They are such amazing creatures. They create such joy in our lives. But do they have a sense of humour? Do they know when they are being funny? Do they like to see us smiling?

It’s clear why we would lean towards saying “yes”. But what does the science say?

It’s a bit tricky to prove, but many dog owners and researchers reckon dogs can be funny. Dogs may not have our highly developed level of humour, but a lot of owners and researchers see their playful behaviour, “smiling,” and seeking attention after doing something funny as signs of their own sense of humour.

But scientifically, the evidence isn’t clear-cut. Some scientists say that dogs being funny is just them being themselves, not trying to be funny on purpose. That their brains are simply not capable of functioning at that level where they understand that a person might find something amusing – or even have a concept of “funny”. They might simply be doing something that experience told them gets a positive reaction from you, and therefore is reinforcing for them to repeat the action. To truly understand dogs’ emotions and cognitive abilities, more research is required.

My own dog Moo, Dog rest his soul, certainly seemed to have a sense of humour. He hated being brushed, being a bit of a tangly boy. He wasn’t too keen on Lily the cat either. But if we pretended to brush Lily, he would come over to watch, smiling and wiggling about. It felt like he was laughing at the cat.

Moo worked out how to trick the puppy Twyla.

She was a little oik for wanting to steal ALL the pet toys. In fact, she would have been quite the little bully had Moo not been so very clever. He knew how to play her like a fiddle. Moo just wanted to be with me at all times. So if Twyla hopped up beside me on the sofa for a cuddle, Moo would simply go and pick up a toy. In a flash, Twyla would jump down to snatch it away from him, and then he would spring up next to me, his face beaming with satisfaction, as if he were laughing at the silly puppy’s antics. She fell for it every single time.

When dogs bring a toy over, to play tug or for you to throw for them, and you go to take it, do you ever see that happy glint in their eye as they back away? Then coming back after you with it to tempt you to try again? Playing keep-away with the toy to make you chase them for it, seemingly happy that they have tricked you?

Other animals find things funny.

Other animals, notably other primate species, have been noted to laugh. It seems to be a mechanism to show intent of playfulness in other species, though in humans we can also laugh when we are nervous. Dogs do play-bows for the exact same reason. They might not have a verbal “haha” but they certainly seem to smile when happy, and have body language that suggests they enjoy playing, and playing funny tricks on their humans.

You can learn all about dog body language in the Fun Not Fear® Club.

“People often conflate a dog having a sense of humor with showing off. My own dog would run around when I had people at my house and carry his favorite toy or rag—but often stop and look around, seemingly to make sure people were looking at him and laughing. I’m not saying he was doing it to make the people laugh, but I think he was having fun, running around, shaking a sock or his toy. And I’ve seen young coyotes running around with a bone or a stick in their mouth trying to get others to play with them, using it as a lure to get them to jump in to play—so it also might be a play invitation.

I don’t know why some of the dogs who I wrote about were showing what I call a sense of humor, but let’s find out. No one’s ever systematically studied the question “do dogs have a sense of humor?” It looks like they do.”

Marc Bekoff

Individuality and cognitive ability.

Maybe it boils down to the individual dog? Maybe some dogs are naturally more evolved than others when it comes to having enough cognitive skills to figure out the concept of amusement?

I guess we will not know for a long time for sure… Proof is, well… difficult to provide.

But, even though there’s no concrete science, lots of dog owners still believe their pets have a sense of humour and enjoy the funny moments they have together. Whether dogs possess a genuine sense of humour, there’s no denying the joy and laughter they bring into our lives. Their playful moments only serve to deepen our bond with them, and who doesn’t love to see that doggy grin?

Tell me about your dog’s funny moments in the comments!

The Crufts Dilemma.