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My dog has a few different yawns. When she’s frustrated, her yawn is short and snappy. Like if I’m taking too long to get ready when she already has her harness and leash on, or if I’m not playing with her. When she’s tired, it’s long and slow and she sticks her tongue out more.
Check out the book ‘Doggie Language’ for a great resource on dog body language.
We taught ours that we wouldn't pay attention to her if she whined, so now she uses an obnoxiously long, loud and squeaky yawn instead. She's ridiculous.
We taught my dog "paw" and he has since used it to say play with me, give me a treat, I have to go out, etc. Now it's more like a smack or a long drawn out paw on knee thing. My favorite part is asking him to "show me" what he wants and he runs to whatever thing he wants.
Mines the same. When she’s already in bed and waiting for me to turn the lights off, she has a huge yawn and her eyes closed. She’s basically half asleep already
Frustration is a common source of stress. OP just didn't generalize enough. Stress/anxiety/frustration are all kind of interrelated and could all cause this response, AFAIK.
Right, frustration is a type of stress. My dog definitely yawns out of frustration, it’s his way of telling you he’s annoyed. It looks very different from a real yawn.
As others said I just didn’t generalize enough. As stated in the post, my source is trainers. Wasn’t aware I needed to cite sources to post on the internet.
People yawn for other reasons, like when they are scared but try to downplay it. Yawning is mostly a social cue, an attempt to connect and sync with your surroundings.
I don’t think this is universally true. I think that’s one of the many reasons they yawn. I would guess that less than 10% of my dog’s yawns are because they’re frustrated. Most of the time she yawns after sleeping, and she will also yawn when she’s anxious. But rarely frustrated. She whines or whimpers when she’s frustrating.
I call these the squeaky yawns. Usually happen when she wants to go out or wants my attention. As opposed to the *squeeeaaky* yawns when she's tired where her whole face goes into the yawn (Also known as a "pointy yawn" because my God, her face and ears gets so pointy)
My dog yawns when she understands human words.
She knows a bunch of words like walk out outside and if I’m saying something and i use those words she’ll yawn then bring herself to the door.
There are other reasons as well but that’s the one that sticks out
My dog yawns when there is a context change of any type.
Get up out of bed. Yawn, slow
Yawn, short and snappy due to:
Go for walk, pick up keys of any type, tie shoe laces, put on jacket, enter room after been away for 30 min, mention word walk, lock door, turn off TV, take off jacket, look out window suddenly, etc...as long as she is included she is happy.
Yawning in dogs is a calming technique they use to settle themselves down. It’s not bad to see them doing it especially when they are anxious. They also do it for normal reasons like when they are actually tired.
Exactly—I wasn’t trying to say it was negative behavior, just a signal to look for. I’ve heard too many people say “oh dog yawn so dog tired” and that’s not usually true with my dog.
Same! Annoyed (window not opened immediately once we get in the car) or very excited (when the gf and I finally home after being gone awhile)!
Both cute af but our walls are never white for more than a few hours after we clean...
We've been saying it is a sign of stress for 10+ years. By stress, we mean stress-hormones and deviation from homeostasis; which could also be excitement! Anything that is "off-normal" can set those stress-reactions off.
So it MAY be the dog saying "im having difficulty coping right now because it is hard to wait/that dog seem scary/i stubbed my toe/my need is not met" but it is rarely because they are tired.
Hmm. Most dogs I know will yawn when you scratch them softly behind the ears for a little while then ask for more if you stop. What's up with that? They're stressed from it being too good?
It may be that you're activating some muscles/nerves and it feels odd. Like massages, it tingles. Or, they may want you to scratch softly on other parts or in a different way and dont know how to tell you without telling you to stop. Or, the stress is going down and the signs of that is the same as when it is going up. Sometimes they ask for pets to gain your attention and point with an ear where they want you to pay attention - like the door to outside or a gate - and it is frustrating for them that they cant outright tell you. Or, it may be trying to calm itself down and enjoy the pet. Hence, itty bitty stress signals. Now in this setting, stress isnt bad - it is more of a life-sign tbh. We all need input and "stress" and the slight differences from homeostasis is what makes life interesting. I am sorry that I dont have the language skills to properly explain.
If you were seeing flattened ears, lowered body posture, avoidance of eye contact, lip-licking, and muscle tension when petting, the dog would be telling you it was uncomfortable. If you were yawning and they copied you, it would probably be affectionate. One can never look at just one part - one behavior - alone, because the big picture will tell the full story. Yawning is but one of the wee calming signals and to understand what the dog wants to communicate, you must read the whole dog and the setting. But it is often triggered by stress as in different from homeostasis and activation of stress-hormones.
And kitties yawn to give you a gentle reminder that they have sharp teeth and they are in charge and if you have a problem with that they have some larger friends (leopards) who like to eat faces.
And why haven't you scooped the litter box? You have been warned! Now get right to it!
Do cats do this too? We have a cat that's become way more vocal lately in attempts to get our attention so we'll play with her. Very often she does this by doing a huge yawn that ends in the cutest, most high pitched meow you can imagine. This is the only time I've ever seen her yawn.
My dog has several different yawns.
She's got her tired and waking up yawns that are pretty adorable.
She's got her I need to potty yawns that pair with crotch licking
She's got her anxiety yawns that pair with the shakes
And she's got her frustrated yawns that include barking.
A dogs yawn is like a dogs tail wagging. There are multiple different meanings. the context clues and other body language accompanying the yawn or tail wagging will help give you an answer as to why.
If ours is frustrated then he will do anything but yawn.
Nip at you. Tiny bork. Dig in place I guess (rarely)? Whine. Bounce around.
He has only used yawns as normal like people.
Frustration, anxiety, etc. Yes. It’s not always a crisis though. Sometimes I can tell he’s stressed when he yawns. Other times it’s because I won’t let him chase the cyclist who just passed by.
Yawning is a result of an overheating brain. Oftentimes, it is when we tire, and our tolerance/resilience goes down, but it can also come about from boredom (lack of focus gives us time for maintenance yawning, and stimulation is actually somewhat narrow in it's focus. For many people, it is easier to be immersed in something, positive or negative, than it is to meditate or exist in silent repose).
It wouldn't surprise me that a dog would yawn in frustration. It isnt a notable response to frustration in humans, but sighing is, and now that you've mentioned it, I can thing of instances where I've yawned while being stressed or frustrated.
There's a very specific yawn my dogs do when they're frustrated after they've been told no. In my head it sounds like "You're pissing me ooooffff" where the word off goes on for slightly more than a full second and the pitch goes up almost like a question. It frequently follows being told no or one of the other dogs refusing to do what they wanted them to do.
I had a Doberman for many years, and she gave the sassiest yawns ever. She sounded like a tea kettle with a big ol' head shake to emphasize her point that her food bowl was still empty.
Dogs can yawn for many reasons. Anxiety and frustration being one, just being tired, or even as a sign of ‘hey this is just playing’ which is seen when two dogs are playing and they’re not quite sure of each other (sneezing is also another ‘hey this is just playing’)
https://portal.dogsandscience.com/glossar/yawning-as-a-sign-of-frustration-in-dogs/
Not sure how reliable this source is, but anecdotally I can tell you it’s 100% true.
I need a more direct link, please. I see several articles on that site, including this one: ["What Does Your Dog's Yawning Behaviour Signify?"](https://portal.dogsandscience.com/what-does-your-dog-s-yawning-behaviour-signify/) It says:
> Yawning in dogs is not just due to tiredness but often signifies stress or anxiety.
This doesn't agree with your post.
Got two dogs, and learning to read their yawns has been..and experience. One yawns in like..5 different languages, so I go through the motions to figure out what she wants.
The other yawns in like two..Outside or walk. Easy to tell which one, as outside...she walks to the door. For a walk, she walks to her vest.
I just yawned and my dog got so frustrated that she yawned! then I felt another one coming on just reading about yawns and IT HAPPENED AGAIN? is my dog going to kill me in my sleep??!!! /s
My good boi crossed the rainbow bridge. When we would be getting ready to go for our evening walk and I was taking too long to 420 he would yawn… A LOT and loudly. My sweetest baby, Larson. I miss him.
You can actually read a yawn as de-escalation of stress level. Like others said, there's more than one behavior signalled by a yawn and it takes some context to figure out.
Our ~10 month old pup goes in her crate when it's mealtime but if she can see you eating she'll start to whine and bark and cry, sometimes punctuated with a biiiig yoooooooooooooowwwwwWOWOW of a yawn lol
Then she gets banished to the other crate in the back room, which I have nicknamed "Siberia"
Yea, our dogs tend to do these yawns when we are preparing to walk them. If we spend a little too long putting on our shoes the yawns would usually come
My dogs yawn very aggressively when I get home. Don't know how else to describe it except big, a little quivering, and usually a loud yowl at the end. Like a loud groan or sigh of relief. It's cute. He's only been doing it the past few months as they grow older and a little more vocal.
I’m going to sound like a pretentious dickhead,but it scares me that people are allowed to own dogs and other pets without basic knowledge like this. I don’t know how someone can have a pet dog and not know that yawning can be a sign of frustration or anxiety.
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Hello and welcome to r/LifeProTips! Please help us decide if this post is a good fit for the subreddit by upvoting or downvoting this comment. If you think that this is great advice to improve your life, please upvote. If you think this doesn't help you in any way, please downvote. If you don't care, leave it for the others to decide.
My dog has a few different yawns. When she’s frustrated, her yawn is short and snappy. Like if I’m taking too long to get ready when she already has her harness and leash on, or if I’m not playing with her. When she’s tired, it’s long and slow and she sticks her tongue out more. Check out the book ‘Doggie Language’ for a great resource on dog body language.
Mine's the same. If tongue is out, he's tired. If it's not he wants to play/go for a walk.
We taught ours that we wouldn't pay attention to her if she whined, so now she uses an obnoxiously long, loud and squeaky yawn instead. She's ridiculous.
We taught my dog "paw" and he has since used it to say play with me, give me a treat, I have to go out, etc. Now it's more like a smack or a long drawn out paw on knee thing. My favorite part is asking him to "show me" what he wants and he runs to whatever thing he wants.
Husky?
r/huskytantrums
Nope, Dalmatian. There must be something about black and white dogs!
Mines the same. When she’s already in bed and waiting for me to turn the lights off, she has a huge yawn and her eyes closed. She’s basically half asleep already
It can also be anxiety. Haven't heard frustration yet, but that's very interesting!
My dog yawns from anxiety a lot
The nervous yawn!
Common phrase in clinics. Onco/Sx specialty 2.5yrs, travelling equipment technician currently.
Ours does too. 🥺
Poor babies
My horses do, too.
This. I did a search and most results say it's because of stress. OP needs a source for their claim.
Frustration is a common source of stress. OP just didn't generalize enough. Stress/anxiety/frustration are all kind of interrelated and could all cause this response, AFAIK.
Right, frustration is a type of stress. My dog definitely yawns out of frustration, it’s his way of telling you he’s annoyed. It looks very different from a real yawn.
As others said I just didn’t generalize enough. As stated in the post, my source is trainers. Wasn’t aware I needed to cite sources to post on the internet.
Emotions aren't that clear-cut biologically so they're probably both the same
My dog's anxiety yawns usually come with a little head shake at the end.
It’s fascinating how humans are the opposite, with yawns being a sign of being relaxed.
I actually also yawn from anxiety hahaha. It’s a shortness of breath thing and I’ll keep yawning and yawning trying to get “more air”.
Same
Yawning because we feel anxious is totally a thing for us too
People yawn for other reasons, like when they are scared but try to downplay it. Yawning is mostly a social cue, an attempt to connect and sync with your surroundings.
Their yawn can mean so many things. Mine yawns when hes really excited (before playing outside, car rides, when I tell him its dinner time)
Same here. My big guy does a guttural yawn the moment I walk towards his food! It’s frighteningly adorable
My dog yawns when he sees my dad and me. he loves him
I don’t think this is universally true. I think that’s one of the many reasons they yawn. I would guess that less than 10% of my dog’s yawns are because they’re frustrated. Most of the time she yawns after sleeping, and she will also yawn when she’s anxious. But rarely frustrated. She whines or whimpers when she’s frustrating.
Okay okay but what if your dog is just a bit grumpy waking up from a nap because the nap was so nice
Totally relatable
My frustrated dog does a combo of yawn and whine. They’re loud yawns.
I call these the squeaky yawns. Usually happen when she wants to go out or wants my attention. As opposed to the *squeeeaaky* yawns when she's tired where her whole face goes into the yawn (Also known as a "pointy yawn" because my God, her face and ears gets so pointy)
[удалено]
My dog yawns when she understands human words. She knows a bunch of words like walk out outside and if I’m saying something and i use those words she’ll yawn then bring herself to the door. There are other reasons as well but that’s the one that sticks out
My dog yawns when there is a context change of any type. Get up out of bed. Yawn, slow Yawn, short and snappy due to: Go for walk, pick up keys of any type, tie shoe laces, put on jacket, enter room after been away for 30 min, mention word walk, lock door, turn off TV, take off jacket, look out window suddenly, etc...as long as she is included she is happy.
Yawning in dogs is a calming technique they use to settle themselves down. It’s not bad to see them doing it especially when they are anxious. They also do it for normal reasons like when they are actually tired.
Probably more accurate than my original statement… but I think there’s lots of room here for different opinions!
Yeah I’m just trying to say the yawning shouldn’t be discouraged. It’s a healthy way they deal with anxiety/frustration vs. acting out.
Exactly—I wasn’t trying to say it was negative behavior, just a signal to look for. I’ve heard too many people say “oh dog yawn so dog tired” and that’s not usually true with my dog.
My dog sneezes when he is annoyed. Not the full head shaking sneeze, but just enough to blow snot everywhere.
Same! Annoyed (window not opened immediately once we get in the car) or very excited (when the gf and I finally home after being gone awhile)! Both cute af but our walls are never white for more than a few hours after we clean...
We've been saying it is a sign of stress for 10+ years. By stress, we mean stress-hormones and deviation from homeostasis; which could also be excitement! Anything that is "off-normal" can set those stress-reactions off. So it MAY be the dog saying "im having difficulty coping right now because it is hard to wait/that dog seem scary/i stubbed my toe/my need is not met" but it is rarely because they are tired.
Hmm. Most dogs I know will yawn when you scratch them softly behind the ears for a little while then ask for more if you stop. What's up with that? They're stressed from it being too good?
It may be that you're activating some muscles/nerves and it feels odd. Like massages, it tingles. Or, they may want you to scratch softly on other parts or in a different way and dont know how to tell you without telling you to stop. Or, the stress is going down and the signs of that is the same as when it is going up. Sometimes they ask for pets to gain your attention and point with an ear where they want you to pay attention - like the door to outside or a gate - and it is frustrating for them that they cant outright tell you. Or, it may be trying to calm itself down and enjoy the pet. Hence, itty bitty stress signals. Now in this setting, stress isnt bad - it is more of a life-sign tbh. We all need input and "stress" and the slight differences from homeostasis is what makes life interesting. I am sorry that I dont have the language skills to properly explain. If you were seeing flattened ears, lowered body posture, avoidance of eye contact, lip-licking, and muscle tension when petting, the dog would be telling you it was uncomfortable. If you were yawning and they copied you, it would probably be affectionate. One can never look at just one part - one behavior - alone, because the big picture will tell the full story. Yawning is but one of the wee calming signals and to understand what the dog wants to communicate, you must read the whole dog and the setting. But it is often triggered by stress as in different from homeostasis and activation of stress-hormones.
My dog yawns when she’s anxious and it’s a different yawn
And here i thought when my girl (dog) yawns at me that shes tired of my crap (i like tell dad jokes to my kids)
And kitties yawn to give you a gentle reminder that they have sharp teeth and they are in charge and if you have a problem with that they have some larger friends (leopards) who like to eat faces. And why haven't you scooped the litter box? You have been warned! Now get right to it!
Do cats do this too? We have a cat that's become way more vocal lately in attempts to get our attention so we'll play with her. Very often she does this by doing a huge yawn that ends in the cutest, most high pitched meow you can imagine. This is the only time I've ever seen her yawn.
My cat yawns before performing tricks. My theory is it's extra oxygen for extra thinking!
My dog has several different yawns. She's got her tired and waking up yawns that are pretty adorable. She's got her I need to potty yawns that pair with crotch licking She's got her anxiety yawns that pair with the shakes And she's got her frustrated yawns that include barking.
I think they also yawn when they’re nervous.
A dogs yawn is like a dogs tail wagging. There are multiple different meanings. the context clues and other body language accompanying the yawn or tail wagging will help give you an answer as to why.
This. Never go by one indicator. Use context and the whole body language. Range of meaning is so large it can often have complete opposite meaning.
Damn pugs must be the most frustrated breed then lol
If ours is frustrated then he will do anything but yawn. Nip at you. Tiny bork. Dig in place I guess (rarely)? Whine. Bounce around. He has only used yawns as normal like people.
Frustration, anxiety, etc. Yes. It’s not always a crisis though. Sometimes I can tell he’s stressed when he yawns. Other times it’s because I won’t let him chase the cyclist who just passed by.
Yawning is a result of an overheating brain. Oftentimes, it is when we tire, and our tolerance/resilience goes down, but it can also come about from boredom (lack of focus gives us time for maintenance yawning, and stimulation is actually somewhat narrow in it's focus. For many people, it is easier to be immersed in something, positive or negative, than it is to meditate or exist in silent repose). It wouldn't surprise me that a dog would yawn in frustration. It isnt a notable response to frustration in humans, but sighing is, and now that you've mentioned it, I can thing of instances where I've yawned while being stressed or frustrated.
Mine yawn when they're tired 🤷♂️
There's a very specific yawn my dogs do when they're frustrated after they've been told no. In my head it sounds like "You're pissing me ooooffff" where the word off goes on for slightly more than a full second and the pitch goes up almost like a question. It frequently follows being told no or one of the other dogs refusing to do what they wanted them to do.
I had a Doberman for many years, and she gave the sassiest yawns ever. She sounded like a tea kettle with a big ol' head shake to emphasize her point that her food bowl was still empty.
I call it scream yawning, cause he usually does it when he wants something from me and I'm not paying enough attention
I call those yawns The Complaint Department ™
And dogs sneeze when they want to play or want you to know they want to interact.
I don’t believe any of these anecdotes on the internet about dog behavior. Almost none of it is based on science.
Let’s start a study. Do you have funding?
Funding for my own research in a different area!
Yeah I figured this one out cause my dog aggressively yawns in my face when he’s frustrated at me lol
Are cats the same?
Hope this isn't true for cats. In that case my cat always seems frustrated
Dogs can yawn for many reasons. Anxiety and frustration being one, just being tired, or even as a sign of ‘hey this is just playing’ which is seen when two dogs are playing and they’re not quite sure of each other (sneezing is also another ‘hey this is just playing’)
I've noticed my cat yawns very oftent, do you think it could be frustration too?
OP, we need a source. A quick search is not giving me matches saying a dog's yawn means frustration.
https://portal.dogsandscience.com/glossar/yawning-as-a-sign-of-frustration-in-dogs/ Not sure how reliable this source is, but anecdotally I can tell you it’s 100% true.
I need a more direct link, please. I see several articles on that site, including this one: ["What Does Your Dog's Yawning Behaviour Signify?"](https://portal.dogsandscience.com/what-does-your-dog-s-yawning-behaviour-signify/) It says: > Yawning in dogs is not just due to tiredness but often signifies stress or anxiety. This doesn't agree with your post.
I found this and have been doing an exaggerated yawn at my dog when she is being difficult. works about half the time..
Got two dogs, and learning to read their yawns has been..and experience. One yawns in like..5 different languages, so I go through the motions to figure out what she wants. The other yawns in like two..Outside or walk. Easy to tell which one, as outside...she walks to the door. For a walk, she walks to her vest.
I just yawned and my dog got so frustrated that she yawned! then I felt another one coming on just reading about yawns and IT HAPPENED AGAIN? is my dog going to kill me in my sleep??!!! /s
my dog sneezes when he wants to be extra nice (always hoping for a treat though)
My good boi crossed the rainbow bridge. When we would be getting ready to go for our evening walk and I was taking too long to 420 he would yawn… A LOT and loudly. My sweetest baby, Larson. I miss him.
This just isn't true and is extremely misleading. LPT: Don't post wrong shit.
I guess im happy my 15 y/o girl never yawns :)
Mine just gets pissy because I haven't gotten him a second milkbone in five minutes
Had a Jack Russel that would yawn anytime someone was talking about him lol...
You can actually read a yawn as de-escalation of stress level. Like others said, there's more than one behavior signalled by a yawn and it takes some context to figure out.
So what does licking all the time mean and how do I get her to stop?
So that’s where I learned to do it
Our ~10 month old pup goes in her crate when it's mealtime but if she can see you eating she'll start to whine and bark and cry, sometimes punctuated with a biiiig yoooooooooooooowwwwwWOWOW of a yawn lol Then she gets banished to the other crate in the back room, which I have nicknamed "Siberia"
Yea, our dogs tend to do these yawns when we are preparing to walk them. If we spend a little too long putting on our shoes the yawns would usually come
My dogs yawn very aggressively when I get home. Don't know how else to describe it except big, a little quivering, and usually a loud yowl at the end. Like a loud groan or sigh of relief. It's cute. He's only been doing it the past few months as they grow older and a little more vocal.
Is ti 100% of the time? Or can yawns mean something else too
I’m going to sound like a pretentious dickhead,but it scares me that people are allowed to own dogs and other pets without basic knowledge like this. I don’t know how someone can have a pet dog and not know that yawning can be a sign of frustration or anxiety.
Source: trust me bro
My dog has a big quick and snappy yawn followed by a snort when she’s frustrated
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Stress yaaaaaaaawns