Laughing Animal or Pet ?

[lualua23]

Is laughing or smiling applies only to HUMANS?

Is their any info on this > as has been in my head for a long time. Thanks

[Simeon]

Dalmations smile when they happy to see someone. What they actually do lift their top lips and expose their teeth. It can be mistaken for aggression to people who are not aware they smile but they are wagging their tail at the same time. I think any other dalmation owners would agree with me on this one.

[SaxyJag]

Awww - my cousin's dally does this, as does my border collie cross. We thought it was a one-off doggy thing - didn't realise it was 'normal' in dallies.

[swamp duck]

Our lab always smiles when we come in the house, in the same way as simeon describes.

[spangle111]

Cats smile by slowly closing their eyes - my cat will smile back if I do it to him

[Simeon]

spangle111, your cats not smiling at you he is thinking of ways to kill you.

[spangle111]

Quite possibly Simeon - Thats given me a whole new angle on things but I've also got 3 stffys so he'll have to get in line! lol

[spangle111]

Sorry - meant to type staffys!

[andy-hughes]

Animals do not 'smile, in the way that humans do. In dogs, and primates, the animal is drawing back its lips to show its teeth to a possible aggressor, and in the case of tail wagging, it is an assertion of territory. Because your dog knows you are th pack leader, he will take his display no further, if you were a strange dog, he would continue until shown some sign of submission.

In spite of our desries to see our animals as 'human' they are not, and no amount of anthropomorphication will make them so.

[Katie~77]

My Labrador smiles, and has done this since she was a tiny puppy.x

[drgnrdr]

Now I would agree with Andy if your dog was stiff legged and trying to look away or showing whites of the eye or any other "aggressive" signals dogs give off,

But if your dog comes up to you tail wag, ears back and head low (some move the head side to side depending how much their tail wags when they're doing this), most have their bodies curved slightly when they first start to do this, this is a submissive "grin". After dogs do this after a while they do it and we keep rewarding and praising it, they will keep doing it and their body will get more relaxed and less submissive, but still will do the submissive grin, for you. If they do this for you put a cue word like "smile" when they do so and then give them a treat, you can put it on cue and it is a great trick for you, I wish I could get my present dog to do it, but she does not submissive grin to me, but I have had dogs that do, and it was a crowd pleaser.

So if they do all the body signals/ calming signals of the grin then be happy they are grinning submissively. But, if they are stiff and head low and staring right in your eye or anything ( mentioned) or that looks like hair raised on back of neck or body then it's aggression.

These are just a few things submissive / aggressive dogs do, you need to look at the whole dog not just one part of it. I think dogs get happy depending on what they like, playing with a ball or frisbee or seeing you come home I think they are happy the pack is all together. Not sure about laughing, but if they can be happy why not also laugh about it? Research is still ongoing....

[Simeon]

Andy has just taken the magic out of this thread with his canine phscycological description but hey, the question was asked and Andy gave the answer.

I just have to say 'Carol Smiley' or 'Yul Grinner' to my dog and he smiles.

[rachel1978]

My Westie Barney never stops smilling