As of: March 28, 2024, 11:00 a.m
By: Sophie Kluß
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Ellie, the rescued mixed breed dog, is smiling again. A recent video of her charming smile is taking over TikTok. But can dogs actually smile?
To mark the one-year anniversary of their forever home, Ellie's owners posted a touching video on their
TikTok
account @badgirlelliebear. A year earlier, the couple had rescued the mixed-breed dog from the animal shelter. In her old life, the little dog was neglected and couldn't make eye contact with people. But since Ellie has been living with her new owners, her personality has changed completely: now the dog literally can't stop smiling, as you can see in the video. Almost two million users have watched the cute clip so far. This rescued dog can't stop smiling either.
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Imagination or reality – can dogs really smile?
Every dog owner would probably confirm that their pet smiles at them. But what do experts actually say about this? Can four-legged friends really smile or are proud dog owners just imagining it? Partly partly, says dog trainer Marcel Wunderlich from Martin Rütter DOGS Wiesbaden/Main-Taunus-Kreis. According to him, dogs actually show facial expressions that experts describe as laughing or grinning.
However, they would not use this in the same way as humans, says Wunderlich. This facial expression is usually more likely to be understood as a “submissive grin”, i.e. as a signal to the more dominant part, often the owner. “Unlike wolves, domestic dogs (…) are seen grinning more often at people than at other dogs. For example, some people are greeted by their dog in a friendly, reassuring manner with a grin when they return to their apartment,” explains the dog trainer. The most important appeasement signals that every dog owner should know can be found here.
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The behavior veterinarian Dorit Urd Feddersen-Petersen, who died in 2023, has proven that there is also a real dog smile, which the animals probably copied from humans and mainly show towards them. According to her, with this type of smile, “the teeth are shown briefly and several times in a row,” while the body language signals happiness or relaxation. Many four-legged friends would feel comfortable when they smiled and “want to have friendly contact with their people,” summarizes science journalist Kate Kitchenham in
Dogs Magazine
.
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Be careful, mix it up – when a “smiling” dog is not happy
However, caution is advised with “smiling” dogs that like to be shared on social media. “The open mouth, the lips pulled far back and the narrowed eyes are reminiscent of a hearty human laugh,” says Marcel Wunderlich. However, these signs would often indicate stress. If you look more closely, you can see "ears pulled back, a long tongue, which indicates heavy panting, and a wrinkle behind the lips, below the eyes, also called a 'stress wrinkle'," explains the dog trainer. What are five signs that your dog is unhappy?