Dogs can catch yawns from other dogs, and from humans. Like us, they can catch a yawn in person or just from seeing or hearing one. And like humans, dogs are more likely to catch yawns from people or other dogs they know, suggesting that empathy plays a role in contagious yawning for dogs too.

You stare into his eyes and say, "Are you tired?" He smacks his lips and yawns, his great teeth revealing themselves, then disappearing again. "Yes, I know you're tired," you say and pat his head, "I am too." Your friends get the message. Step 1: Most dogs will yawn when they are anxious.

So, contagious yawns are believed to help show empathy with your fellow yawner. “It's reasonable to assume that dogs who yawn when their owners do are more emotionally connected to them,” says Dr. Brian Hare, author of the book The Genius of Dogs and founder of the Duke Canine Cognition Center at Duke University.

Yes, just like some other mammals, dogs yawn when they see others yawn! After seeing another dog or person yawn, dogs sometimes contagiously yawn. This “fake” yawn is thought to be involuntary and likely has some evolutionary benefit for dogs. Decoding your dog's yawn does not require years of studying dog behavior.