Dog Laughter and Smiles. They Really Do Have a Sense of Humor 🙂
Have you ever noticed your dog laughing at you when you’ve done something goofy? Have you ever noticed dogs playing together and laughing in the joy of good fun? Well guess what, science now agrees that dog laughter and dog smiles are very real things!
The Research
The late researcher, Patricia Simonet, was considered to be the expert on dog laughter. She described dog laughter as a “forced breathy exhalation through the mouth”, which she first observed in her own dogs at play. She demonstrated that this laughing sound is actually different from a pant. Laughs and pants have different sound frequency patterns. Of course, dogs at play make a variety of sounds and use a wide variety of body language cues so they and their playmates are communicating the entire time.
Dog Laughter Can Relieve Stress
One dog laughing is apparently good for other dogs as well. When Patricia Simonet played laughing dog sounds to other dogs, their response was positive. When playing the laughter track to individual dogs, those subjects responded by picking up toys and play-bowing to the computer or the observers. Simonet then took this study to stressed shelter dogs. Upon hearing dogs laughing, the shelter dogs calmed down and began to show more social behaviors. So in dogs and humans, laughter can be good for you.
Dog Smiles
Dogs also smile. This is a relaxed open mouth facial expression, the lips are pulled widely back, the upper teeth do not show, though the lower teeth may or may not show. Try not to smile back at this photo of my guy “Atticus”, grinning ear to ear. Click on the following links to read more. Enjoy the laughter!
http://thebark.com/content/laughing-dogs
http://www.dogster.com/lifestyle/do-dogs-laugh