Neither. Although, there is a good possibility that you may not be as interesting as you think.
This is not unlike the old, “My dog looks guilty” remark I so often hear from owners who feel their dog has misbehaved and knows it. The truth is that this is one of those dog signals that we humans often misinterpret in a way that is far removed from its true meaning.
In general, dogs yawn because of stress typically brought on by uncomfortable situations or events. It need not be catastrophic or the equivalent of what you and I would consider stressful, but to a dog it can be a scary thing.
For some dogs, something as simple as having a leash put on or coming across an unfamiliar dog may be enough to bring on stress. Other examples can be the harsh tone in your voice, a child’s enthusiastic play, or a loud sound such as fireworks or a vacuum cleaner. I have seen that small dogs generally experience more stress than larger dogs.
Stress isn’t always provoked by scary things. When I get my dog Lulu ready for a walk she races around the house and yawns almost nonstop due to the excitement from the situation and the stress it creates. It’s not a frightening time for her, but it is nevertheless stressful.
Signals such as yawning, licking, and looking away, among others, are being called Calming Signals since research and observations indicate that dogs offer different gestures in order to calm themselves during tense and stressful times. These signals are also used to calm other dogs and humans and to convey non-threatening intentions.
Learning these signals is at the very foundation of understanding dog body language and provides us with a deeper insight into how dogs communicate with other dogs and humans.
As an owner who recognizes such signals in their dog (and all dogs do give off these signals), there are two simple steps that will help ease any stressful situation.
First, identify what is triggering the stress. I strongly believe that the more you know about what creates fear in your dog, the better you will understand your dog and the more predictable life will be with him or her. Learning your dog’s triggers is a non-negotiable requirement if you want to be a good dog parent.
Second, acknowledge that your dog is not feeling entirely safe and secure and do what you can to either remove the dog away from the situation or environment, move the trigger away from your dog, or stop the scary behavior or action altogether. For example, if you’re leaning into your dog when you notice her yawning and looking away make it a point of taking a few steps back and away from her and see how she responds.
These two steps may on the surface appear to be simplistic but they will make an enormous difference in how safe your dog will feel. By being more conscientious of how your dog responds during certain times you’ll grow to understand him far better than most, and that’s a beautiful thing.