5 ms·

So what does that look like in a dog? My family has a dog and she has a pretty nice life and is usually pretty happy, especially when upsidedown having a belly

So what does that look like in a dog? My family has a dog and she has a pretty nice life and is usually pretty happy, especially when upsidedown having a belly rub. Are her flailing legs and head and panting considered dog laughter?

joshschreuder 5y ago
My dogs growl and yip when wrestling with each other, I feel like this probably comes under the “non-aggressive vocalisation” mentioned in the article. Growling is obviously a well known sign of fear and aggression but I guess the context is important.
- niyaven 5y ago
  When playing dogs will indeed bark, growl and whines, but also produce a forced exhalation: that's their laugh. Other sounds can be produced in other contexts indeed, whereas this dog laughter is exclusive to play.
  - sgt101 5y ago
    Do you mean the "sorta sneeze" they do? I think mine do that when they think/want that we are going on a walk or into the garden to run about. It's a signal of "let's go adventuring". There's also the high pitched excited yip and then the tongue out wiggling walk thing as well both of which might be laughter I think.
    - throwawayForMe2 5y ago
      I read about the “sorta sneeze” as being a call for consensus for “let’s go”. When my dog did that as we were getting ready to go out, I tried making a similar sound back and the dog looked at me immediately like I finally said something she understood!
xapata 5y ago
Maybe wagging? Some dogs play-growl when playing tug.
niyaven 5y ago
This is an accurate recording of dog laughter: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nIj4WAP6BaI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nIj4WAP6BaI According to research[1] whispering while playing with your dog can initiate play more reliably. This is because our whisper is closer to the frequencies of their laugh. It is even more powerful than the play-bow. [1] https://www.petalk.org/LaughingDog.pdf https://www.petalk.org/LaughingDog.pdf

joshschreuder 5y ago

My dogs growl and yip when wrestling with each other, I feel like this probably comes under the “non-aggressive vocalisation” mentioned in the article. Growling is obviously a well known sign of fear and aggression but I guess the context is important.

niyaven 5y ago
When playing dogs will indeed bark, growl and whines, but also produce a forced exhalation: that's their laugh. Other sounds can be produced in other contexts indeed, whereas this dog laughter is exclusive to play.
- sgt101 5y ago
  Do you mean the "sorta sneeze" they do? I think mine do that when they think/want that we are going on a walk or into the garden to run about. It's a signal of "let's go adventuring". There's also the high pitched excited yip and then the tongue out wiggling walk thing as well both of which might be laughter I think.
  - throwawayForMe2 5y ago
    I read about the “sorta sneeze” as being a call for consensus for “let’s go”. When my dog did that as we were getting ready to go out, I tried making a similar sound back and the dog looked at me immediately like I finally said something she understood!

xapata 5y ago

Maybe wagging? Some dogs play-growl when playing tug.

niyaven 5y ago

This is an accurate recording of dog laughter: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nIj4WAP6BaI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nIj4WAP6BaI According to research[1] whispering while playing with your dog can initiate play more reliably. This is because our whisper is closer to the frequencies of their laugh. It is even more powerful than the play-bow. [1] https://www.petalk.org/LaughingDog.pdf https://www.petalk.org/LaughingDog.pdf