What does it mean when my boxer yawns? Well, it depends. While a boxer is resting -a yawn may mean tiredness (seems pretty obvious to us). However,  if your boxer is excitable one second and yawning the next- well that behavior can be observed a little differently.  In an article posted by Psychology Today, yawning is said to have some “communication value” given how contagious they can be.  The article then stated:

Direct observations of canine behavior have shown that dogs that are under stress are more likely to yawn.

However, yawning (in canine language) is often used to send a pacifying message.  The article explained this by stating …

The Latin roots of the word pacifying give us a good indication of the meaning of the word, since it comes from pax, meaning “peace,” and facere, meaning “to make.”  The yawn contains no elements of fear, dominance or aggression. It is the exact opposite of a threat. When a dog is being menaced by another dog’s aggressive signals, the target of this display may simply respond with a yawn. While the dog’s human companion may view this as a sign of nonchalance or bored confidence, it is, in reality, sending a pacifying message. At the same time, yawning is not a sign of submission. The threatening dog will often break off its aggressive display immediately upon seeing its target yawn. It may even act a bit uncertain or unsure about what to do next, and then may begin to initiate tentative greeting and approach behaviors.

Here is a great video of an adult boxer exhibiting this behavior!

So to answer the Question: What does it mean when my boxer yawns?

Answer: Yawning may indicate tiredness (the most obvious to us), stress, or peace.

So the next time your boxer yawns -you might just be able to figure out why, by observing the environment and extraneous stimuli!  In addition, if you are ever in a sticky situation with an aggressive dog- try yawning.

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A special “Thanks” to Jeremy Saunders for giving us permission to use the sweet picture of Oliver the boxer yawning!