Every breed has its own ways. See yours, free, at biscuitandyarn.com/breed.

Your dog yawns, but it isn't bedtime. Here's what scientists have learned about dog yawns: why dogs can catch a yawn from people, why yawning shows up in tense moments, and how to read a yawn in its context.

Inside this episode:

- Not Just Sleepy- Catching a Yawn From You- Yawning When Things Feel Tense- Reading the Whole Dog

Sources include the references linked below.

Sources and further reading:- Joly-Mascheroni, Senju & Shepherd 2008, Dogs catch human yawns, Biology Letters- Neilands et al. 2020, Contagious yawning is not a signal of empathy, Proceedings of the Royal Society B- Romero, Konno & Hasegawa 2013, Familiarity bias and physiological responses in contagious yawning by dogs, PLOS ONE- Dogs Trust, Signs your dog may be stressed- Royal Kennel Club, Signs of anxiety in dogs survey

This episode is an educational overview, not individual professional advice. Details can vary by context. Corrections are incorporated into future editions.

Follow Life With Dogs: In Context for more episodes.

Love Labradors? Names, traits and art for the breed are at biscuitandyarn.com/lab.

Labrador Retrievers were America's most popular breed for 31 years in a row. Here's how they went from Newfoundland fishing docks to family sofas, why Labs are so famously food-motivated, and the health topics Lab owners hear about most.

Inside this episode:

- From Newfoundland to England- Built to Retrieve- Why Labs Love Food So Much- Health in Context

Sources include the references linked below.

Sources and further reading:- American Kennel Club, America's best friend: the Labrador Retriever- American Kennel Club, Labrador Retriever breed standard- Raffan et al. 2016, A deletion in the canine POMC gene, Cell Metabolism- University of Cambridge, Genetic mutation in a quarter of all Labradors- McGreevy et al. 2018, Labrador Retrievers under primary veterinary care in the UK- Pegram et al. 2021, Health of Labrador Retrievers compared with other dogs, Scientific Reports

This episode is an educational overview, not individual professional advice. Details can vary by context. Corrections are incorporated into future editions.

Follow Life With Dogs: In Context for more episodes.

Love Labradors? Names, traits and art for the breed are at biscuitandyarn.com/lab.

The French Bulldog is America's most popular breed for the fourth year running. Here's where it really came from, how American fans saved its bat ears, what Frenchies are usually like at home, and what that flat face means for breathing and heat.

Inside this episode:

- English Roots, French Name- The Battle Over the Ears- What Frenchies Are Usually Like- That Face, in Plain Terms- Keeping Cool

Sources include the references linked below.

Sources and further reading:- American Kennel Club, The Most Popular Dog Breeds of 2025- American Kennel Club, French Bulldog breed information- French Bull Dog Club of America, History- O'Neill et al. 2021, Health of French Bulldogs in the UK, Canine Medicine and Genetics- University of Cambridge, BOAS Research Group- Hall et al. 2020, Heat-related illness in UK dogs, Scientific Reports

This episode is an educational overview, not individual professional advice. Details can vary by context. Corrections are incorporated into future editions.

Follow Life With Dogs: In Context for more episodes.

Every breed has its own ways. See yours, free, at biscuitandyarn.com/breed.

A human points, and a dog may know where to look. This episode examines what pointing experiments show, how context matters, and why performance is not identical in every dog.

Inside this episode:

- Pointing tasks- Context and attention- Differences among dogs- What experiments cannot prove

Sources include original dog pointing, gaze, and free-ranging-dog studies.

This episode is an educational overview, not individual professional advice. Details can vary by context. Corrections are incorporated into future editions.

Follow Life With Dogs: In Context for more episodes.

Every breed has its own ways. See yours, free, at biscuitandyarn.com/breed.

How do dogs start or keep a game going together? This episode looks at play bows, partner responses, and the range of ways dog play can unfold.

Inside this episode:

- Play invitations- The play bow- Partner responses- Variation between playmates

Sources include original dog social-play and comparative behavior studies.

This episode is an educational overview, not individual professional advice. Details can vary by context. Corrections are incorporated into future editions.

Follow Life With Dogs: In Context for more episodes.