They are his yawning partner. Contagious yawning is more than an indication of sleepiness or boredom. Scientists have found that it is also a sign of empathy, or the ability to mimic the emotional responses of others. Contagious yawning has been scientifically measured in humans, adult chimpanzees, baboons, and dogs.

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.

If your dog yawns after a kiss and he isn't sleepy, however, it's likely a type of displacement behavior—which describes a behavior that seems out of context when they're feeling uncomfortable or anxious about an interaction and don't know what to do. “Think of it as a little like fidgeting,” says Dr.

Yawning can be a self-soothing mechanism, and dogs often yawn when they feel stressed out by the situation around them.