Why Does My Dog Sigh?

[:Zelda:Druggie:]

I adopted a Pitbull from my local shelter a little over a year ago, the story of how I found her is actually quite heartwarming ^_^ But that's besides the point, I was wondering if anyone else has a dog that occasionally lets out a big ol' sigh. I really want to know what it means, is she happy, sad, annoyed, or upset? She tends to do it more when she's laying down, or if she's waiting for a treat or something, she'll lay her head down and just sigh, it's actually pretty cute xD Does anyone know what makes a dog sigh? Does your dog sigh, if so, when and why do you think? Share your knowledge

 

[Ronin]

Our dog sighs when he's bored or we're paying more attention to somebody else. It's funny to see him get jealous; he'll sort of bury his nose under his paws and let out a sporadic groan.

 

[Nicole]

My dogs usually sigh when they're tired. My girl, Kendra, sighs when she lays down. It's quite cute, really, because she'll just slowly jump onto the couch (where she sleeps) and let out a huff. Sometimes when I pet her while she's trying to sleep, she'll open her eyes, give me a death glare, and grunt a little bit. My boy, Balto, he just moans, all the time. He doesn't bark often (though when he does, you know he means it). He'll sigh every now and again, but not as much as Kendra. I remember one time a while ago when my dogs were laying down next to my mother and me. Kendra sighed, then I sighed, then my mom sighed, and then Balto sighed. It was pretty funny.

I think dogs sigh for reasons similar to humans', just to let out a rush of emotion. It could perhaps be to calm down and let some stress out (which would make sense, because some do it before they sleep), or they could possibly be sad. I don't think dogs' emotions are as advanced as humans' emotions, but from what I've seen of my own dogs, they do have a somewhat melancholy emotion. I'd say it could usually signal tiredness, annoyance, or sadness, but there are probably other things that play into it.

 

[ZeldaOcarina]

Most dogs I've known tend to sigh when they're contented. Especially when laying down, they relax themselves to nap or just, well relax. When they're comfortable, they'll sigh, showing that they're content and ready to rest. Our dog does the same thing, so whenever she sighs, I like to sigh back at her. It's kind of fun.

 

[:Zelda:Druggie:]

Most dogs I've known tend to sigh when they're contented. Especially when laying down, they relax themselves to nap or just, well relax. When they're comfortable, they'll sigh, showing that they're content and ready to rest. Our dog does the same thing, so whenever she sighs, I like to sigh back at her. It's kind of fun.

That's exactly what I do xD She gives me the weirdest look like "Why are you copying me?"