Why Do Dogs Yawn?

There is no doubt that a dog is really mans best friend. These adorable furry creatures are loving, loyal and never cease to provide their human family with endless joy and companionship. The pet will stick with you through thick and thin. Dogs are known to ape what their masters do. It is really quite amusing to see that a dog will empathize with the master even with yawning. A master coming in from the office very tired will yawn; the dog can be seen yawning too.

People yawn when they are bored, sleepy and fatigued. Interestingly, fetuses that are 12 weeks old are seen yawning. Yawning in dogs however, has no definitive reason. When we see our pets yawn we take it for granted that their reason for yawning is pretty much the same as the reason why we do.

Scientists have theorized that dogs yawn when they are bored. If you are an observant pet owner you will see at once that the pet is bored. Most often the dog will look at you with imploring eyes, yawn and then flop to the ground. The dog is telling you "come on, play with me"

A yawning dog with a tense and rigidly held body is a sign that the dog is nervous. This reaction is often seen in obedience classes where the dog is pressured. The dog wants to please the master but does not know how. If you are training your dog and you noticed him yawning, you better let up. Proceeding with the training will not have positive results anyway. Let the dog rest for a while and encourage with verbal praises.

Excitement is another reason why dogs yawn. Dogs in agility competitions are often noted yawning. This is the dogs way of coping with the excitement. A dog in the starting line is ready and raring to go to scale the obstacle. By yawning, the dog is preparing its body for the action. The deep breaths fill the lungs and boost the flow of oxygen to the brain. This also increases the heart rate. Really quite amazing how the dog will cope with situations such as this!

Commonly, dogs yawn because they are tired and sleepy. Yawning is precursor to sleeping. Dogs like cats sleep a lot so it will not be an extraordinary thing to see your pet yawning.

Studies have proven that yawning is contagious. If you yawn, somebody else will yawn too. Dog handlers have used the fact that yawning can energize, calm and relax a dog. By yawning, they can induce the pet to yawn too.

Find out more about why dogs yawn and many other interesting questions about dogs at Sarah's Dogs. Sarah's Dogs has profiles of most common and many rare breeds as well as answers to common questions on dog behaviour.

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