Even just typing the word yawn has made me yawn….
When Himself yawns (usually accompanied by all sorts of strange whines and grunts) it’s almost impossible not to join in – minus the extraneous noises of course. When you’re out with friends and one person yawns it doesn’t take long before there’s an unconscious competition of who yawns most.
It’s known as contagious yawning and it’s triggered involuntarily whenever we observe another person yawn. There’s even a special term for this sort of contagious copying behaviour: echophenomena. It’s triggered automatically by primitive reflexes in our brains.
A recent study showed that our ability to resist yawning when someone else near us yawns is limited. And our urge to yawn is increased if we are instructed to resist yawning. But, no matter how hard we try to stifle a yawn, it might change how we yawn but it won’t alter our propensity to yawn. The researchers also discovered that the urge to yawn – our propensity for contagious yawning – is individual to each one of us.
And it’s not just humans who have a propensity for contagious yawning – chimpanzees and dogs do it too.
So why do we yawn? It may, of course, be because we are tired, but we may also yawn when we’re embarrassed, or frustrated – times when we need or want to be more alert. Yawning helps us take in more oxygen.
Dogs may yawn because they are tired, too. But they also yawn at other times:
– Stress can cause yawning. Typically, uncertain or worried dogs do a “shallow” yawn, where their teeth remain hidden.
– Dogs who feel threatened will do a “wide” yawn, showing all their pearly-white weaponry – this can be a low-level threat, or it can also show arousal.
– Dogs who yawn during training may be stressed, under pressure, or confused.
– Dogs also yawn in happy anticipation. Gus will yawn, usually accompanied by a particular “oww-wow” noise, when he’s excited to be going to do some training, or go for a walk.
Watch your dog to see when they yawn and try and work out why.
And if you want some fun, try yawning at your dog. They are likely to join in!
Keep training
Carol