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Sirius, my Newfoundland, likes to play a game with me. The moment I sit down to eat, she asks me to take her outside to potty. When she has my attention, she will run back over to the table instead of to the back door and puts her chin up next to my plate.
Sirius doesn’t try to take the food, even though she could! She seems to find it hilarious that she could be naughty but isn’t and then, of course, enjoys a romp outside with me as my dinner gets cold. Is this game, and some of her other antics, a joke she is playing on me?
Some great minds, including 19th-century naturalist Charles Darwin, have pondered the question: Do our dogs share our sense of humor? We might not be the only ones laughing!
The Best Medicine?
It doesn’t take much time around dogs to realize the positive impact canine companions have on our moods and world outlook. Most dogs seem to radiate joy, and their companionship makes us less lonely.
The big bonus is that having a dog around results in a lot of unexpected hilarity. Dogs have huge personalities, and the more bonded you and your dog are, the more likely it is that you’ll both develop more than a few inside “jokes”—behaviors your dog does that you think are hilarious.
If you have ever watched dogs playing, you might think they make a noise that sounds like they are laughing, and you’d be right! During play, dogs produce a vocalization that can be understood as laughter.
This laughing vocalization is characterized as exhaling in a breathy way through their mouth. It is believed that this is part of how dogs communicate with each other about play, such as when they are trying to initiate a chase game or are play-bowing.
And some research suggests that, as in humans, laughter is good for dogs. A classic study led by researcher Patricia Simonet explored the impact the sound of dogs laughing had on other dogs at a Spokane shelter. The researchers played a recording of dog-play vocalizations
that featured the laughing sound. The scientists concluded that dog laughter could reduce stress behaviors among shelter dogs and even support dogs in initiating pro-social behaviors.
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