# Is panting an indication of happiness too?



## Smith3 (May 12, 2008)

We all know the wagging tail is a sign of it - but what about panting?

I never really considered it, but sometimes at night Koch will be on "her" couch chewing on something, I'll stroll over and pet her, massage her, and she will start heavy panting, tongue hanging out and all. We don't keep it warm in the house at all, so it isn't heat. Is she just getting excited over my attention that perhaps her heart starts racing and she gets hot?

Or is panting just also a visual indicator of happiness too? (I googled but with mixed results!)


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## Laura H. (Feb 23, 2009)

My Harley does that too, except he doesn't have to be petted to just start panting. I also keep my house cool, I started putting a fan on at night so if they're warm they can lay in front of it.

I had wondered why he did it too. Brody doesn't.


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## Puddincat (Dec 14, 2008)

You should read "How to speak dog" by Stanley Coren!! It's a really great book!!

Dog's grin when happy and pant


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## Laura H. (Feb 23, 2009)

Thanks, I'll try that, I also have a book called Pet Speak that covers both cats and dogs, but I didn't see anything about the panting.


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## Jessica H (Mar 14, 2009)

I have actually read that panting with a large grin is stress. Sadie does this when she is stressed out, in the car, people come to the house, at the vet, etc. 

There is the normal pant, when she is just hot but when she is in stressed she pants fast and a big grin. I have read it is called a calming signal.


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## Riley's Mom (Jun 7, 2007)

> Originally Posted By: PuddincatYou should read "How to speak dog" by Stanley Coren!! It's a really great book!!


I read a bunch of the reviews over at Amazon - couldn't find a bad one, it's on my list of books to buy, thanks!


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## AbbyK9 (Oct 11, 2005)

Panting can mean a lot of different things: being hot, tired, stressed, and yes, happy. There was an article a while back about how a shelter in Washington State is using a tape of panting dogs to help calm the dogs in the shelter. 

I Googled it and came up with this article (first hit on Google) - http://www.dogchannel.com/dog-news/dog-news-archives/article2005-12-22a.aspx - about the use of the panting dog tape. It has a link at the end that goes to the website that has the full research paper available for people to read.


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## Laura H. (Feb 23, 2009)

> Originally Posted By: HistorianPanting can mean a lot of different things: being hot, tired, stressed, and yes, happy. There was an article a while back about how a shelter in Washington State is using a tape of panting dogs to help calm the dogs in the shelter.
> 
> I Googled it and came up with this article (first hit on Google) - http://www.dogchannel.com/dog-news/dog-news-archives/article2005-12-22a.aspx - about the use of the panting dog tape. It has a link at the end that goes to the website that has the full research paper available for people to read.


Oh my gosh, that is incredible, I did not know that. I read the article, it's actually the panting sound the dog makes when he greets someone, they call it dog laughing. That's what calmed the shelter dogs.

I am going to make sure and pay attention to my dogs' panting. My husband is out with our daughter, when they get home I'll try to tell the difference in them. That is fascinating, thanks for that.


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