13/10/2025
How many reasons?
Countless may be a stretch (see what I did there😃) but yawning is not a simple subject.
So when does your dog show this?
Just before a walk?
That could be for a few reasons. Perhaps anticipating the good walk they will have with you, or maybe feeling frustrated that the leash is about to be attached and they can't move as freely as they would like.
Did you just yawn?
Dogs can mirror our yawns.
Not all dogs will do this, but some certainly do.
Feeling unsure or conflicted? That stress and anxiety creeping up?
It can be a calming signal when they're uncertain what is happening or perhaps they are in a situation they don't feel comfortable in.
Of course, just like us, they can be tired.
What we have to be cautious of is reading a yawn as just that, tiredness.
That limits all other reasons for this powerful communication signal and if you really want to start to understand your dog some more, a yawn is a great signal to decipher.
