Study: Like Humans, Dogs Yawn Sympathetically

Tuesday, 20 August 2013 | by Pat's Picks

It’s common knowledge that seeing someone yawn will elicit a yawn from your own mouth. But the New York Times says a new study has proven what pet owners have often suspected: yawning is contagious among dogs too. Humans tend to mirror a yawn as a sign of empathy. And after studying two dozen breeds, researchers have found that dogs do too. But they’re not fooled a fake yawn. In the study, dogs only yawned when they saw a real one, not when someone simply stretched their arms and opened their mouth.

SOURCE: New York Times