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Quick — take a picture of your dog smiling before it disappears!
Your four-legged friend looks happy, but whenever you see their little smirk, you may wonder, if dogs can actually smile for real? And if so, why do dogs smile, anyway? It surely makes you happy to see your pet with a wide grin, whether it be at snack time or during a belly scratch, but youre not sure whether youre imagining it or if your dog is actually happy.
Heres the lowdown on dog smiling so you can know once and for all whether your pet is beaming at you with joy or whether their mouth just turns upward.
There are many reasons why you might see a dog smile. Maybe youve just returned home from a long day of work while your dogs been home alone. Maybe your dog hears the shake of their bag of food. Many people think their dog smiles widely when theyre in a car enjoying the feel and smell of the breeze.
But, just like humans, the reasons a dog may smile are subjective. What makes one person — or dog — smile is different from what will make another person or dog happy.
For many years, animal behaviorists largely agreed that animals werent smiling because they were experiencing joy, but instead because of a muscular reflex. Because of this, most people also believed that dogs didnt smile as a way of showing their emotions. That belief, however, has been challenged.
While there are new studies that indicate that some animals might be smiling to express emotion in the way that we perceive smiling, as humans, we need to adjust our mindset slightly when we question whether or not a dogs smile is real.
For example, if youre watching a movie and a character says something funny, youre likely to crack a smile or laugh. Dont expect the same from your pet. Your dog isnt smiling because they find something humorous. Instead, theyre smiling because they are calm and relaxed and, because of that, one could venture that your pet is happy.
Similarly, some dogs will appear to smile if they are showing submission to their human counterparts. This relates to the dog being in a relaxed muscular state.
We often marvel at how human our dogs can seem. They appear to mirror our behaviour and exhibit then same facial expressions and emotions that we feel, whether it’s happy or sad.
Dogs also seem to have fun and enjoy spending time with us. So, it makes sense that many dog owners ask if dogs can laugh or smile. Read on to find out the answer!
There is a lot of debate among animal behaviourists about this but most agree that no, dogs can’t laugh. At least not in the sense that humans can laugh.
However, dogs can make a sound that is similar to a laugh, which they typically do when they are playing. It’s caused by a breathy panting that’s forcefully exhaled. It’s considered to be a play-pant rather than a dog laugh and dogs use it to invite humans and other dogs to play. Several animal species have been observed to play-pant, including primates. Dog play-pants are combined with body language that invites you to play such as play bows, a paw reaching out to you or teasing jumps towards you with a relaxed demeanour.
Animal behaviourist Patricia Simonet at Sierra Nevada College recorded dogs making this play-pant sound and discovered that it had a broader range of frequencies than typical dog panting. She concluded that this meant it could be considered a type of dog laugh.
Simonet then played the dog laugh recordings to puppies and found that they became very active upon hearing the noises. The recordings also seemed to calm dogs in dog shelters.
Why Do Dogs Smile?
Most experts agree dogs smile in response to the human smile. Dogs seem to smile more when relaxing, playing, feeling content or greeting someone they know.
Dogs don’t smile in response to a joke, but they may smile in response to you. Usually, when a dog smiles it is known as a submissive grin. The dog’s posture is relaxed and teeth are exposed. It is important to note the exposure of teeth is not always a sign of aggression like some people may believe.
Most animal behaviorists see a canine smile as an adaptive facial expression and behavior with a range of functions and benefits. Dogs seem to display smiling as a social skill and expression of emotion. Humans reward smiling when we react, laugh, give treats, pet and clap. Dogs quickly learn there will be a positive reaction so will continue smiling in order to receive positive reinforcement.
Dogs Actually Can Smile
Dogs usually smile in response to when their humans smile! This is called a submissive grin and shows the person in charge, or that they are playing with that, they are relaxed and happy.
Yes, dogs can really smile. That grin you see on your dog’s face can be classified as a smile, but the reason it is there can vary depending on different situations.