What Does It Mean When A Dog Yawns

Something also referred to as a calming signal.

What does it mean when a dog yawns. Dog yawning is an important part of canine communication. It s a dog s way of saying that he feels threatened or anxious but that he is not going to attack. Some scientists also think dogs yawn because they have seen or heard other dogs or people yawning. They might be trying to calm a troubling situation.

Dogs cannot tell us when they are feeling under the weather so changes in behavior are often one of the first signs of dogs who are in pain or experiencing some type of discomfort. When it comes to dogs not all yawns are the same. Dogs yawn when they are tired just like humans but they also yawn when they are anxious or stressed. It is a simple means to communicate canine intent.

It used to be thought that yawning was a way to. Coren explains that dog yawns are not only signals to humans of stress but can be a form of communication between dogs as well. In fact yawning is usually triggered. Canine yawns occur for a lot of different reasons.

Dogs yawn to deflect a threat. Dog yawning behavior can be due to medical problems ranging from the mouth down to the digestive tract. Aside from that the reasons for yawning are not fully understood in dogs or in humans. Yawning is a type of appeasement gesture.

Your furry family member might simply be tired. A yawn may indicate anticipation or stress too. In addition to serving these more familiar purposes dogs also yawn during times of anxiety insecurity excitement indifference and as a calming signal to other dogs dr. The dog might also be confused stressed or anxious.

Sometimes dogs yawn in anticipation of something enjoyable such as a walk this is a way of controlling his enthusiasm. Other times dogs will yawn to convey that they mean no harm and are willing to submit to authority be it canine or human. Your dog may yawn repeatedly when he s waiting in the vet s office as a way of dealing with nervousness. It s a very natural response to being tired.

There have been studies that show that sometimes a passive dog will yawn in response to an aggressive dog which causes the aggressive dog to break off the interaction says coren. If a person or another animal approaches a dog that dog may avert his gaze and yawn.