Can Dogs Smile? We Know That People Smile …
A Smile Makes You Look Successful
“A smile conveys confidence and professionalism,” says Lily T. Garcia, DDS, DDS, MS, FACP, president of the American College of Prosthodontists. People who project a positive outlook are generally more open and flexible. They tend to cope better with challenges than people who are withdrawn and unsmiling.
A study that followed a group of women for 30 years shows the lifetime benefits of smiling. The women who displayed genuinely happy smiles in their college yearbook photos went on to have happier marriages and greater wellbeing.
In the same study, a group of strangers looked at the college photos and reported their assumptions about the women’s personalities. The women who smiled were judged to be more positive and competent than those who didn’t. READ MORE: From Web MD
And How About Dogs: Do Dogs Smile?
Body language can be an effective gauge of how at ease a dog feels. Happy dogs have a general looseness to their bodies, and that applies to the mouth area, too. If the sides of your pooch’s mouth point slightly higher than the rest of it, that often — but not always — signifies that all is wonderful in your dog’s world for the moment. More telling is your dog’s tongue. A loose-hanging tongue combined with a mouth slightly ajar generally points to a good moods in a doggy, according to the Caring Hands Humane Society website. Although dogs don’t actually smile like humans, they sometimes happen to make expressions that look like smiles. READ MORE NEST
Smiling Dog
Body language can be an effective gauge of how at ease a dog feels. Happy dogs have a general looseness to their bodies, and that applies to the mouth area, too. If the sides of your pooch’s mouth point slightly higher than the rest of it, that often — but not always — signifies that all is wonderful in your dog’s world for the moment. More telling is your dog’s tongue. A loose-hanging tongue combined with a mouth slightly ajar generally points to a good moods in a doggy, according to the Caring Hands Humane Society website. Although dogs don’t actually smile like humans, they sometimes happen to make expressions that look like smiles.
Anxiety and Smiling
A smiley expression in a dog doesn’t necessarily indicate happiness. If your dog’s mouth is open just a tad, with the sides raised, he may indeed look like he’s smiling, but he may actually be anxious, nervous or otherwise in distress. Signs of distress accompanying a stiff smile include heavy panting with the tongue in, whining and chattering teeth. Consult your vet.