Pet dogs can ‘catch’ human yawns

DogYawning is known to be contagious in humans but now scientists have shown that pet dogs can catch a yawn, too. The copying activity suggests that canines are capable of empathising with people, say the researchers who recorded dogs’ behaviour in lab tests.

Until now, only humans and their close primate relatives were thought to find yawning contagious. The team – from Birkbeck College, University of London – reports its findings in Biology Letters.

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