Dog Laughter:

Ah, laughter. A chuckle here, a chortle there. As much as laughter is the best medicine for us humans, what you may not know however is that dogs have the ability to laugh as well.

While your dog's laughter may technically not be the same as ours since we base laughter on cognitive abilities such as identifying with someone else's situation or as a result of self-awareness to a situation, dog laughter is the sign of a playful, jovial dog. As for the definition of an essential dog laugh, it’s a forced exhalation through its mouth which is most likely produced when they play.

As for the sound of a dog laugh itself? Apparently it sounds similar to a normal pant. In fact, some experts have analyzed dog laughter further; the pant itself varies. The burst of frequencies, while varying in short to long frequencies, will result in a dog laugh. For instance, in a study by Simonet, Versteeg, and Storie, one hundred and twenty dogs in a county animal shelter were observed. Ranging from 4 months to 10 years, dogs were compared with and without exposure to a dog laugh recording. While a variety of stress behaviors were measured such as panting, growling, salivating, pacing, and barking, the study concluded that exposure to the dog laughing recording resulted in significantly reduced stress behaviors, increased tail wagging, and the display of playful behavior when play was initiated. Another conclusion was more frequent social behavior was a result of exposure to the dog laughter such as approaching and lip licking.

At The Dog Bowl, nothing is more important than your pets’ health and well being. For more information about dog laughter speak with your local veterinarian or dog trainer.