You’ve had a long, stressful day at work. You drive the same traffic-jammed route to Canine Campus. Thirty minutes later, you’re finally there. The supervisor brings your pup out and … there it is.
Eyes filled with pure joy, and those beautiful pearly whites getting closer as your dog comes toward you.
Suddenly, happiness washes over you and you feel the stress of the day leave your body. Your dog’s tail is wagging and it looks like he or she is smiling to see you.
But do dogs really smile? And if they do, does it really mean what humans mean when they smile?
Do Dogs Have Emotions?
Before we can answer the question of whether dogs smile, we have to understand canine emotions.
Only a few years ago, the idea that dogs and other animals had emotions was laughable. But today, thanks to MRI technology, we know dogs DO have feelings. Most dog owners understand this intuitively. We now know dogs have corresponding parts of their brains to humans, meaning they do experience
Scientific research has shown dogs experience an increase in oxytocin levels when their people pet them. Oxytocin produces similar sensations in dogs as humans – suggesting they feel affection from and attachment to their people.
All this to say, yes, dogs experience emotions and show how they’re feeling in their body language.
Do Dogs Really Smile?
Dogs don’t necessarily smile the same way people do. The key to understanding a dog’s “smile” is to pay attention to the body language accompanying the smile.
If a dog is genuinely smiling, he or she will relax their posture and facial muscles. A submissive grin looks different than smiling and baring of teeth and tends to resemble the human smile.
But if your dog is aggressively baring his or her teeth, be careful. It might look like a smile, but is usually accompanied with raised neck or back fur, a stiff posture and growling.
Why Do Dogs Smile?
Most experts agree dogs smile in response to the human smile. Dogs seem to smile more when relaxing, playing, feeling content or greeting someone they know.
Dogs don’t smile in response to a joke, but they may smile in response to you. Usually, when a dog smiles it is known as a submissive grin. The dog’s posture is relaxed and teeth are exposed. It is important to note the exposure of teeth is not always a sign of aggression like some people may believe.
Most animal behaviorists see a canine smile as an adaptive facial expression and behavior with a range of functions and benefits. Dogs seem to display smiling as a social skill and expression of emotion. Humans reward smiling when we react, laugh, give treats, pet and clap. Dogs quickly learn there will be a positive reaction so will continue smiling in order to receive positive reinforcement.
Dog Body Language
When expressing joy or happiness toward one another, dogs will use their entire body to convey it. A dog’s happy face might look like our version of a smile. Plus, in the human world, smiling is contagious. So if a dog “smiles”, it is likely their person will smile back, thus reinforcing the body language.
Another canine phenomenon that may help explain “smiling” is neoteny. Neoteny is the preservation of puppy behaviors into adulthood. Emotional greeting behaviors, such as smiling, licking, jumping, tail wagging and vocalization are highly adaptive behaviors in dogs, especially when they are young. Afterall, who can keep from smiling in the face of a smiling, wagging puppy? With all the positive reinforcement, dogs will sustain their innate puppy behaviors into adulthood.
Final Thoughts
Dogs smile when they’re happy and excited. They will also loosely wag their tails, do a happy dance and have relaxed ears when greeting someone they know and like. Interpreting your dog’s reaction by focusing only on their facial expression is like reading a sentence and ignoring most of the words – you’ll never understand the whole meaning. For this reason, it is important you pay attention to your dog’s entire body language before trying to understand how he or she feels in certain situations.
One thing is certain – it is important to honor and respect the evolutionary love story between people and dogs. Each and every dog is a complex biological individual with their own emotions, intelligence, experience, personality and opinions.
Does your dog smile? How can you tell? Please share your experience in the comments below…
6 Strange Dog Behaviors Explained
Are Dogs Smarter Than Cats?
7 Ways to Tell Your Dog You Love Them
Beyond the Litter: Do Puppies Remember Their Siblings?
27 Facts About Dogs You Probably Don’t Know
My dog, Lucy, a Vizsla, absolutely smiles. My daughter was the one who pointed this out. You can see lucy smiling when: she wakes up in the mornings and anyone living in the house comes into contact with her for the first time that day and also when any of us come back from work. She does not show her teeth when smiling but both corners of her mouth go into an upward movement and you can see how two or three soft lines appear on the skin at the corners of her mouth. This smile looks exactly the same as a human smile in a situation in which we would gently snd politely smiled with a light nodding gesture (she doesn’t nod– just explaining the type of smile) in agreement with something we are hearing. Her eyes also smile when she does this thing with her mouth. Her eyes become a bit more closed and relaxed. When she does this she gives a submissive and grateful vibe. Oh Lucy! You are a human dog!
How sweet! Thank you for sharing about Lucy. Dogs are truly amazing! I really appreciate you visiting our blog!
My dog Benji definitely smiles, especially when we ask him if he wants a Scooby snack or when we tell him he is a good boy.we rescued him 5 months ago from a severely abusive family.he has become a very loving angel and is my sweet fur baby
Benji sounds very cute and I’m happy you were able to rescue him! Isn’t it wonderful when you can “read” your dog’s body language? Thanks for your comment!
I have never noticed it on other dogs ,but the dog we have now ,definitely smiles I never seen such a big smile on a
chihuahua before or any dog ,. He smiles when you tickle him .
Awww how cute! Thanks for stopping by the Canine Campus blog and leaving a comment!
My lurcher used to smile though if anyone visiting that had never see her do it they think she’s going to bite them lol
I say lol but if they had a fear or were anxious around dogs it wouldn’t be so funny.
She also smiled as an appeasement I think if we had come home to find she’d raided the fridge! She would leap on sofa and act like she was an abused dog, all trembling. Now I’m more aware of dog body language I now know it was not as amusing for her as we at the time thought it was. She was so loved and still think of her often 35 year later x
It’s so wonderful you were able to “read” Lurcher’s body language. I’m sure she knew how much you loved her. Thank you for stopping by the Canine Campus blog!
My Chihuahua mixed 10 years old Chinkwan definately smiles, especially when his favorite person (my son) visits him. He is 100 % content with his brother (that’s what I call him). They have a special connection…
That’s wonderful! Thanks for sharing about your Chihuahua’s special bond. Please come back to the Canine Campus blog soon!
My Bernese Mountain Dog Abbey has the absolute biggest smile ever! I’ve even had strangers comment to me on her hilarious smile. Abbey is the center of our family, the kids love her and sometimes there will be 2 or 3 of us at the same time giving her love and affection and she just wags her tail and smiles.
Awwww how sweet! What a great story! Thanks for sharing with us here at Canine Campus! Have a great day and enjoy your smiling Abbey!
I have two Australian shepherds and we decided to get a Border Aussie. My daughter noticed that Honey, our Border Aussie, would smile. Shows her teeth and everything. She does it in the mornings or when she hasn’t seen us in a few hours. Never knew dogs could smile like that. It so cute and hilarious at the same time. Our family and friends think we’re crazy but I finally got a picture of it!
Rachael,
Awwww how sweet! Aren’t dogs amazing? We’d love to see your picture! Feel free to upload it on our Facebook page – https://www.facebook.com/CanineCampusCO! We’d love to see your sweet pup SMILING!!! Thanks for sharing here on our blog – hope to see you back again soon!
I don’t think dogs smile or have emotions or actually love. It is an instinctive trick for no other reason than to force humans into giving them food. It is all a manipulative response towards gullible people.
Scientific studies have shown cat owners have higher IQs than dog owners. Going into the response section of dog sites I can see this is a proven fact.
Hi Cats Rule and Dogs Drool, there certainly a big debate about whether dogs or cats are smarter! For a more in-depth look at this age-old question, check out our blog post Are Dogs Smarter Than Cats? Of course, we love cats too and they are both smart – and loving – in their own ways! Thanks for stopping by and leaving your opinion! I hope to see you back again soon!
My chiweenie Bella is a rescue. She had terrible anxiety and was afraid of everyone and everything. But after 6 months of intense training and lots of love she smiles a lot especially if you rub her tummy. I can’t imagine life without her and her big smile.
What a heartwarming story! Thank you for sharing such a sweet message. Thank you for all the love and care you’ve given Bella! It sounds like you have been richly rewarded with the loyal love only a dog can give us. I hope you stop back by our blog again soon!
My fog Jesse is one of the sweetest, happiest dogs I’ve ever known. His biggest smiles are when someone comes home, when he’s finished playing with his friends or just getting loves from his humans. He definitely smiles with his whole face….open mouth, squinting eyes and of course his whole body wiggles. I strive to make sure he is always a happy boy!
Awwww that’s so sweet! I definitely agree dogs can smile – and it’s amazing when they do! Thanks for sharing about your dog Jesse on the Canine Campus blog!
My dog does a ‘grimace’ smile but only to me and my partner. It’s when he comes towards us and is usually followed by a whole lot of face licking! He runs at us, grimacing and wiggling his bum and we’ve always laughed and given him loads of love and positive reinforcement for it. It’s also how he greets us if we have been out of the house say, to do the shopping or something. (He comes with us to work and absolutely anywhere else we can take him)
I’m so glad I found this article because everything else online says he does it because he is uncomfortable 🙁 and it’s quite upset me. We absolutely love our baby boy and he gets nothing but love and praise. It really hurt to think he is uncomfortable now I don’t know what to think as he is the most important thing in our lives.
But I’m assuming if he does it along with excited but wiggling and loads of love then it can be a positive thing too?? Everywhere else only speaks of negatives. I always thought it was a positive, loving situation.
You know your dog better than anyone. Dogs do communicate with body language and that can include a grimace that communicates love and happiness! Thank you for sharing about your sweet pup and the special bond you share. I hope you’ll visit the Canine Campus blog again soon!