According to veterinary behaviorists, although we can swear our dogs will laugh out loud during tug-of-war, the actual laughter of dogs has yet to be confirmed by animal behaviorists. specified as other pronunciations such as growls and groans. Dr. Sally J. Foote. Dogs may make short panting “huh, huh” sounds and grunts when they play with toys or with other dogs while having fun.
“They are having fun. So you can take this as a joke in this situation. If not, they may need to gasp and have something in their mouth that makes a grunt,” says Dr. Foote.
Austrian zoologist and founder of modern ethology, Dr. Konrad Lorenz, dogs are said to exhibit smiles and laughter-like behavior when playing. In the book man meets doghe describes how dogs laugh based on his observations: a mouth wide open from ear to ear, followed by an excited gasp.
Do dogs have a sense of humour?
Do laughter-like sounds mean our furry friends have a sense of humour?
Dr Foote said: “Our dogs know what gets their attention and will combine play with mischief. They will also play pranks on each other to get dogs or cats to play. “There’s no proof, but I think dogs have a sense of humour.”
How do dogs laugh?
Smiling is more noticeable in some breeds like the Golden Retriever. Dr. Foote describes a smile as follows:
- The lips are redrawn with a relaxed face
- the upper teeth are covered
Many dog breeds will “smile” when their head is massaged or during petting. Be careful it’s not a growl, she warned, where her upper teeth were showing and her forehead furrowed.
Although accurately determining laughter in dogs is difficult, it is certain that they are very happy and can see funny things and can grin.
