Do You Think Dogs Smile?

Some characteristics of dogs give rise to the most disparate theories. Many concern their special way of communicating with their master. It is a fact that has nothing to do with people’s naïve desire to humanize their dog. Undoubtedly, many dog ​​gestures are reminiscent of human ones, especially their facial expressions. Let’s talk about one of these today, to  know, once and for all, if the dogs smile. 

Surely you have thought several times that the dog smiles,  perhaps because he is restless or because his eyes are happy and his mouth is slightly open. It mostly happens when you come home, or have taken him for a walk or played with him. It is simply a brain response to an emotion the animal is experiencing. But is it really a smile?

The body language of dogs is extremely complex, as in all social mammals for that matter. It is a means they use to communicate various things. For example,  showing your teeth  is a signal with many meanings and you have to observe body language as a whole to understand what it is trying to tell you. For this reason, the smile is not based only on uncovering the teeth. You have to contextualize this gesture by observing the entire movement of the dog’s body, how it holds its ears, if it growls, etc., so as not to misunderstand the message it tries to convey to you.

When it is an aggression

If your dog has not been trained to suppress barking, it is natural for him to bark  warning you that he is alert or defensive. This  behavior could lead to aggression. Unfortunately not everyone is able to recognize this gesture, let’s think of children for example, and not infrequently this unawareness has bitter consequences. In general, showing teeth, whether in canids or felines or in the case of other predatory mammals, is linked to an aggressive attitude. They show their teeth as a sign of threat to get us away from their objects or their territory.

You can recognize an intimidating attitude on the part of the dog  because his body is tense, his hair on end, his tail raised, his ears lowered, he retracts slightly, while simultaneously showing his canines and wrinkling the skin of his nose. It is an obvious sign of aggression, accompanied by the characteristic growl.

This is how a dog gives a warning. The safest thing you can do is get away as soon as possible. Look for a place to shelter, don’t look it straight in the eye and wait for the animal to calm down or leave. If the dog has such an attitude, do not try to touch or catch it, unless you are an expert, it is very likely, in fact, that it will result in aggression. Do not run to avoid arousing its predatory instinct.

When it is worrying

It is often the case that dog owners believe that the dog is smiling at them, but it is a grimace due to an acute moment of fatigue or it can be a symptom of impending heat stroke. What many interpret as a big smile is a gesture due to an excessive effort that the dog makes to be able to breathe. If you notice that your dog has lost gaze or that the tongue turns purple (provided it is not a dog of a breed that has a tongue of this color), you must help him immediately otherwise he could go into shock or have a cardiac-respiratory arrest.

When he smiles instead

You know the dog’s expression perfectly when you return. His gaze relaxes, his eyes light up and he looks at you with his head held high, wags his tail, his mouth is slightly open and he has a cheerful and attentive attitude. At  times, if the level of excitement is high, barking.

It is very important, rather than observing the dog’s mouth, to study and analyze the attitude  as a whole. Dogs transmit many messages through body language: it is the best way available to them to convey emotions. Even dogs can interpret your moods by  observing your behavior. They are extremely sensitive to your voice and your energy in general. Interact with your dog, observe him carefully and you will see that he smiles at you with his whole body.