Dogs have remained the best friends of man since ages immemorial. Dogs of different breeds have acquainted themselves with the man and have learned the different emotional swing and switches of man. They can be happy, sad and grumpy, but do dogs laugh? Well, that question shall be the focus of our article.
Dogs study and know the mood of their owner and adjust their attitudes to match that of their owners and the environment.
Ironically, many dog owners do not know when their dogs laugh. Many things can make a dog laugh depending on the emotional prompting of the owner. Dogs do understand humor, and they react accordingly.
The ways a dog laughs can soothingly be likened to the same way a kid laughs. Tinkling a dog can prompt a form of laughter, though in the form of growling, which looks yawning to man.
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What Ways Can You Know That A Dog Laughs
There’re several ways dogs express their happiness or appreciation through laughter, or to react to what they perceived as humor.
Showing off their teeth, poking out of tongues, puffing of the face, and growling is all indications of dogs laughing. A relaxed, open-mouthed facial expression has been described as a way of laughter by dogs. This was adequately referred to as a kind of laughter contagion, which is usually a way dogs respond to human laughter.
Dogs are quick in assessing the social mood. They react appropriately. When a dog owner is passing through some phase of emotional distress, your usually playful dog will sense this. As a result, he may probably recoil to a sobering mood itself. The following are some possible ways of how dogs express laughter.
1. Closing Of Eyes And Poking Out Of The Tongue
Don’t be surprised when a dog reacts to your good gesture or humor by slightly closing one its eyes and poking out the tongue. This is nothing more than laughter.
2. Opening The Mouth Widely
At times, your dog may widely open its mouth, showing off almost the entire size of the tongue. When this happens, be sure that your dog is laughing so hard. This may be in response to a kind gesture or perceived humor.
3. Waging Of Tails
Your dog may slightly wag the tail slowly and gently. This is only a sign of comprehension of what you have just said. Such an action, most of the times is not accompanied by the opening of the mouth. But when a dog rhythmically wags the tail accompanied with either the opening of the mouth or poking of the tongue, be sure it is jocular laughter.
4. Playing Around In A Gymnastic-like Pattern
Have you ever noticed a dog engulfed in a real gymnastic sort of gyration? This is a form of uncontrolled expression of pleasure and total celebration with untamed laughter. This form of wild display is akin to human’s expression of an overwhelmed situation.
An example of such a situation is when a loved one or friend makes an unexpected joke. A man displays his reaction and emotion by reeling out loud or thunderous laughter. This is often accompanied sometimes with clapping of the hand, banging on the table or kicking whatever objects in sight. Now, your canine friend does the same; only this time in a particular way it knows how.
5. Self-initiated Laughs
Dogs can prompt a situation to cause them to laugh. When a dog is in the mood for some amusement and laugh, she may quietly cause a scene. She may snap off one leg of your slippers and try to run away, and wait for your reaction.
Attempts to go after them as they run away are the fun she wanted. Do you ever notice the opening of her mouth and the poking of the tongue? That is the laughter of pleasure and satisfaction. This is like saying “I got the fun I wanted.”
6. Do A Taunting Game To Find Out
Do you still doubt if dogs do laugh? Next time try taunting a dog with a piece of her delicacy by snapping it out of her reach when she was about to pick it. Continue with this taunting game for a while at each attempt she makes. Then after several failed attempts, the dog may slightly rise up her head and let out a funny howl.
This is not giving up in frustration, but a sign of laughter is indicating she enjoys the game. Just the way the kids do. But remember that a taunting game of this nature is not safe with The Bloodhound as well as the Basset Hound, or the Bulldog. These breeds hate taunting games, and they don’t appreciate desperate jokes. BE WARNED.
7. Dogs Laugh When They Play Amongst Themselves
Do dogs laugh? The surely do! Watching two dogs playing and entertaining themselves will convince you that dogs do laugh. When two dogs engage in the playful game of ‘bite-me-I-bite-you,’ you will understand they do laugh. You see them biting each other while rolling on the floor.
(Watch it! This is not a fight, but a playful exercise.) As the game continues, one of the two dogs may deliberately opt to bite her partner harder than the rule of the game. As the hurt let out a growl, the victim may run away and stop at a distance, looking back at the victim. Try watching the beamy grin on her face.
What Makes Dogs Laugh?
Many insignificant things that humans can’t care understand thrill dogs the same way kids laugh at some none-decipherable things. Meanwhile, many human actions trigger laughter in dogs as well. Take a look at some of them.
- Good gesture from the dog owner. Dogs are very appreciative in nature. They pay back any good gesture with a friendly smile or laughter.
- Stanley Coren said that the fun nature of dogs reflects their young minds. He called this neoteny or juvenilization. I perceive the same syndrome in kids.
- As we have already mentioned, there are specific human-induced actions can make a dog laugh. Continual tickling a dog under the chin or below the neck is a soothing romance that dogs enjoy. This exercise triggers dogs to laugh.
- Dogs always enjoy real good time with kids. Dogs laugh more with kids.
Which Dog Breeds Laugh Most?
It will not be entirely out of place to arrive at a conclusion that the most kind-hearted, humorous and the most playful breeds will rank higher in the scale of laughing dogs.
In this case, the English Springer Spaniel, the Golden Retriever, the Irish Setter, the Airedale, and the Poodle will rank higher than other breeds.
Which Dog Breeds Rarely Or Don’t Laugh?
The Bloodhound, the Basset Hound, and the Bulldog stay atop of this category.
Conclusion
Dogs laugh, and they laugh loud. If you want your dog to laugh loud, treat her well, and she will laugh back at you.
As a pet owner, all you need to know is the signals and try to share in his glorious moments.
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