How do I know if my dog is smiling at me? A Complete Guide

Smiling isnt the only sign your dog is trying to give to let you know that hes having an awesome moment. You can also determine your dogs mood based on her tail wag. “A broad wag is friendly,” according to Psychology Today, and is a sign that your dog is pleased, “especially if the tail seems to drag the hips with it,” the articled explained.

It might take a little more discernment to figure out whether your dog is actually happy when hes smiling, but it will be worth it when you figure out the exact combination that means hes a happy camper!

You should be able to tell if your dog is happy from a few key signs, but he might not show you by smiling, though that is one possible indication. “A smile, with lips curled up” could be a way that your dog is telling you that theyre happy, dog behavior expert Victoria Stilwel told The Huffington Post. But really, you have to observe the dogs entire facial and body language to determine if hes in a good mood.

Since you cant rely on a dog to speak and tell you how happy they are, you have to pay attention to the subtle signs. Dr. Barrack said, “Open mouth panting should not be confused with smiling, as this could be a sign the dog is stressed or overheated.” Some dogs pant the majority of the time theyre outdoors, so youll want to keep an eye out if the temperature is warm or your dog is overexerting himself.

If youre not a dog owner, youll still want to be cognizant of a dogs smile and what it means if youre out and about. The Dodo reported that “misinterpreting the expression could end up in a bad canine encounter,” according to K.C. Theisen, director of pet care issues for the Humane Society of the United States. She explained, “A dog who has the open mouth, the tongue hanging out, and the wrinkly cheeks is not necessarily a smile in the way we think of a smile.” Of course, if you want to pet a dog, you should probably ask the owner first, to ensure that you havent misinterpreted his “smile.”

Do Dogs Smile at Other Dogs?

Sometimes, we smile at other people as a social ritual just to express friendliness. Domesticated dogs will do something similar, but they go beyond facial expressions. Dogs use their entire body posture to communicate a message to other dogs, such as “I’m friendly and just want to play,” or, “This is my owner; please keep your distance,” or, “Take one step closer and I’ll let you have it!”

Just as we can tell when people are giving us a “fake” smile, dogs can tell what messages are being conveyed by reading the body language of another dog.

Dogs don’t really mimic our smiles, but they may be triggered to smile more when they see us smiling. Most dogs really like the happy reaction they get when they please humans and quickly learn how to trigger that happy emotion. For some dogs, that includes smiling.

The phenomenon that causes a dog to smile when we smile at them is similar to “laughter contagion.” Just as one person laughing heartily can trigger another person to start laughing, a happy person that smiles can trigger a happy dog to smile back. Vice versa, a grinning dog can trigger an oxytocin release in humans and a happy response.

It is important to remember, however, that every dog is an individual and responds to varying situations differently; what may cause the smile reaction in one animal may not trigger it in another.

It has been suggested that dogs who smile learn it from humans. The action of smiling is very common among primates, including humans, and it is highly possible that dogs are copying us. This implies that dogs who smile have good social skills, which fits with my experience. I cannot think of a dog I have seen smile who is not social. Nor can I think of any dogs I’ve seen smile who were prone to arousal or getting out of control in play, greetings, or other social settings.

Karen B. London, Ph.D., is a Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist and Certified Professional Dog Trainer who specializes in working with dogs with serious behavioral issues, including aggression, and has also trained other animals including cats, birds, snakes, and insects. She writes the animal column for the Arizona Daily Sun and is an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at Northern Arizona University. She is the author of six books about training and behavior, including her most recent, Treat Everyone Like a Dog: How a Dog Trainer’s World View Can Improve Your Life.

One of my favorite consultations involved a family who was worried about how their beloved Golden Retriever was “showing his teeth” to their new baby. They feared that this behavior — which happened whenever they brought their daughter into the living room after a nap, when he first saw her each morning, and when they came home with her after an absence — was aggressive.

I recently discussed what animal behaviorists call “smiles” with Chelse Wagner, a certified behavior consultant and dog trainer at Dog’s Best Friend Training in Madison, WI. Wagner pointed out that while dogs displaying a smile tend to have loose bodies, they will often hold their ears back and keep their body lower to the ground; this can make them seem ambivalent or conflicted, rather than happy.

If dogs do indeed learn to smile from people, then that means they have a strong connection to us and are capable of mimicking our behavior. It also accounts for the smile’s vaguely awkward presentation — kind of like kids who are asked to smile for a photo but haven’t figure out how to do it naturally yet.

How To Tell If Your Dog’s Happy (It Has Nothing To Do With His Tail) | The Dodo

You’ve had a long, stressful day at work. You drive the same traffic-jammed route to Canine Campus. Thirty minutes later, you’re finally there. The supervisor brings your pup out and … there it is.

Eyes filled with pure joy, and those beautiful pearly whites getting closer as your dog comes toward you.

Suddenly, happiness washes over you and you feel the stress of the day leave your body. Your dog’s tail is wagging and it looks like he or she is smiling to see you.

But do dogs really smile? And if they do, does it really mean what humans mean when they smile?