How to Perform Dog CPR: Step-by-Step Guide

How do you know if your dog needs CPR?

Begin CPR when your dog is unresponsive and has no regular breathing. A dog that responds to you or is breathing regularly needs a different assessment; a dog struggling to breathe still needs urgent veterinary attention.

Approach only if the scene is safe. Call your dog’s name, touch them, and look for a response. Watch the chest for regular breathing. An occasional gasp does not establish that normal breathing has returned. Keep this assessment brief so it doesn’t postpone compressions in an unresponsive dog without regular breaths.

Cardiac arrest means effective circulation has stopped. Respiratory arrest means breathing has stopped. Owners may not be able to distinguish these reliably during a collapse, which is why the lay-rescuer decision centers on responsiveness and breathing rather than a prolonged search for a heartbeat.

Should you check your dog’s pulse first?

Don’t make finding a pulse a prerequisite for starting CPR. The 2024 RECOVER CPR treatment recommendations advise starting basic life support in an unresponsive, nonbreathing dog without first attempting to feel a femoral pulse in the inner thigh or a heartbeat through the chest. The newer prehospital guidance reinforces rapid initiation.

Consider this hypothetical situation: your dog suddenly collapses in the kitchen. You call their name and touch them, but they don’t respond. You see no regular breathing. You start to reach for the inner thigh to find a pulse, then move directly to chest compressions while another adult calls the emergency hospital. That is the decision to rehearse: recognize, call, compress, without waiting for certainty from a pulse check.

A collapse with continued breathing is also serious. Don’t assume that waking up or taking a few breaths means the emergency has passed. Tell the veterinarian what happened and follow their instructions for immediate evaluation.

For nonemergency preparation, our guide to dog coughing and related symptoms offers further reading about sounds you may want to describe to your veterinarian.

How do you perform CPR on a dog step by step?

Place the dog on a firm surface, start chest compressions, and repeat 30 compressions followed by 2 rescue breaths. Compress at 100–120 per minute, allow the chest to return fully between pushes, and keep interruptions short.

The sequence below is for an owner providing CPR without a breathing tube. Veterinary teams use equipment and monitoring that can change how breaths and compressions are coordinated.

1. Call for help and position your dog

   Shout for another person. Have them call the emergency veterinary hospital and arrange transport while you begin CPR. If you’re alone and your phone is within reach, use speakerphone so your hands remain available. Don’t spend the initial moments typing messages.

   Lay most dogs on their side on a firm, stable surface. Use the chest-shape guidance in the next section to choose hand placement. Start promptly rather than spending time trying to create a perfect setup.

   A useful instruction to a helper is: “Call the emergency vet on speaker. Tell them our dog is unresponsive and not breathing regularly, and that CPR has started.” This shares the observations the team needs without requiring you to identify the cause.

2. Position your hands and upper body

   For a dog large enough for standard two-handed compressions, place one hand over the appropriate chest location and the other over it. Keep your elbows straight and your shoulders above your hands. Direct pressure through the heel of the lower hand. Small dogs may need a different hand arrangement.

   The Cornell Baker Institute CPR teaching poster illustrates this shoulder-over-hands posture. Its explanation is useful: compressions support blood flow, while breaths provide oxygen. Use the updated initiation and positioning guidance in this article when older teaching materials differ.

3. Give 30 chest compressions

   Push at 100–120 compressions per minute. For a dog lying on its side, compress the chest by approximately one-third to one-half of its width at the compression point. Let it return fully before the next push.

   That return is called recoil. Avoid keeping your weight pressed into the chest between compressions. Keep your hands in position while releasing pressure enough for the chest to regain its shape. Count aloud so you and anyone helping know when the breathing pause is approaching.

   The RECOVER basic life support evidence analysis supports this rate, side-position depth, and compression-to-breath ratio. Much of the supporting evidence is indirect or of low certainty; these are clinical recommendations, rather than proof that a particular technique guarantees survival.

4. Give 2 rescue breaths if safe

   After the 30 compressions, pause briefly to give 2 mouth-to-nose breaths:

   1. Keep the dog’s head and neck aligned with the spine.
   2. Gently hold the mouth closed.
   3. Seal your mouth over the nose.
   4. Exhale until you see the chest rise.
   5. Give the second breath, then immediately resume compressions.

   Use visible chest rise to guide each breath. Avoid forceful, repeated inflation. The American Red Cross pet CPR instructions describe the mouth-to-nose seal and chest-rise endpoint; the 2026 RECOVER guidance supplies the current head alignment and compressions-first sequence used here.

   

   If the chest doesn’t rise, don’t keep blowing harder. Briefly check alignment and the seal, and consider an obstruction. Avoid a blind finger sweep. Return to compressions promptly and follow the emergency veterinarian’s instructions.

   If mouth-to-nose breathing poses a personal risk, perform compression-only CPR. RECOVER identifies this as a safety alternative; it doesn’t establish that omitting breaths provides equivalent treatment in every type of arrest.

5. Repeat, reassess briefly, and coordinate help

   Continue cycles of 30 compressions and 2 breaths. The Red Cross advises brief reassessment every 2 minutes. Keep any interruption short, and don’t turn reassessment into a lengthy pulse search. If there is no clear return of regular breathing or responsiveness, continue the CPR sequence while help is arranged.

   If the dog becomes responsive or begins breathing regularly, stop compressions and reassess with the veterinarian. An isolated gasp is different from sustained regular breathing. The dog still needs emergency care after apparent recovery.

   Transport presents a practical problem: effective CPR may be difficult or impossible in a moving vehicle. Continue during transport only when rescuer and passenger safety permit. The driver must concentrate on driving. If you’re alone, explain that immediately to the emergency team so they can help coordinate the next step.

Where should you place your hands for different dogs?

Choose hand placement by chest shape and the technique you can use effectively, rather than by breed name alone. Most owners should begin with the dog on its side; small dogs may need one-handed or encircling techniques.

Conformation means body shape. A narrow, deep chest and a rounder chest transmit compression forces differently, so the recommended pressure point differs. A breed label can suggest a shape, but your individual dog’s chest is what matters.

These distinctions come from the RECOVER CPR recommendations. The recommendation for very wide-chested dogs includes starting on the side until the airway is secured with a breathing tube.

Small dogs: adjust the hand arrangement

An encircling technique uses the thumb on one side of the chest and fingers on the other to compress between them. A one-handed approach is another option when appropriate. The same attention to rate and full recoil still matters. Small size changes how you apply the compression, rather than removing the need for an effective compression.

Ask your veterinarian or a practical-course instructor to demonstrate which arrangement fits your dog. During a routine visit, you can identify landmarks gently; use a training manikin for actual compression practice. Don’t perform practice compressions or choking maneuvers on a healthy dog.

Wide-chested dogs: avoid an automatic back position

Some older charts show barrel-chested dogs on their backs. The 2024 RECOVER recommendation is more conditional, including side positioning initially until intubation—placement of a breathing tube. Back positioning should not be an automatic choice based only on a breed name.

Position also changes the depth recommendation. For appropriate back-position CPR, RECOVER recommends approximately one-quarter of the front-to-back chest depth. The one-third-to-one-half rule in this owner guide applies to a dog on its side. Mixing the depth from one position with another can create a misleading instruction.

For preparation, write down the hand placement your instructor demonstrates. A clear note about your dog’s chest shape is more useful than trying to memorize a long list of breed exceptions.

How can you help a choking dog at home?

Treat suspected choking as an immediate veterinary emergency. For a conscious dog that cannot move air effectively, current RECOVER guidance recommends up to 5 back blows first, provided you can intervene safely. If the dog becomes unconscious, begin chest compressions immediately.

Possible signs include pawing at the mouth, distress, weak or ineffective coughing, silent or squeaky attempts to breathe, and pale or blue gums or tongue. A dog may not show every sign. Other breathing emergencies can look similar, so no single sound proves that an object is blocking the airway.

The 2026 RECOVER choking evidence and recommendations explain both the urgency and the limits: animal-specific comparative evidence is sparse, and some recommendations rely on indirect evidence and expert judgment. No maneuver can be described as universally effective or harmless.

Conscious dog: begin with back blows

Have someone contact the emergency veterinarian while you act. If intervention is safe:

1. Support the dog so they won’t fall.
2. Locate the upper surface of the rear portion of the ribcage, beside the spine.
3. Deliver up to 5 firm back blows over that chest area.
4. Reassess whether the obstruction has cleared or breathing has improved.

RECOVER calls the target the caudodorsal thorax: “caudal” means nearer the tail, “dorsal” means toward the back, and “thorax” means chest. Strike beside the spine, not directly onto it. Don’t reach into the mouth of a conscious choking dog; a distressed animal can injure the rescuer.

If the blows fail, the guidance calls for an alternative maneuver, followed by further attempts as needed while the dog remains conscious. Options include supported head-lower positioning, chest thrusts, or abdominal thrusts, but suitability varies. Get live veterinary direction and use techniques you have been taught rather than assuming every option fits every dog.

What about the dog Heimlich maneuver for small dogs?

The “dog Heimlich maneuver” usually refers to abdominal thrusts intended to generate pressure that dislodges an object. RECOVER does not recommend abdominal thrusts as the universal second maneuver after back blows. The guideline specifically raises injury concerns for small animals and for differences in body shape.

That matters if you’re looking for a simple small-dog walkthrough. A fixed instruction to use a fist, squeeze with a certain force, or repeat a set thrust sequence can overstate what the veterinary guidance supports. Small dogs need careful support, and abdominal thrusts require particular caution. Ask for a demonstration during hands-on training and seek emergency veterinary direction during a real obstruction.

For a larger dog, size alone also doesn’t establish that abdominal thrusts are the best next option. Your access to the dog, their body shape, the risk to you, and whether they remain conscious all affect the response described by the guideline.

Unconscious choking dog: switch to compressions

If a choking dog loses consciousness, start chest compressions immediately. Don’t delay them for a blind finger sweep—a search through the mouth with a finger when you cannot see what you are removing. Continue the CPR sequence and follow the veterinarian’s instructions about checking for a visible obstruction during breathing pauses.

After assisted choking relief, the dog needs immediate veterinary evaluation, even if the object comes out and breathing appears normal. The obstruction and the rescue maneuvers can cause complications that need assessment.

For learning outside an emergency, our guide to reverse sneezing and similar sounds provides supplementary reading. Don’t use a familiar sound as reassurance when a dog is collapsing or unable to move air.

What happens after CPR starts working?

A return of breathing or responsiveness is a reason to reassess immediately and continue emergency veterinary care. CPR supports the dog during the crisis; apparent improvement doesn’t establish that the underlying problem has resolved.

Tell the receiving team what happened before the collapse, what you observed, whether choking or drowning was possible, and what aid you gave. Describe observations plainly: “She began breathing regularly,” or “He moved and responded to his name.” You don’t need to label the event medically.

Restored circulation and survival are different outcomes

A Japanese hospital study of RECOVER-based CPR compared 73 dogs treated using RECOVER guidance with 68 treated using traditional CPR. Circulation returned in 32 of 73 RECOVER-group dogs versus 12 of 68 traditional-group dogs. Survival to discharge was 4 of 73 versus 0 of 68.

This was a nonrandomized, single-hospital comparison involving professional care. It doesn’t establish an owner-performed CPR success rate or isolate the effect of one action. Its practical lesson is that return of spontaneous circulation—the heart restoring effective circulation—is an early outcome; continued veterinary treatment remains essential.

Save this dog CPR printable chart

Print or save the reference below for use alongside practical training. Add your emergency hospital’s number and ask your veterinarian to help identify your dog’s compression location before you need it.

Dog CPR: quick reference

This original quick reference summarizes the RECOVER recommendations and the Red Cross reassessment interval used above. It is a memory aid, not a substitute for instruction.

Use your browser’s print option to keep a paper copy or save this section as a PDF. Keep it where every caregiver can find it.

Before storing the reference, read the completed contact details aloud to another caregiver. Make sure they can find the same information without using your phone. A printed hospital name without a telephone number or a familiar route may leave another person searching at the moment you need them to call. Review the written reference with your household when contact details or caregiving arrangements change.

Prepare your household before an emergency

Prepare the people, the contact information, and the route to care. A useful emergency plan should still work when your usual helper is unavailable.

For broader preparation, our pet emergency supplies and transport checklist covers contacts, records, supplies, and household roles.

A short household rehearsal can focus on communication without touching the dog. One person says the hypothetical observations aloud; the other finds the hospital contact and states their assigned role. Then switch roles and consider what changes if only one caregiver is home. Keep actual compression practice for supervised work with a manikin. The purpose of this household rehearsal is to make the call, the location of the reference, and the division of responsibilities familiar.

Choose training that includes practice

Search for “pet CPR and first aid training near me,” then ask what the course actually includes. Useful questions are whether it uses current RECOVER guidance, offers supervised manikin practice, covers different chest shapes, and explains the change to compressions-first initiation for owner CPR.

The American Red Cross offers pet first aid instruction, and Cornell emphasizes learning practical skills with expert instruction. Confirm the format and content before enrolling; an online lesson and a supervised practical session provide different learning opportunities.

Bring your questions about your dog’s chest shape, small-dog hand arrangements, and safe rescue breathing to the instructor. Ask them to explain where older posters differ from the recommendations used in the course. When you return home, add the demonstrated hand placement to your reference and explain the household roles to anyone who was unable to attend. Reading and rehearsal can support preparation, while supervised practice gives you an opportunity to receive feedback on the physical skills.

Use this preparation checklist:

• Save the emergency hospital number and a backup.
• Print the CPR reference and add your dog’s demonstrated hand placement.
• Share the helper plan with everyone who cares for your dog.
• Ask your veterinarian to identify chest landmarks.
• Arrange supervised practice with a training manikin.
• Review where emergency information is kept whenever caregivers change.

Check items as you complete them during this visit, or mark them on your printed copy. Keep the written reference with the emergency information your caregivers already use.

Frequently asked questions

What is the dog CPR ratio of breaths to compressions?

For owner CPR without a breathing tube, give 2 breaths after every 30 compressions. It is usually written in compression-first order as 30:2. Resume compressions promptly after the breaths.

Can you do rescue breathing without chest compressions?

A confirmed breathing-only arrest with continuing circulation requires guidance suited to that situation. An owner should not delay CPR in an unresponsive dog without regular breathing while trying to establish that distinction. Contact the emergency veterinarian for direction.

What if I’m afraid compressions will hurt my dog?

That fear is understandable. Use the recognition criteria to guide you: CPR is for an unresponsive dog without regular breathing. When those signs are present, RECOVER recommends prompt compressions. Practical training can help you learn the pressure, placement, and recoil before facing an emergency.

Should I keep doing CPR until we reach the hospital?

Continue while it remains indicated and safe, coordinating with the emergency veterinarian. A passenger may sometimes be able to continue aid, especially with a small dog, but safe CPR during transport is not always practical. The driver must focus on driving.