Moderator removed post
Yeah mine doesn't really sneeze
But frequently pausing with that playful bow/stance is an indication they're playing instead of fighting, I actually do it in response too lol I don't get on all 4s but when I'm playing I'll pause and take like a football player's stance
Lol I do that with my dog as well. I'll slap my arms to the floor and she mimics it without question. The cutest thing ever.
Dogs are so cute!
This just made me miss my childhood chocolate lab ❤️
I get on all 4 in downward dog. The first few seconds when they see it the first time they are confused because I’m not a dog. After that it’s play city.
I'd you don't start getting on all 4s when playing with your dog I'm going to call animal control.
Mine do the play bow, wrestle, then occasionally they'll do the sneeze and sometimes they shake like they just got out of the lake... only they're not wet.
If I do the "sneeze" (not a real one), they know we're going to play and get really excited.
that shake is a sort of self-regulating behaviour dogs do. If a situation is stressful, high-energy or anything like that, they’ll shake to get those feelings out of their system so they don’t get overwhelmed. It’s super awesome and all dogs will do it when playing! (some more than others depending on how much they need it)
Yup, I sneeze back at my dogs to show them that I am also playing
I do the same.
One of us
I sneeze back at dogs I'm playing with to show them I'm allergic 🤣
Dog cuddles are totally worth it (also funny to know they might take it as a playful thing!)
Yup! My boys do this all the time while playing. They also sneeze multiple times when they are excited about something, ie food, treats and the most sneezy they get is when mommy walks though the door ♥️♥️ GD I luv them so much!
Mine don't always do the sneeze, but you can tell exactly where their minds are by watching their tail wags and ears.
Growing up, I was never a 'dog person' and had cats. It's only been ~10 years since a rescue puppy melted my icy-cold heart.
Now I can't imagine life without them. They enrich my life so incredibly much.
I think it is a lot like laughing for them.
I read this thinking that your "boys" were actually human children. Was quite funny
Try doing the sneeze back to them, they fuckin lose it it's like a high five
Exactly. All our dogs who i raised to play fight with me instead of just the thow ball go ape shite ballistic when i do the sneese
My dog is old and sometimes I use it to see if his legs hurt, too (he's really dumb and will keep playing/running well past the point of soreness). Learning how to talk to your dogs really builds the relationship and makes pet ownership really fulfilling. They're not furniture, they're family!
We lost our old boi a few days after my birthday. He was a brother. Knew him more then half my life. Til the end we never knew he had pain as he was fetching the ball running and jumping and playing. So i get what you mean.
Til the end we never knew he had pain as he was fetching the ball running and jumping and playing
Yup. That's exactly what my border collie has always been like. He shows absolutely no outward signs of pain and has no inclination to avoid it. We only find out after he's hurt himself and can't jump onto the couch or starts limping
If you do it back to them, they go nuts and think it’s playtime overdrive now.
Also to say "too rough, we're just playing"
Even better, you can sneeze at them to say "play time" or "dial it back a bit" as well :)
This makes a lot of sense. I get really bad sneezing fits in the spring (like 8 or 9 in a row) and my dog always gets super excited and starts running around and I never understood why
That’s too cute!
"Wow, these flowers really make my human want to play!"
My dog does this too even just for one sneeze. He loses his mind every time 😂
I must have played too hard with my dog one day because I look at him and he starts sneezing like crazy lmao
Every time my puppy sneezes I say “bless you!”
Now every time I sneeze she gives me one little bark as if she’s come to understand that we’re supposed to vocalize in response to someone sneezing. She’s trying her best.
Well that's just adorable.
HOOMAN SAID SUPER FUN PLAYTIME!! YAYYYYY!!!!111
I get bad sneezing fits with allergies and my dog hates it lol. In her defense I'm a pretty dramatic sneezer. It's more like a mild yell.
Your dog probably thinks you're a playtime tease.
the first time I learned this, I sneezed back, and the dog went absolutely wild
Y'all can just... sneeze on command?
wild.
Just shake your head really quickly with a quick expulsion of air from your nose/mouth, your dog will understand
Dog: I gotchu bro
"The accent is a bit thick bit I still get what you mean"
I've been sick for three days and just tried this out. Good thing I had tissue on hand lol
Your dog’s been wondering why you keep inviting them to play and yet wouldn’t get off the couch
Yep. Imagine someone you didn't think could speak your language suddenly says "let's play!"
Bad idea. When I sneeze I don't go a cute a achoo, I go full A-TSCHOOO and wake the whole house up
It's more a huff or snort through the nose than a full blown sneeze, but I love the idea of you doing a full on dad sneeze at a dog and it thinking "boy, this person plays HARD"
It’s like a bull huff than a sneeze
Your dog would probably pass out from excitement
That's super cool! Thanks for sharing that
My go to is Do you want some of this and the bowing down and sneezing begin3
Ah, I guess that's why when I'm wrestling with my dog and pin him down, he sneezes in my face. I thought he just learned that it makes me let him go because it's gross.
Funnily, our family dog always responds to "play bow" if we look at her and slightly bend our knees. She will always rush towards us for wrestling or grab a toy for fetch/tug or run around the house for us to chase
Well this explains why, when I sneeze my dog turns into an absolute loon and charges about the house.
Already do it. lol.
My doggo is always perplexed at my ability to speak his language. Or so I think…
My Dog stops whatever she is doing and runs away if I sneeze.
You can also sniff their ass to let them know you’re interested in socializing with them
My boy sneezes when I give him dinner, he’s so excited he wags the whole back half of his body too.
That’s his way of saying “fine, I guess I won’t have to hurt you after all…”
"You'll live another day, human."
"But if I have to wait till 8:05 one more time, you won't make it to 8:06."
This sounds like something a cat would be more likely to say
Yes, but we were talking about a specific behavior in dogs.
For cats it’s easier:
1) do you have one or more cats?
2) are you still alive?
If yes to both, your cat(s) have decided to let you live another day.
That’s what we in the industry like to call a wiggle butt. Their whole back end wags along with their tail
Sharing our technical terms with laypeople? How could you.
Mine bends into a U shape and his tail does a fluffy helicopter.
That’s what my does when I get home from work. He legit wags his tail so hard he’s bent at a 90* angle in the middle like Slinky Dog. I think his tail wags him more than he wags his tail.
I love when dogs wag so enthusiastically their whole furry body bends side to side!
Mine would sneeze every time she realized she was successful in luring me off the couch to give her a treat. A celebratory sneeze I guess
Whenever I ask my dog if he wants to go outside he starts running up at me and sneezes, I sneeze back and he sneezes back, it's a whole thing we do.
We call that the 'full body wag' at my house.
My little baby wags so hard she nearly folds in half and walks half sideways crab style when I get in from work!
My dog would only do it with water. He'd only wimper when he needed the bathroom or water, so when you stood up, if he started sneezing it was water. (Bathroom he bolted to the door)
They do it with other dogs, too, and this phenomena is believed to also be the reason humans laugh. It’s to ensure other humans understand when we don’t mean any harm (obviously that’s changed over time)
I heard it was to let others know a potentially dangerous thing is actually harmless. Like you hear a rustling in the woods at night, one of the tribe checks it out, and a squirrel jumps out. He starts laughing and everyone is instantly relieved.
TIL My dad thinks I'm a squirrel
I just saw a perfect example of this in action. Although a bit more complex.
Two of my coworkers were arguing about something. To the point where one cursed at another. Honestly I’m not sure who is at fault but they were really getting into it and the woman started really getting visibly mad at the guy. But the guy, John, started laughing when the woman, Lisa, really laid into him.
Because he didn’t want to argue with her but she was really mad at him. So he laughed, unconsciously, because he didn’t want to fight with her. Not a big laugh, just like a chuckle under his breath. He obviously wanted it to end but she didn’t. So when he laugh she got more mad and said “This isn’t funny, John! I’m not laughing about this!”
And then he walked away from her.
Classic Lisa
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
I feel like you won’t harm me. Feels nice.
Azula has entered the chat
Dogs also have a breathy “laugh” (panting) when they play with each other
The Joker:
It’s a thing that also apes still have and we have it too to a certain degree. It’s to calm the opponent, when they are angry or sad etc. It happens especially often when you don’t know how to react and if you feel uncomfortable
My shiba ain’t sneezing and she’s fighting me for real!!! Throwing paws!
get rekt kid
Stranger at the park: are your shibas trying to kill each other?
Me: nah they just playin
Stranger: how can you tell?
Me: you can tell
Omae wa mou shindeiru
Feel like Shibas are a lil different they're like so stoic.
LOL ours is the opposite of stoic. He's a massive idiot mostly
Way of the warrior.
More like throwing cake. My shiba’s fight with their asses.
This'll be the coolest thing I learn today.
Baby owls smell EXACTLY like maple syrup and their feathers are so soft that only your lips are sensitive enough to feel them.
Who was kissing baby owls for science, and what was their job title?
Isn't there another area of the human body with the same skin as lips?
looks down
“Oh.”
I was surprised that this wasn’t a widely known fact! I’ve always done it to dogs when I’m with them haha, they go into play-mode
You should Google it before accepting it as a fact…
User deleted comment
14d
Well they are an artificial species that were genetically engineered and bred to be submissive to humans so it makes sense that you like them
Another fun dog fact:
The way a dog's brain activity flares up when they see a human is the same way a human's brain activity flares up when we see a dog or other cute animal.
This means that your dog thinks you're cute.
I've heard elephants are the same too! In that elephants see us like we see pets.
I just imagine a baby elephant asking his mom if he can keep me.
Aawww my gosh 🥹
Dang I always copied him for fun didn’t know I was speaking dog lingo
dogs can sneeze at will?
It's more of a huff, or a forceful snort. My dog actually sneezing sounds like giving the raspberry through a vuvuzela.
It's more like them just blowing air out through their nose. It's not an actual sneeze but it kind of sounds like one.
See, this is key information that OP left out and it makes more sense now!
That was my take away as well. It makes sense someone clarifying a snort.
This is fascinating. Sometimes when I sneeze, one of my dogs looks confused or concerned. Maybe I'm accidentally saying something I don't mean 😂
Nah, your meaning's clear.
But your accent. ZOMG.
Dogs really are such a gift to humans
Nothing in this world will love you like a dog.
My dog sneezes when she’s mad at us lol. If we tell her no she starts sneezing and kicking her feet to have a tantrum
Mine does it to protest too! She does it when I tell her it's not time for dinner yet
My pug's not trying to kill me, noted.
But anyways, I'd love to see that bitch try.
What?! So is so cool and good to know
Dogs just make life better
So that's why he sneezes so much whenever someone carries food.
Meanwhile cats:
Don't complain, I could bite you to the bone without even trying!
Sounds about dog
My dog who likes to win
TIL, sometimes i get upset with my dog because he'll give me kisses in the face and then he will sneeze after 😅
Is there a source for this, or am I just supposed to believe the meme?
My cat hurts me when we play. I think that’s part of the fun for her.
Source?
Here is a source from the American kennel club
I couldn't find an academic paper.
I'm kind of just seeing another claim though. How did they confirm this is what the dog's intention is? I'm not trying to be contrarian or combative. I see a dog taking an action, us perceiving it, and then giving it intention.
Dogs can't communicate with the precise, eloquence that humans do using language. So how did we confirm they're doing it for that specific of a reason?
We observe and assume. When puppies play fight they show this behavior. When dogs play around they exhibit the same behavior. When they go in to do actual damage, they dont.
Assumptions arent facts. Ive seen dogs play fighting that didnt involve sneezing. Were they now actually fighting? Ive seen stressed out, unhappy dogs sneezing? Were they communicating that they were actually doing fine?
I don't think any animal or human sneezes when they're trying to inflict damage
Facts. I’m a pet sitter and last night the dog and I had a 5-minute slapstick sneeze-off. We laughed our asses off.
My dog does the sneezes for attention, because she wants something (usually the food you're holding)
My dog always kisses my hand to say "We were rough, but we cool. We cool." Or to say "Alright that's enough now."
I sneeze at dogs when we rough house. They usually get happy.
Aw, I was starting to think my dog was just allergic to me
Is this an actual fact?
Its a behaviour,
If i said people laugh when theyre nervous, wouldnt really be a fact. But still generally pretty true
That's not true. Lol
But do they gotta sneeze right in my face tho???
I sneeze back to make sure they know I know we're playing
When I was a kid, my dad would let off a massive sneeze and the dogs would come running stare at him and sneeze back at him.
My Australian shepherd does this when he wants to play. He’ll do the play bow pose, where he puts his front paws and head down and his butt up in the air.
But he doesn’t “sneeze.” It’s more of a “huff” or a “snort.”
And when my cat sneezes in my face at 3am that's also a sign of love....right?
My labrador starts sneezing whenever he's excited.
"Wanna go for a walk?" = tail wagging, body spinning, legs hopping, nose sneezing
Do cats do this, or does mine just like to sneeze on me?
The next time a pit bull is mauling me, I'm going to sneeze at it.
Oooorr empty their sinuses for sniffing better
My bull terrier doesn't want to bark in the house to avoid disturbing us. When he wants to go into the garden, he stands at the door and sneezes.
However, when he wants to come back inside, he barks because you can't hear the sneezing from outside.
My little dog does this whenever he is excited. Especially when it's walk time!
I feel like an asshole. I literally yelled at my dog for sneezing on me this morning while we were snuggling. 😭
And then you find out your dog yawns cause he doesn't want to hangout with you
I "sneeze" back to let my daschund know I understand lol its so cute when she does it 😍
oh well when my dog bows to me I always bow back because it signifies us as equals so I never care if I look stupid doing it😭🙈
Great, now I feel bad for all the times I didn’t sneeze back
I thought it was when they yawn no?
Wolves in the wild use sneezing as a way to vote on initiating a hunt.
I started doing this while playing with our family dog (shitzu/Bichon/terrier mix) and I noticed he played more enthusiastically. It was a noticeable difference
If you're sneezing, the dog knows you're having fun and they're not hurting you. So it's time for more play. 😀
Oh wow I didn't know that 🥹 I love my doggos!
In my experience it’s a quick snort that sort of sounds like a mild sneeze but not a true one. It’s like if you tried to imitate one.
Mine never snoozed, not sure if I should be terrified, but they did silly poses.
This was how I figured out that my grandmother's dog wasn't trying to be aggressive and she just didn't know how to play gently with people.
My dog has hay fever. She just sits in the corner and has sneezing fits
I call them "approval snorts" because they don't when they are happy as well.
My dog did it with her large stuffed animals and she tore those things to shreds. She also did it as part of her post-bath zoomies round
i keep playing with my pups and tend to do it so they learn to be polite when playing with each other
Sneeze back at them.
I’m allergic to dogs so I sneeze back when I play with them!
Or it could be from them sniffing ass all day
Mine sneezes to say "hurry up!"
the OP Same-Witness6056 is a bt
Original: https://www.reddit.com/r/wholesomememes/comments/8npnqs/we_dont_deserve_dogs/
Is there a way to automate spotting bots? I'd like to work on a project like that. Got any advice.
Iv always wondered that. Thanks.
It's not for just us humans, lmao
Mine always sneeze at my face lol.
Accurate. Dogs are so cute and pure it makes me want to curl into fetal position and weep uncontrollably.
Maybe. Tho not sure about my boy.- when he does a purposeful sneeze at me, I tell him to quit cussin’
MY PUPPY DOES THAT ALL THE TIME- even if he did hurt me lol
I'm crying 😩
i call b..shit
Lmao that’s awesome to know, ima try it
And there's my cat who gets into a murder frenzy for playing with her for a few minutes before she realizes she made a mistake
I sneeze at my dog he cant help but sneeze its funny
They do it with other dogs too. Usually in conjunction with the “play-bow” pose too.