Can Dogs Understand Humor?

You know your pup better than anyone, so you're pretty well-acquainted with their quirks, likes, dislikes, and of course, their very unique personality. You're pretty sure you can tell that your dog feels happiness, sadness, loneliness, delight, and is capable of understanding a lot of what's going on in your life, but have you ever wondered if your dog can understand humor? 

While there are no proof-positive studies that your pooch understands and participates in canine humor, it's hard to deny that there's something particular going on with your dog's emotions. Researchers have found that dogs can laugh and express their happiness when playing with other pooches or humans. 

Scientists and researchers have stated that there are no proof-positive studies indicating that dogs have canine humor that matches the spectrum of humor that humans have. While that's true, there are also significant signs that point to dogs laughing and expressing their happiness and other emotions with other pooches or their humans. 

If you're not quite convinced, look out for specific signs that your pup may be giving you to signal that he not only understands your humor, but wants to play along with your joke. For example, it's not uncommon for dog's to smile at you. Dogs can even laugh, too. Unlike their usual pants that come after running, exercising, or playing, a laugh is a pattern of longer, breathier pants. These pants, according to researchers, elicit a positive response from shelter dogs when played over a recording. 

Additionally, your pooch will wag their tail - the ultimate form of clownery and jest. You may also notice your pooch plays, frolics, bounds, and intrudes! These are all signs that they certainly understand that they're getting in the way and playing practical jokes on their owners.

The question of dog sense of humor dates back all the way to Darwin times. In fact, he was probably the first researcher to question whether or not your pup could understand what's funny. It appeared to Darwin as far back as 1872 that dogs might have a sense of humor, and he began drawing parallels between animal and human emotion. 

According to him, dogs show distinctions in sense of humor that are different from mere playing, implying they understand humor and the idea of a practical joke. In his example, he looks at how dogs will carry a stick a short distance back to their owner, squat down, wait for their owner to come closer, then dart away in triumph. 

In short, dogs can play practical jokes on their owners, why wouldn't they be able to understand humor? It's also been proven since Darwin's time that dogs can laugh, and their laughter is associated with the same situations that make young children laugh.

Two animal behaviorists from the University of California, Davis even went as far as ranking 56 different breeds of dogs in accordance to playfulness and found the dogs that had the most playfulness and "sense of humor" were Irish Setters, English Springer Spaniels, Golden Retrievers, and Poodles. Among the lowest were Bloodhounds, Bulldogs, and Basset hounds. 

More than that, the cues that we associate our dogs' humor have some science behind them. Take, for example, dog laughter. According to the Stanford University's Science News and Michigan State University reports, dog laughter is different than panting, and it was found that dog laughter, played over audio in shelters helped to calm anxious dogs and increase their confidence to interact with other people and shelter pups.

It goes without saying that there's nothing wrong with dog humor - it's cute, hilarious, and brings a smile to everyone's face. We'd never advise you to train the practical jokester streak out of your pup! Let them love and live their hilarious, happy life. 

If you're interested in making sure your pup doesn't border the line of destructive or out of line behavior, though, here are a few ways to gently encourage them to keep their playfulness light and friendly. 

Enforce a life full of play with your pup, but make sure they understand commands like "drop it," "leave it," and "gentle," so that they're always easy, gentle, and sweet. If your dog gets too aggressive in their playfulness and starts to mix in signals like barking, growling, and nipping, make sure they know that that's not a part of a humor-filled play. If they begin to do these things, leave them be for a while and ignore your pup until they are calmed down. 

Make sure your dog understands that gentle, funny play means a treat and lots of praise!