Do Dogs Have A Sense Of Humour?

[Blackdogs]

I'm not sure there's been many scientific studies to date on this particular subject, but I'm curious to see what people think.

Do dogs have a sense of humour? If so, why do you believe so?

[Flashsmum]

I think our Harry has a sense of humour (or he's repeating behaviour that causes us to react favourably).

He does this funny little dance after he's run in from the yard. He slides on the rug in the hallway, follows through to a bedroom, and then comes into the lounge room with what looks like a grin on his face and does his little dance.

He also varies this at different times. If we are stressed or upset, he seems to do it more, as if he's trying to cheer us up.

A lot is probably learned behaviour the produces a desired reaction, but I like to think he's having fun with us.

[mixeduppup]

Ammo has the best sense of humour. He deliberately teases Baxter until Baxter yells at him and then he looks around with the happiest expression, whether we're out there or not :laugh:

[Lasareina]

Mum's dog Ninja will deliberately parade is ball/pigs ear/plastic plant pot in front of the other dogs and then turns around and watch them get jealous with the most pleased look on his face. He is quite dominant and enjoys flaunting it ... not sure is it's done out of a sense of humour as such but he certainly appears to be laughing at the other dog :p

Edited September 11, 2013 by Lasareina

[Kirislin]

I think they do. They also have a sense of make believe. They play with toys that they know aren't real animals and yet they get great pleasure from making them squeak or pulling the stuffing out of them.

[espinay2]

I always used to say that my now departed girl Milou had a sense of humor. And always bring out this anecdote to illustrate it: one day I was in the bathroom trimming my toenails when Milou came in to the room to see what I was doing. She watched me for a while then left the room again. A few seconds later she was back in the room with the big dog nail clippers in her mouth and handing them to me!! Then sat there with that deadpan look she used to give me as I laughed my head off. Thing to note about this is that Milou is a Pyrenean, she had NEVER fetched anything or carried it in her mouth either before or after this event, and the nail clippers had been sitting undisturbed on the coffee table in the lounge for weeks.

Edited September 11, 2013 by espinay2

[mita]

There's a natural historian & a dog behaviorist who argue that dogs laugh. They claim there's evidence MRI scanning shows that the same areas of the brain light up in laughing humans as in dogs that are happy.

http://premiumblend.net/2009/05/29/dogs-have-ethics-a-nuanced-moral-system-say-natural-historian-jake-page-and-animal-behavorist-marc-bekoff/

I agree about the great joy of teasing that dogs have. Lily next door's best friend is our cat. They have great chasey games. Sometimes the puss hides herself behind a door, in the hallway Then she leaps out at Lily. Instead of looking frightened.. Lily's face lights up. Makes her so happy that her cat mate carries on like an insane spider monkey. The equivalent of a human falling about laughing.

Edited September 12, 2013 by mita

[Kirislin]

Penny did something that I'm not sure fits into a sense of humour, but it certainly seemed to have a very human quality about it. I think she thought it was funny.

A friend used to have a German shepherd who although wasn't aggressive, was full of bluff and would run at my whippets barking. Eventually they realised they didn't need to be afraid of her, but they weren't friends of hers, I think they still felt a bit intimidated by her.

At the park my friend would leave his van open while he walked her, and Penny would often jump in the back for a snoop around, sometimes there was a bone that she would steal.

One day she jumped in snooped around and jumped out again, but something about her body language made me think, what have you just done, she looked so smug and pleased with herself. I had a look and there was a fresh steaming turd!!!!

[Little Gifts]

My sister's dog, The Fun Police, seems to have a definite sense of humour and she isn't doing it for our attention either. She seems to get a disturbing amount of pleasure by trapping Tempeh in the hallway and lying on top of Temp and Stussy's toys that they are playing with. She knows they wont challenge her and that all games will abruptly cease without the toy. If it is a toilet roll she has also been known to give it a bit of a nibble while looking them directly in the face. She's not into toys so seems to be doing it just to get up their noses and do a Muttley laugh under her breath!

[corrie]

Despite anthropomorphism being a jail-able offence , if I allow my human mind make me relate what they do (to what I do) then I would say yes.

This is just my opinion but as humans a lot of what we do is triggered by an emotion. Emotions are a great way for our brain or instincts to compel us to do or not do something and I think that extends to animals.

Dogs are playful and I think humour comes under the playfulness umbrella but that is just the way I look at it and I don't have a scientific paper to back it up.

Edited for massive spacing between paragraphs.

Edited September 12, 2013 by corrie

[Kirislin]

Despite anthropomorphism being a jail-able offence , if I allow my human mind make me relate what they do (to what I do) then I would say yes.

This is just my opinion but as humans a lot of what we do is triggered by an emotion. Emotions are a great way for our brain or instincts to compel us to do or not do something and I think that extends to animals.

Dogs are playful and I think humour comes under the playfulness umbrella but that is just the way I look at it and I don't have a scientific paper to back it up.

I agree!

Edited September 12, 2013 by Kirislin

[Jed]

In my opinion, some dogs do have a sense of humour. Quite a few of my dogs have shown this. And because science can't prove something doesn't mean it isn't so.

[Kirislin]

In my opinion, some dogs do have a sense of humour. Quite a few of my dogs have shown this. And because science can't prove something doesn't mean it isn't so.

and scientists are such a serious bunch themselves. :laugh:

[JackC]

I know I read a while back that they have proved that Dogs have the ability to display empathy with their owners, my boy does it, if I'm in knackered and yawn really loud he copies me and makes a yawning noise with a wide open mouth as well, even when I know he is not tired :laugh: :laugh:

Humour or humor is the tendency of particular cognitive experiences to provoke laughter and provide amusement, taken from wiki, not sure if our dogs perceive what we do as "amusing" but I'm sure they certainly find it entertaining :D

[trinabean]

In my opinion, some dogs do have a sense of humour. Quite a few of my dogs have shown this. And because science can't prove something doesn't mean it isn't so.

It is only my opinion too, but Boxers to me are evidence enough that dogs can indeed display a sense of humour. :laugh:

[tdierikx]

I'm sure that my 4 all have their own versions of a sense of humour... they will do the silliest things, then look to see if you are laughing at them yet... if you aren't, they repeat until you do laugh...

T.

[Jed]

Some years ago, I had someone doing quite a lot of work on the property. He lived in a van, and the dogs knew and liked them. One of them - not a boxer - would take and hide his tools and caper (I swear he was capering) around until he found them, at which time, the dog would run around in circles, happy as can be.

Of course, there were a lot of good natured threats and waving of arms and tools while this went on!!

The the dog pinched one of his working boots. He couldn't find it anywhere, and if he said to the dog "where's me bloody boot" the dog would do the caper thing, and I swear, laugh while running around in circles. After a few days, the man looked in the middle of the circle ... the grass was rather long, and there was the boot!! Dog was as pleased as punch

Lots of other examples, particularly from boxers. :laugh:

[W Sibs]

Skeeter, my Samoyed, has a sense of humour.... he is so goofy and so funny. I laugh with and at him everyday.

This is where and how Skeeter says Hi to people walking pass our house.. you always know he scared someone because he is barking as though he is laughing!!!

[DesertDobes]

My male has a warped sense of humor, or at least I think so. He puts his toys in our shoes or throws them on the roof , sits in his dinner bowl, lies on his back and sings to passers by..... but maybe its all just attention seeking behavior but my female doesn't do it

[DesertDobes]

Skeeter, my Samoyed, has a sense of humour.... he is so goofy and so funny. I laugh with and at him everyday.

This is where and how Skeeter says Hi to people walking pass our house.. you always know he scared someone because he is barking as though he is laughing!!!

haha that looks so funny :laugh: popping out of the shrubbery