Do Dogs Smile?

• This article has been reviewed by a pet health professional. It is not a substitute for professional veterinary advice.

Dogs have expressive, adorable faces, whether flashing the infamous puppy dog eyes or sticking their tongues out. We grin at them to show our love, but are our dogs smiling back at us?

Based on the dictionary’s definition, yes, dogs do smile — but a dog’s smile does not have the same meaning as a human one. While we interpret this as happiness or cute behaviour, a dog’s “smile” is more often a sign of appeasement or fear.

Read on to learn what different dog smiles mean and how to encourage the right kind of smile in your dog.

What Is a Dog Smile?

By definition, many dogs smile. A dog’s grin is characterised by upturned corners of the mouth with either a closed mouth or showing teeth.

However, we may project our emotions to believe a dog “smiling” indicates happiness.

This is a common misinterpretation, says Dr Carley Faughn, a board-certified applied animal behaviourist at Best Friends Animal Society.

5 Reasons Your Dog Is Smiling

A dog’s smile isn’t as clear-cut as we believe. Our veterinarians and behaviourists detail a few reasons your pup loves to grin at you, including the following:

• They’re enjoying playtime with other dogs or their humans. “Consider your dog’s bared teeth as a goodwill gesture, almost like when humans smile at each other or laugh,” Simmonds says.
• They’re excited. Simmonds shares an example of when a pet parent asks their pup if they want to go for a walk, and the dog smiles in response.
• They’re showing they like to be petted. Simmonds says dogs may smile when being petted simply because this behaviour is pleasing and soothing, and they crave attention.
• They’re nervous. “If you look at videos or pictures of most ‘smiling’ dogs, you’ll often see that something in the environment is making them nervous—a new person, a camera in their face, [or] a person doing something strange,” says Mindy Waite, a certified dog behaviourist for Senior Tail Waggers.
• They’ve done something mischievous. Whether your dog has chewed up a pair of shoes or done something else naughty, they may show their teeth in a sheepish grin when you get home to appease you.

Additionally, studies have shown dogs are more expressive when making eye contact with someone, suggesting they are trying to communicate. Your dog might also mimic you when they smile to relate to you better.

How to Interpret a Dog’s Smile

Just like humans, the intention behind a smile varies. After all, humans don’t always smile when they’re happy — the same goes for dogs.

“Our dogs can’t speak to us verbally—as much as we wish they could—but they can through their body language,” says Becky Simmonds, a professional dog trainer and behaviourist at Breed Advisor. When we become attuned to our dog’s facial expressions, we can figure out if a dog is feeling truly happy rather than anxious or stressed.

Here is what some accompanying behaviors and context cues say about a dog’s “smile” and how they feel.

Smile + behavior	How a dog is feeling
Submission roll	Appeasement, friendship, or wanting to play
Bared teeth	Possible aggression but can also be simply a tooth grin
Narrowed eyes	Discomfort, stress, or assessing for safety
Ears back	Discomfort or anxiety
Mouth open with relaxed tongue	Happiness, friendly, or comfortable
“Small” body posture	Anxiety
Panting	Anxiety, temporary exhaustion, or heat reaction
Repeated Yawning	Stress or discomfort. Small chance of yawning because a human yawned

Teaching Dogs to Understand Our Smiles

Waite says pet parents can smile at their dog frequently since they’re used to the facial expression and have positive associations with it.

She recommends waiting to smile for a few minutes with dogs you’re just meeting or don’t know well. Here is a step-by-step guide on politely smiling back at dogs, particularly those you’re unfamiliar with:

1. 1. Take a seat on a chair.
   2. Put your hands on your lap or the chair’s arms instead of toward the dog’s face.
   3. Keep a neutral face, not showing teeth by grinning or smiling.
   4. Move normally (aka don’t stay stiff).
   5. Ignore the dog while they sniff you.
   6. When the dog voluntarily looks at you, smile gently.
   7. Add praise or treats when a dog responds with loose, wiggly body language.

Dogs can read our facial expressions, so we should be welcoming but, most importantly, respectful of every dog’s space, whether they’re strangers or our own.