Bonobo Chimpanzee Fear Grin * Human Smile and Grimace * Dalmatian Agonistic Pucker
Humans are the only species that smiles.
Other apes do not smile, nor do dogs smile. Apes “fear grin” and dogs bare their teeth in “agonistic puckers” and “submissive grins.” Humans are entirely unique in all of the animal kingdom by expressing ease, pleasure and amusement by raising the corners of our mouth and exposing our teeth.
Even so, the human smile is believed to have evolved out of the grimace. The most that can be said towards the commonality of smile-like behavior among humans, apes, and dogs is that baring the teeth is sometimes used to influence the attitude of the viewer during an uneasy greeting. Whereas humans are often genuinely confident and cheerful in this display, ascribing a happy and sure attitude on to animals that are baring their teeth is an ignorant and deluded form of anthropomorphism.
The Grimace, Fear-Grin, or Smile
The silent bared-teeth grimace with corners of the lips drawn back, is general to monkeys and apes when expressing fear or intending to appease. Grimaces or grins are made routinely by lower-ranking adults or juveniles towards a dominant individual, male or female. When monkeys grimace at a dominant it resembles nothing so much as a human ingratiating smile.
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It should be noted in relation to the smile or grin that the social contexts and purposes of seemingly familiar facial displays among monkeys and apes can be quite different from those in human societies (Preuschoft & van Hoff 1995). Functional adaptations during the course of evolution may have created different forms, uses, and contexts for any given display even if the displays in question may be homologous (ultimately deriving from shared ancestors).
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In rhesus macaques, the bared-teeth display is almost always made only from subordinate to dominant individuals as a signal of submission (de Waal & Luttrell 1985). Emphasizing the proximate level of explanation, there are questions about the degrees of intentionality that the use of this signal could reflect. If it is first-order intentionality then the signaller wants to influence the actions of the other, to reduce the likelihood of aggression. If it is second-order intentionality these subordinate monkeys are sending a message to dominants that they accept their lower status (Maestripieri 1996); perhaps we could even say, with intention to modify their attitudes. From a functional point of view, the bared-teeth display is an expressive appeasement signal, it effectively reduces the risk of attack and there is little more to add.—Developing a Social Psychology of Monkeys and Apes by John K. Chadwick-Jones 1998
Notice how the anthropologist is careful to dissuade the reader from attributing human motivations to ape behavior. We should follow this advice when examining canid behavior as well. In general, dog owners are horrible readers of canine body language and signaling; they all too often impute human motivations on to their dogs such as duplicity, contempt, or the desire to subjugate their humans by establishing a higher status in the “pack.” This nonsense only leads to trouble.
Thus we shall limit our discussions of canine behavior and emotion to commonalities that we can substantiate instead of assume so as to not inject false meaning. It is not anthropomorphism to discuss emotions and behaviors that are common to both dogs and humans, as we are not imparting human-only traits on to dogs, but we must be careful to not be overly generous in assuming that commonality.
Dog behaviors that can are colloquially referred to as smiles can be broadly grouped into three categories: the submissive grin, the greeting grin, and the agonistic pucker.
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The Submissive Grin
A dog and wolf display submissive grins toward the more confident animals. (Handleman 2008)
The submissive grin is a behavior in which a canid retracts the lips horizontally revealing their teeth. It represents passive submission, is a distance reducing submissive signal, and is intended to pacify or appease the response of an approaching animal. The following several passages are from Canine Behavior: Insights and Answers by Dr. Bonnie V. Beaver, the Executive Director of the American College of Veterinary Behaviorists and President of the AVMA.
Distance-Reducing (Submissive) Signals
Body signs that tend to decrease a threat or encourage an approach are classified as distance-reducing, or submissive, signals. Showing submission helps stop or attenuate aggression or punishment by a more dominant dog, (Hart 1978) and puppies quickly learn the usefulness of these signals as appeasement gestures (Shepherd 2002). It represents an effort by a lower ranking animal to attain a harmonic social integration and assumes that the higher ranking individual will respond appropriately (Clutton-Brock 1981, Schnekel 1967). This type of communication can be broadly divided into three categories: passive submission, active submission, and play (Beaver 1981, Beaver 1994, Fox 1972).
These signals are highly analogous to the appeasement gestures in apes referenced above. The submissive grin falls in the category of passive submission.
Passive Submission
The body signals of passive submission are derived from postures the young adopt when being cleaned by their mother (Schenkel 1967). These signals range from the very subtle to the very extreme (Fox 1972). At the subtle end of the scale is the simplest of responses–that of avoiding direct eye contact. Progressively more obvious signs may follow in any order. The dog will tend to lower the ears back against the neck, and the head will be lowered as the neck is lowered and extended forward or twisted sideways. The lowered years, head, and neck for submission must be carefully interpreted to be consistent with other body signs because of the similarity with signals used by aggressive dogs. The tongue can flick in and out, or the more dominant animal may be licked in greeting (Fox 1977, Simpson 1997). A submissive grin, with its horizontal retraction of the lips, may be observed (Fox 1977). If the submissive dog is touched, it will hold completely still.
The tail is held lower, often between the legs, as an indicator of fear or submission. It may be wagged there. Tail wagging has been equated with a human’s smile and can be used as an index of emotionality (Kiley-Worthington 1976). Motion in the tail should be viewed cautiously though. The flagging of dominance, while stiffer, more upright, and more rigid, is still easily confused with the wagging of submission.
So here we have a renowned canine behaviorists pointing out that the dog’s tail, not its lips, are a more appropriate signal of emotionality to compare with the complexity of the human smile and that the submissive grin is a signal of submission not of joy.
The mimic grin is associated with passive submission in dogs.
It is important to note that submissive postures are often associated with fear. In addition to the tendency to shrink in size, dogs may also tremble, freeze in place, or run away. There are physiologic changes of stress that can include increased salivary cortisol levels (Beerda 1998).
A few dogs that are passively submissive will show the “mimic grin” facial expression (left, Beaver 1981). The expression is easily confused with an aggressive one because of the bared teeth, but with the mimic grin, all other body signals indicate submission. Although some authors feel the mimic grin is a learned behavior (Fox 1972), it is most likely an inherited submissive behavior, as it is common in certain bloodlines in both purebred and mixed-ancestry dogs.
The “mimic grin” mentioned here is the very same submissive grin we’ve been discussing and given the behavioral context for its use it is highly correlated with the fear grin we see in apes. While this form of grinning is not overtly aggressive, we must remember that fear is a real component in canine submissive behaviors and that fear can lead to fear-biting. The failure of a human to read the increasing distress of a timid dog during an encounter can lead to a bite:
The person’s presence becomes more threatening instead of less so, and the dog increases its submissive response or avoidance to the maximum extent. Eventually, the perception of threat can become so great that a warning fear-bite may occur as an attempt to stop the progression of events.
This is why it is so critical that we do not confuse a signal of fear and anxiety with confidence and joy by calling it a “smile” the way we’d most often interpret that word in human encounters.
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The Greeting Grin
A similar but distinct canid behavior is the Greeting Grin which is distinguished from the Mimic or Submissive Grin by lacking the display of teeth. Because of this, the Greeting Grin is rarely misinterpreted by laymen as a canine “smile.” The Greeting Grin is a form of active submission by the dog.
The canine “greeting grin.” A signal of active submission.
Active Submission
Individual dogs use active submission significantly more often than passive submission. This behavior pattern is derived from the puppy’s initial begging for milk and food, olfactory investigation, and receiving anogenital licking from the mother (Clutton-Brock 1981, Kiley-Worthington 1976, Schnekel 1967).
The most distinguishing characteristic of active submission is the approach of the dog to a person or other dog. The approach is usually accompanied initially by the head and tail held high as the dog bounds forward. Tail wagging is common when a dog greets a social peer or superior (Kiley-Worthington 1976).
Once the dog has reached its goal, it will show one or more signs of passive submission: diverted eyes, lowered head, immobile response to touch, submissive urination. Shortly after acknowledgment, the dog may bound around again.
The “greeting grin” is associated with active submission (left) (Beaver 1981, Fox 1972). This facial expression resembles a human smile, with the corners of the mouth pulled back (Fox 1972). It is seen only in human-dog interactions, not in dog-dog ones (Fox 1976).
Because this display represents more confidence in the dog–whereas the submissive grin suggests little–this behavior is known to progress in intensity and positivity into a more playful and happy countenance: the play face.
The “play face” expression is an intensification of the greeting grin (Fox 1972, Fox 1977). The ears are erect and forward, anatomy permitting, and panting may occur. At the same time, the tail is often high and wagging while the front is in the play bow (Fox 1972).
This is the most appropriate behavior that humans should associate with “smiling” in dogs. Note that the mouth is open but the lips are not retracted in a way to bare the front teeth, the whisker pad is relaxed, the brow is not furrowed, the ears are active and forward, and the tail is engaged. The dog is not sending mixed signals and is truly at ease and inviting positive interactions without fear. By its effect, the play face is a distance reducing behavior (come play with me!). This behavior is often coupled with the “play bow.”
The “Play Face” is a very distinct behavior in dogs from the submissive smile. It represents ease and happiness in the animal, instead of anxiety, and is an active and happy behavior. (Handleman 2008)
The above “grins” belong to the distance-decreasing set of behaviors where the dog either actively or passively eases an approach by another dog or human that is the dominant actor. There is, however, another behavior that is related in expression which is used instead to increase the distance of the approaching or approached actor.
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The Agonistic Pucker
This behavior falls in the dominant, aggressive, and agonistic type of signals.
Agonistic:
In the case of canine interactions “agonistic” is most often used to refer to aggressive behavior but can also include behaviors related to dominance displays, submission, and defensiveness.According to the University of Wisconsin, primate glossary, agonistic refers to:
A range of fighting or competitive behaviors between members of the same species, including attack, threat, appeasement/conciliation, or retreat/flight; regarding aggressive encounters including offensive attacks as well as defensive fighting. (Handleman 2008)
This display, although it can often be expressed in much the same way as a submissive grin is correctly called a “snarl” in lay-speak.
Agonistic Pucker:
The technical term for an offensive warning snarl.
During an agonistic pucker, the canid’s lips are drawn away from the teeth exposing the incisors and canine teeth; the skin above and to the sides of the nasal plane (nose pad) wrinkles; the corners of the mouth are drawn forward shortening the commissures; the tongue may be drawn back in preparation for a bite, or it may protrude to create a combination of an agonistic pucker with a tongue flick/distancing signal. (Handleman 2008)
The agonistic pucker displayed by three dogs. (Handleman 2008)
Direct eye contact, with eyelids wide open—the stare—is the most subtle of threats but one generally recognized among dogs. Its use effectively settles disputes between most dogs, minimizing the need for escalation of the confrontation and reducing the potential for life-threatening injuries.
The mouth shows the next signals when the lips are pulled back at the corners and eventually retracted vertically into a snarl (bared teeth) (Fox 1977). The aggressive gape also shows teeth, but adds a partially open mouth (Fox 1970). The head, neck, and ears are elevated during the initial phases of distance-increasing communication, but as the threat becomes more intense, they may be lowered.52 This is to protect the throat and ear pinnas during an actual attack. This lowered position can resemble the posture of passive submission, but each leads to a very different next step.
Behaviors and emotions are complex and stochastic, they are not always deterministic and unique and monotonic. What appears to be the same behavior can be sending different messages depending on the context and combination of other signals. Dogs can and do send mixed signals. The first lesson we need to learn, however is that we can and should not anthropomorphise our dog’s behaviors because we think they look like something we understand more clearly in human behavior.
In the next post I’ll examine why learning the root cause and motivation behind certain behaviors like the submissive smile are crucial to understanding the serious side of canine behavior; namely, when it goes wrong and they bite.
REFERENCES:
Beaver BV: Friendly communication by the dog. Vet Med Small Anim Clin 1981; 76(5):647.
Beaver BV: The Veterinarian’s Encyclopedia of Animal Behavior. Ames: Iowa State University Press, 1994.
Beaver BV: Canine Behavior: Insights and Answers 2nd Ed, Saunders Elsevier, 2009.
Beerda B, Schilder MBH, van Hooff JARAM, et al: Behavioural, saliva, cortisol, and heart rate responses to different types of stimuli in dogs. Appl Anim Beh Sci 1998; 58 (3-4):365.
Burghardt Jr. WF: The use of prospective behavioral markers in prediction of later learning and performance in military working dogs. Newsl Am Vet Soc Anim Behav 1997; 19(2):9.
Chadwick-Jones, JK. Developing a social psychology of monkeys and apes. East Sussex, UK: Psychology Press, 1998.
Clutton-Brock J: Domesticated Animals from Early Times. Austin: University of Texas Press, 1981.
de Waal, F.B.M. and Luttrell, L.M. 1985. The formal hierarchy of rhesus monkeys: an
investigation of the bared teeth display. Amer. J. Primatol. 9: 73-85.
Fox MW: A comparative study of the development of facial expressions in canids; wolf, coyote and foxes. Behavior 1970; 36:49.
Fox MW: Understanding Your Dog. New York: Coward, McCann and Geoghegan Inc, 1972.
Fox MW: Inter-species interaction differences in play actions in canids. Appl Anim Ethol 1976; 2(2):181.
Fox MW, Cohen JA: Canid communication. In Sebeok TA (ed): How Animals Communicate. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1977, p. 728.
Handleman, B. Canine Behavior: A Photo Illustrated Handbook. Wolf and Word Press, 2008.
Hart BL: Anthropomorphism: Two perspectives. Canine Pract 1978; 5(3):12.
Kiley-Worthington M: The tail movements of ungulates, canids and felids with particular reference to their causation and function as displays. Behavior 1976; LVI(1-2):69.
Maestripieri, D. Primate cognition and the bared-teeth display: a reevaluation of the concept of formal dominance. Journal of Comparative Psychology, 110: 402-405, 1996.
Preuschoft S, van Hoof (1995) Homologizing primate facialdisplays: a critical review of methods. Folia Primatol 65:121–137
Schenkel R: Submission: Its features and functions in the wolf and dog. Am Zool 1967; 7:319.
Shepherd K: Development of behaviour, social behaviour and communication in dogs. In Horwitz DF, Mills DS, Heath S (eds): BSAVA Manual of Canine and Feline Behavioural Medicine. Quedgeley, Gloucester, England: Brit Small Anim Vet Assoc, 2002, p.8.
Simpson BS: Canine communication. Vet Clin North Am [Small Anim Pract] 1997; 27(3):445.
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Hi Christopher,
I’ve had bully breeds all my life (over 40 years). My bulldogges are/were all so good natured and easy going. Also, bully breeds tend to have heavy lips/flews, so it’s hard to see their teeth even if they’re trying to snarl.
Then I got a Chihuahua. His behavior was so different, at times it really puzzled me. Much more primitive and “dog” like. Your article cleared up something that had always puzzled me about his behavior—his showing his teeth but turning his head away and avoiding eye contact while I clipped his nails. I always thought it was a sort of ambivalent aggression, even though he never attempted to bite me. Now I see it was a submissive grin. Makes me feel better!
BTW, he did have a happy “grin”. His mouth would be soft, with the edges turned up, mouth closed. Eyes half shut, sleepy, ears up but relaxed. He would do this when he was content, especially while being petted.
With Bully Breeds you can also get a good look at their Whisker Beds for clues to their agonistic puckers.
If I knew how to post a picture here, I think I have one of my Chihuahua “smiling”.
You can upload your image to any online image uploading service like imageshack and use their HTML embed code after you do.
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Can’t resist noting that humans don’t wag their tails, either.
A smile is not one thing in people. Shy, flirtatious, malicious, tolerant, sly, mocking, and submissive smiles can be distinguished. There can’t be a one to one correspondence between dogs and humans, cause dogs brains are different from ours, as are their facial structure and musculature.
For my money, the play face is pretty much a smile. There’s another open mouthed, often tongue lolling expression that my Labs make when they’re not interacting (ie, old dog enjoying lying in the sun on a nice day) that’s pretty smile like. Come to think of it, there’s also a molars-not-fangs expression that they sometimes do when looking you in the eye that is pretty smile-like. It seems to convey “please”. Then there’s the spaced out, “I’m in Heaven” look they get when chewing a bone.
In sum, there’s not an exact correspondence between dog and human expressions, and you can get bitten by treating a snarl as a happy face. But dogs do have relaxed, cheerful expressions somewhat like the sincere, positive sort of human smiles.
My language here is very specific. I’m not speaking in metaphors (like “he smiled with his eyes,” or “she had a smile in her heart.”). In no way do I imply that dogs don’t feel joy or express it. The fundamental issue is cutting through the lazy language which calls too many things “smiles” in both humans and dogs, as you’ve pointed out the nature of the expression is not one thing and can be very very different things. The evolution of the human smile shows this… a grimace and a joyful signal.
This is the thesis: Dogs do not express ease, pleasure and amusement by raising the corners of their mouths and exposing their teeth. That AND is important, it’s not listing two traits, it’s listing traits that are not present together. For example, there ARE behaviors where dogs will raise their commissures but they don’t show their front teeth in doing so, I included one here. These gestures aren’t likely to be misinterpreted, however, so I’m not going to muddle the issue by going into them all (like the “I’m rolling in foul things” smile and the “ears flat out, corners up” sort of grin.
The point is fundamentally that toothy grins are not expressions of ease and joy in dogs.
The riddle of the smile: Why a display of teeth with friendly intention? Well, the display of teeth or not is pretty irrelevant. The important part is the corners of the lips.
The EXPLANATION for the smile and the “pucker” is acoustic. When the commissures are retracted, the effect is that the vocal tract if shortened, i.e. smaller. As the labial commissures are moved forward, the vocal tract is lengthened. i.e. larger. Smaller bodies resonate at higher frequencies than larger bodies. You know, the airspace in a bottle will decrease as you pour water into the bottle, and the sound of that will go from lower to higher pitch, right? Children of course have smaller vocal tracts than adults. So by retracting the lips and shortening the vocal tract, the animal will sound smaller, and appeal to the antagonist like”don’t hurt me, I mean no harm”. Vocalization is also usually accompanied by higher fundamental frequency.
On the other hand, by pulling the corners of the lips forward and lengthening the vocal tract, the resonance frequencies will be lower, and the animal will sound larger. And threat vocalizations are also accompanied by lower fundamental frequency sounds, so the combination of low fundamental and lower resonances makes the animal sound larger, thus making the threat more threatening.
The evolution of the human smile is best looked at as originating from the submissive, or non-confrontational grin, which dogs do have. I agree that even though dogs can mimic a human grin, the associated emotions are likely not “pleasure”, but more like “non-confrontation”. Dogs are evolving more and more into human society, and I have no doubt that some day in the future, the canine non-confrontational grin will be the same as the human smile. Just let us hope they will not develop all the deceiving smiles that humans can display!
Well Chris is a toothy grin but on command? Say Cheese
https://www.facebook.com/AFVAnimals/videos/1189414591073053/?fref=nf
Yes. I will also make the point that it’s not just mistaking snarls for smiles that’s a problem. It’s failure to realize that greetings are serious things with dogs and that overly submissive dogs can also be overly anxious and what you interpret as joy can actually be anxiety. And when you have a fearful dog, they might never bite you, as they are not unclear about their position in your family, they might very well bite children or guests who are not established and known quantities during encounters. Too many people think that because Fido has never bitten them, despite Fido showing any number of signs of insecurity, that they would NEVER!!! bite a stranger. And yet bite statistics hold out that both active aggression and submissive anxiety lead to bites. People seem to think that because their dog or breed is not a stereotypical (read:mythical) piranha that snaps at anything and everything all day long, that bites aren’t a reality. Human and dog-aggression leads to bites and so does fear.
Golden retrievers often do the mimic grin.
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I’ve also seen stress panting referred to as smiling. Baffling.
Thanks for writing on this topic. This is always good info, whether you have read it recently or not. Your illustrations are excellent and to the point. Since you are about the only dog blogger blogging about dogs at the moment, I am happy your posts are always superior and I welcome them as a reading respite on the days you publish.
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Great Researcher’s Journal article! Have you considered that Biological altruism refers to behavior that aids the survival of a species without benefiting the particular individual who’s being altruistic. It is now a theory by evolutionary biology and psychology who are challenging old ideas or theory. It turns out that evolution has actually hard-wired altruistic behavior into many animals — including human beings. Thus the facts of biological altruism might be thought to show the error of those who think that humans are psychologically egoistic and some breeds of dogs might actually acquire to have adopted a type of smile. I see no smiles in the photos for sure.
Back in the early 1990’s I had a professor who used a photograph of chimpanzee No. 65 from the Holloman Air Force Base (named Ham once he successfully returned to earth after a 16 minutes and 39 seconds long suborbital flight on 31 January 1961) exhibiting a “smile” to illustrate happiness in nonhuman primates. As a primatologist, I knew immediately that it was not a smile of happiness but a fear grin … an illustration of a nonhuman primate in abject terror. I pointed out his error at the time and he was shocked, surprised, and grateful. He had absolutely no idea.
Today that same professor is one of the most celebrated and awarded canine behaviorists around the world.
Point taken. You were pretty specific.
Since reading this column, I’ve been making faces trying to understand the muscle groups involved in different sorts of human smile. And watching my dogs move their faces to try and see whether they could show teeth by tensing the muscles in their cheeks (I don’t think they can). Strangely, I can’t make a gesture that shows my front teeth by wrinkling the nose muscles without a sensation (sort of synaesthesiac) that my face is a dog’s face. Do children learn to snarl by watching dogs? Do others get the same sensation?
Google the “Pan-Am smile,” it’s an interesting analysis of fake smiles and genuine smilies and the muscles involved.
Hey! I enjoyed this article, it is refreshing to see someone who understands and wishes to share their knowledge that dogs behavior is not black and white and environmental factors, stimuli, situation etc must be taken into account when assessing behavior.
I really just want to say though I am super flattered you chose that particular photo from Barbara Handelman’s “Canine Behavior, A Photo Illustrated Guide” to demonstrate the “Play Face”–the dog on the left is my dog Diaz!! That was when she was much younger when I adopted her in 2005 and she is still with me, lounging about being a dog, heheh. I took that photo at a dog park back when I visited them. Feels neat to see my photos not just published in a book but used elsewhere too! (with citation I see on the side of the image). Thank you!
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Because we like the “grinning” behavior and because we have been breeding Borzoi for 40+ years and we have bred quite a large number of dogs, I have some extensive experience based observations on “grinning”. First it seems to be inherited as dominant in relation to not grinning. Secondly I can spot the pups who will mature as grinners by 10 weeks or so because these pups do more intense “licking intention” type greetings when you approach their yard or exercise pen. Thirdly the more confident and outgoing dogs who have the grinning behavior will show it more often then the really timid dogs. Some of the really intensly grinning dogs not only grin but also clack and snap their jaws while slightly averting their heads. In general the most intense dogs are also the least timid and more likely to be the sort of dog that expects everyone to like and pet it.
Finally I have seen individual dogs learn that when they come up and grin the people in their lives are more likely to pet them and praise them so I have seen them disassociate the grin with other submissive postural behaviors. When these individuals want to be petted, want a treat or want some other form of attention, they will come right up to you, sit there and grin like crazy until the desired reward appears. I have even had a few who learned to please us and get attention by responding to the command “Grinnies” by grinning.
Given the research that has shown that we have genetically altered or enhanced a number of behaviors in dogs to be more like human behaviors, such as the dog being able to be trained to look where we point or look where we look, it would not suprise me that if a program of selection relating to the grinning behavior was consistanly followed, that we could produce dogs that use it as an initial greeting for non-threatening interactions, which is also a function in humans of the smile.
If you want to experiment with the smile as a non-threatening greeting in humans, when you are ordering fast food, have your first reaction to the person behind the counter taking your order be that you give them a pleasant smile. This relaxes the entire situation and generally generates more attention to your order. It is especially effective if you are of a different ethnic group than the person taking your order.
There are definately different types of smiles in humans and we are sensitive to small details. If for example the eye details do not match the mouth details, we are aware of it.
Later on I am going to figure out how to post some pictures of Borzoi “grinning”.
Bonnie,
Are you the lady who runs the Borzoi on a Sacco cart?
Bonnie, yes, it seems to be really common in sighthounds and I know a number of people who have managed to click and treat it and shape it as a behavior on command. I have an IG who does it and it certainly seems to be inherited (he has relatives who also do it), but unfortunately I haven’t manage to catch it regularly enough to put it on a command.
I shared this well written blog with other toy dog people. Toy dogs are so often the recipient of anthropomorphisms.
Thank you for your great research and posting of the topic.
Appreciating dogs for being dogs is a good thing and so helpful in training.
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My old girl was always grinning, like the play smile, but all the time. If life was good, but not exciting, that was her face. Hanging out on the couch, watching people walk by, or just enjoying outside. Sometimes with her eyes half closed, ears wherever.
https://imgur.com/a/4pzJj
Relaxed lips with a upturn back at the cheek, that’s the only thing I’ve ever considered a dog smile.
Oh, but the best not-a-smile smile is I’m-about-to-puke face! I love it when that catches people off guard.
Lovely smile 🙂
Just makes you want to smile back doesn’t it?
Christopher could not resist sharing this with everyone. They are asking the collie to smile. These days we all need a good laugh ..well I think it is a humorous. I realize my sense of humor can be a little off . https://www.facebook.com/ViralNova/videos/422238661284878/?pnref=story
Oh, lordy, it is an ancient post, but I have to reply. Anyone saying that dogs do not smile is wrong. Just wrong. Hold on a minute, and I will show you. When you also say that aggressive and fearful grimaces are not smiles, I concur! I think you are right to point this out, and that science has demonstrated that quite adequately! But dogs do smile.
A smile is not a smile because the front teeth are displayed. It is a smile because it indicates a happy relaxed attitude. Even among humans this often does not mean a front teeth display. It is quite clear that you understand there are different facial expressions – and that what they communicate is different.
It is not important that dogs use slightly different muscular mechanics than humans to express a smile – what is important is what it communicates. I see that another very recent poster has also posted a link to a photo of a smiling dog. The expression is quite recognizable – it occurs cross-breed, and in many individuals, and it is recognizable as an expression of happiness, contentment, and relaxation.
This is a photo of two of my dogs, both with a smile. The white dog’s smile is less emphatic in this photo than the hound, but it is there. The white dog’s smile was more pronounced on many other occasions.
http://i.imgur.com/uNt4VNns.jpg
I don’t have links to studies, but if all the studies say that dogs don’t smile, then they are wrong, too. Dogs do smile. I can recognize the expression even in a dog I have never before met. Your post is useful for pointing out dog communications that are NOT a smile. But it is a disservice when you say that dogs do not smile. They do. Understanding this is just as important as understanding the other dog expressions, IMO.
I think you forgot to read the paragraph I wrote about “Play Face.”
The “play face” is indeed, the most similar to my observations. But your description of the “play face” misses a whole segment of circumstances of WHEN I observe the behavior. The dogs in whom I observe this are not playing, nor seeking play, nor in a play-inducing stance or other play behavior. They are usually relaxed and currently quiet. It is most frequent after freely-engaged physical exertion (non-directed, or a directed activity that the dog enjoys). There is no baring of the dog’s front teeth, as is typical of the aggressive facial expressions (in dogs). But the lips are pulled back and slightly upwards at the back, with the mouth open, and the tongue typically relaxed. I could vote for it being a play face, but only if you expanded your “play face” description considerably.
And even if you do expand that description, I would still disagree that dogs do not smile. The “play face” is good enough for me to count as a smile, since it indicates a joyful and pleasured mood for the dog. Which is the same reason humans engage in our (more muscularly complex) facial expression that we call smiling. Fake or real smiles, we want to communicate to those around us that we are happy and relaxed. Based on your beginning definition: “. . .expressing ease, pleasure and amusement . . .”, (with the possible exception of amusement, as I am not confident that dogs feel amusement as we do) the expression I see fills the bill.
Feel free to think that I am quibbling. Outside of this one bit, you have otherwise laid out a fine bit of writing on behavior. So, if we disagree, so be it. I don’t think you are likely to miss something in your dog’s behavior because we differ in how we describe what the dogs are communicating. But I do think readers might benefit if you gave larger attention to the “play face” section.
I know this is a very old post, but I thought I might just throw out my experience with my smiling dog. One day, at about a year old, my rough collie (or “door stop with beady eyes” as you might say) started giving me a toothy grin when I came home from work/school. He comes up to me enthusiastically and his tail swings wildly back and forth. While it may be out of submission, I myself am a small soft-spoken female who trained him with the knowledge that rough collies are a sensitive breed. I can’t see how he would be acting out of any sort of fear or anxiety, especially because I have never punished him for greeting me at the door. He also doesn’t display any other signs of insecurity (doesn’t avoid eye contact or present his belly). He’ll approach any person or dog readily, and if its someone he’s met before, he’s likely to smile and pull on the leash towards them. Its very difficult for me to get a photo of this “smiling” greeting because he’s always running towards me and is too wiggly to photograph, but I do have a link to a couple photos I managed to catch on a day I came home and he immediately wanted booty-rubs:
https://imgur.com/a/uCjvpdy
I will say I have almost been bit by a smiling dog once or twice (working at a vet clinic), so I don’t disagree that a number of smiling dogs will bite out of fear. However, I don’t necessarily believe that it takes a fearful, insecure dog to smile.