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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 3, 2026

The Other End of the Leash: An Experimental Test to Analyze How Owners Interact with Their Pet Dogs
08:59

The Other End of the Leash: An Experimental Test to Analyze How Owners Interact with Their Pet Dogs

Published on: October 13, 2017

Dogs catch human yawns.

Ramiro M Joly-Mascheroni1, Atsushi Senju, Alex J Shepherd

  • 1School of Psychology, Birkbeck, University of London, Malet Street, London WC1E 7HX, UK.

Biology Letters
|August 7, 2008
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Human yawns can be contagious to domestic dogs, marking the first evidence of this phenomenon outside of primates. This suggests dogs may possess a basic form of empathy, potentially aiding dog-human communication.

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Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jul 3, 2026

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A Laboratory Method to Measure Contagious Yawning in Rats
06:49

A Laboratory Method to Measure Contagious Yawning in Rats

Published on: June 14, 2019

Area of Science:

  • Ethology
  • Animal Behavior
  • Interspecies Communication

Background:

  • Contagious yawning is a well-documented phenomenon in humans and other primates.
  • The evolutionary and social functions of contagious yawning are still under investigation.
  • Previous research has not explored yawn contagion between humans and domestic dogs.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate whether contagious yawning occurs between humans and domestic dogs (Canis familiaris).
  • To explore the potential implications of yawn contagion for interspecies empathy and communication.

Main Methods:

  • Twenty-nine domestic dogs were exposed to video or live stimuli of humans yawning.
  • Control stimuli involved humans making non-yawning mouth movements.
  • Dog responses, specifically yawning, were recorded and analyzed.

Main Results:

  • Twenty-one out of twenty-nine dogs (72%) exhibited contagious yawning in response to human yawns.
  • Control mouth movements did not elicit yawning in any of the dogs.
  • This demonstrates a statistically significant yawn contagion effect from humans to dogs.

Conclusions:

  • Human yawns are contagious to domestic dogs, extending this phenomenon beyond primates.
  • Canine contagious yawning suggests a capacity for rudimentary empathy and social awareness.
  • Yawn contagion may play a role in modulating arousal and facilitating dog-human interaction and communication.