7. “When I Yawn at You, I’m Not Bored”
A yawning dog is not always a tired dog. Sometimes your dog yawns because you yawned first — that is empathy. Dogs catch yawns from their owners the same way humans do.
But there is another reason. Dogs yawn when they are slightly stressed or trying to calm a tense moment — behaviorists call this a calming signal. If you are scolding your dog and they yawn, they are saying “let us both calm down.” If they yawn during training, take a break — they are overwhelmed. The next one is small but means a lot.