I've noticed that Malu will shiver sometimes. When I first got him a couple weeks ago, it was pretty cold outside. I figured it was because he was cold and it still may be the case.

For example, today I was in the Kitchen (which is gated off to him) and he walked up to the gate and was shivering. I sat down at the table to eat. He then snuck behind me and peed on his bed (he sleeps in his crate, this is just an extra bed that he uses sometimes when I am working). I took him outside and he played and ran around a while. Its probably 45 or 50 degrees out and he wasn't shivering outside at all. So I'm kind of stumped.

I don't think he was shivering because he had to pee. He'd been out an hour or two before. There may not be an issue at all, I just was wondering if anyone else has experienced this. Oh, and he's about 11-1/2 weeks old.

Kwame is 10 weeks old and he shivers sometimes when he is going to sleep and also when we carry him out for a walk. He's usualy under my coat with a jumper on so i think he's shivering with excitment.

Dexter shivers every once in a while, too. It seems to be random and only momentary; I'm not sure, though.

Shivering can be a way of releasing tension and so does not necessarily mean that its because of the cold

My B does this occasionally as well.

Arwen shivers at the vets, so I know it is stress. She loves the vets, but the going in part, not so much.

Mojo shivers sometimes too. We think he does it to get attention. He will sit next to us with his sad puppy dog eyes and shivers, and after a few pets, he stops. Yup, he's got us trained real good!!!

My girl shivers when she is in the car and needs to go potty.

Ella will definitely shiver when she is nervous or stressed. She will also shiver as a sign when she has to go outside. She will also shiver when it is cold, but you can usually tell the difference.

Tucker must be super strange, in addition to all of his other quirks. He shivers all the time. He shivers when a stranger comes knocking. He shivers when it's cold. And he shivers when I come home and he's beside himself with excitement. So we have…stressful shivers, happy excited shivers and regular old cold shivers...

I don't think he was shivering because he had to pee. He'd been out an hour or two before. There may not be an issue at all, I just was wondering if anyone else has experienced this. Oh, and he's about 11-1/2 weeks old.

Our little Lewie will sometimes shiver when he needs to go out…. we are in the processes of bell training him but I have noted the shivering- especially when he just wakes up and tries to play or eat before going out.

Cairo shivers when he takes a car ride and when its around 45 or below just for a minute or two then he stops. I always put his coat on him when its a cold walk. Car ride is just excitement.

Shaye shivers if it's below 60! Sometimes she also shivers when very excited about something. Also if we are sitting and she wants to be on someone's lap, she will sit and look at us and shiver - we think it's because she thinks we'll hold her if we believe she's cold. They are pretty clever at manipulation. It always works, too. If we don't happen to notice her, she generally will just jump up and get comfortable on us of her own accord. Yes, we are furniture.

The only time Kipawa has shivered is when I was out walking him in the winter. Even though he had his coat on, he was still cold.

I notice Scarlett will shiver when she needs to go out and it's been a while, like in the morning.

Mine shiver anytime its below 80 & Callie shivers to get sympathy/attention. She has perfected the "Poor poor me I'm dieing to death" look and uses it indiscriminately to try to draw the attention and sympathies of suckers in the hopes of securing food/treats/pets/warm lap/whatever else you have that she wants.

I'm glad to see this thread as I was about to post about Ziggy's shivering. It doesn't seem to be related to cold, excitement, needing to pee/go out, or going on walks or riding in the car. There's nothing that I can tie it to, and if he's not asleep or eating, he's shivering. He's also 14 years old, so I'm wondering if this might be common in older Basenjis. Any ideas?

@ZenGrrrl:

I'm glad to see this thread as I was about to post about Ziggy's shivering. It doesn't seem to be related to cold, excitement, needing to pee/go out, or going on walks or riding in the car. There's nothing that I can tie it to, and if he's not asleep or eating, he's shivering. He's also 14 years old, so I'm wondering if this might be common in older Basenjis. Any ideas?

I do know it is common in dogs with kidney failure. All of my basenjis have their pj's on right now. We are currently experiencing a spring snow storm, so it's a bit chilly.

My Spencer started shivering about 14 or so. It didn't seem to be related to anything specific, so we thought it might be caused by arthritic pain. We started him on a light daily dose of pain meds, and the shivering stopped.

This may have nothing to do with your Ziggy, but if he's having arthritic issues (Spencer's x-rays showed arthritis), it might be causing him some discomfort. Love the old guys!

@ownedbyspencer:

My Spencer started shivering about 14 or so. It didn't seem to be related to anything specific, so we thought it might be caused by arthritic pain. We started him on a light daily dose of pain meds, and the shivering stopped.

This may have nothing to do with your Ziggy, but if he's having arthritic issues (Spencer's x-rays showed arthritis), it might be causing him some discomfort. Love the old guys!

I'll check into that. Thanks for the tip!