Yawns Are Contagious in Dogs, Too

Have you ever wondered just how similar we humans are to our furry canine friends? Scientists have just discovered that yawns are contagious in dogs too, especially when it's the owner doing the yawning. Apparently it is an emotional connection between the dog and owner that causes it, which is why dogs are more likely to take after their owners and join in when the owner yawns.

There's a good reason why dogs are known as "Man's best friend," they are the most similar animals to humans in so many ways that many of us believe rightfully so that "dogs are people too" and they should be treated alike. Finally there is even more evidence of that bond between our two species, as they follow us in everything we do, even yawning. We all already knew that dogs were highly attuned to their owners and could sense emotions, but it is still very incredible that they are almost identical to humans in many ways.

We've all experienced the phenomenon of contagious yawning, where our friend or family yawns and we can't help but join in. Who would've thought that what we considered to be a uniquely human trait such as contagious yawning would cross over into dogs? However, according to a new Japanese study of over twenty dogs, about half of them yawned when their owners yawned. Even more interesting was the fact that certain breeds yawned more often and more reliably. In fact, those breeds considered most empathetic with their owners, such as German shepherds and Labs were more likely to follow their owner and yawn contagiously. This study shows that statistically a dog is about as likely to yawn with their owner as is a fellow human being, which indicates that they probably understand us emotionally at least as well as we understand each other.

Now you can learn more about how dogs yawning contagiously reveals just how closely connected emotionally they are with their best friends, us people. Please click the link below to the abcNEWS website for the full article on this amazing puppy phenomenon!