dogs to just live a much more comfortable life than they otherwise would have. The extra bonus is reducing the chance significantly of them becoming a really bad case.