Why does my dog do that?
Why does my dog yawn when I yawn?
Last updated 23 September 2026 · How we write and check this
Short answer
Contagious yawning between dogs and their owners has been documented in several studies, and dogs appear to catch yawns more readily from familiar people than from strangers, suggesting a link to empathy and social bonding rather than pure coincidence. Not every dog shows this response equally, and some studies found it stronger in older, more socially attuned dogs.
What the research found
A study published in the journal Biology Letters in 2008 found dogs yawned significantly more often after watching their owner yawn compared with a control condition, and a later Japanese study reported dogs yawned more in response to a familiar person's yawn than a stranger's, pointing toward a social, bond related component rather than a purely automatic reflex.
A possible empathy connection
Contagious yawning in people is linked to empathy and social connection, and researchers studying dogs have proposed a similar mechanism, suggesting a dog's tendency to catch a yawn from its owner may reflect the strength of their emotional bond, though this remains an area of ongoing study rather than settled fact.
Individual variation is normal
Not every dog yawns back reliably, and this does not indicate anything negative about the bond. Age, individual temperament, and how attentive a dog is at that particular moment all affect whether a yawn gets caught.
Key takeaways
- Multiple studies have documented contagious yawning between dogs and their owners.
- Dogs appear to catch yawns more readily from familiar people than strangers.
- Researchers suspect a link to empathy and social bonding, though this is still being studied.
- Not yawning back does not indicate anything negative about the relationship.