[header] How to recognize kennel cough in dogs [title] Listen to your dog's cough. [step] The first and most obvious symptom of this condition is a cough. This cough starts suddenly, often overnight, and is a harsh, barking, hacking cough. 
Many owners phone a vet clinic and describe their pet as having " something stuck in his throat " because of the harsh, hacking, retching sound the dog makes. [substeps] This is no quiet cough, but a whole body movement where the dog extends his neck to straighten his airway and coughs so forcefully that his whole body shudders.