The average respiratory rate — the number of breaths per minute — for a dog at rest is twenty-four breaths per minute. A normal range is ten to thirty breaths per minute. Rapid breathing — as distinguished from panting — or labored breathing can signal serious problems, including fever, pain, anxiety, heatstroke, and heart or lung disease. To estimate respiratory rate, watch your dog's chest rise and fall. Count the breaths for fifteen seconds and multiply by four to get the breaths per minute.