Scientists Record Dogs Laughing

Wednesday, August 1, 2001 - USA

"Laugh it up, Fuzzball."

Han Solo, The Empire Strikes Back

LAKE TAHOE, NV — As if we needed further proof of a dog's sense of humor (why else would they put up with humans for all these centuries?), researchers at Sierra Nevada College reported last week that they have isolated a canine breathing pattern which they interpret as being a dog's version of a laugh.

At the Corvallis, Oregon meeting of the Animal Behavior Society, Patricia Simonet presented a theory, backed by recorded frequency-response measurements, that a dog at play makes "a distinctive, breathy exhalation that can trigger playfulness in other dogs" (reports Science News).

"To an untrained human ear, it sounds much like a pant, 'hhuh, hhuh,'" she said.  But as the diagram above indicates, the "laugh" pant (top) includes a wider spectrum of frequencies than a regular pant (bottom).

Dr. Simonet and her research team spent sessions at the park with a parabolic microphone eavesdropping on dogs at play.  Using these recorded sounds, they later conducted more isolated tests in an observation room.  Approximately 15 pups were exposed to growls, ordinary pants and laughs while their reactions were monitored.

Laugh sounds often elicited a playful response in the dogs (picking up a toy or trotting toward a human or puppy playmate), while growls and other noises produced no such behavior.

Other researchers have conducted similar studies with primates, dolphins and rodents, all publishing results indicating the existence of animal laughter.  Jaak Panksepp of Bowling Green (Ohio) University tickled rats.  "Of course, you have to know the rat," he said.

Of course.

Still, many researchers expressed a degree of skepticism and have called for additional testing to corroborate the laughing theory.  Scoop researchers are already on the case (see below).

Determining if dogs laugh.
(Photo: DogsInTheNews.com)

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