Measuring a Dog's Heart Rate

• 1). Direct your dog to lie down on her right side. Stroke her side gently until she seems completely relaxed.
  
  
• 2). Grasp your dog's left front leg and bend it at the knee.
  
  
• 3). Pull the left front leg toward your dog's tail until her elbow touches her chest.
  
  
• 4). Place two fingers or a stethoscope over the spot where your dog's elbow meets her chest. You should immediately be able to feel your dog's heartbeat.
  
  
• 5). Count each heartbeat while looking at the second hand of your watch or using a stopwatch to time your count. You can either count heartbeats for one full minute or count for six seconds then multiply your result by ten to get an approximate number of beats per minute.