Labrador Smiling During Sleepover With Grandma Melts Hearts: 'So Content'

A video of a dog appearing to be smiling during a sleepover with his grandma has gone viral on TikTok, where it had received over 300,000 views at the time of writing.

A message overlaid on the video shared by Alan + Max (@aschmidtt0) read: "Your grandma is here, which means sleepovers!"

The clip showed a black labrador waiting beside a bed, while a woman tapped the mattress with her hand, encouraging the pup to join her. The dog then jumped onto the bed and appeared to have a grin on his face while the woman patted his head in bed.

A caption posted with the video said: "Is it just me or is Max literally smiling."

Can Dogs Really Smile?

As heartwarming as the dog's reaction in the latest viral video may be, do dogs really smile?

They do indeed. But most behaviorists don't really consider a dog's smile to be "a true grin in the way we think about a human smile," veterinarian Dr. Sandra C. Mitchell explained in a November 2021 PetMD article.

Several canine expressions, such as wide-mouth panting, relaxing with their tongues out and submissive grins, can be seen as a smile, she said.

Most scientists believe a dog's smile can be traced back to evolution and the fact that dogs are "masters of analyzing human behavior."

Humans tend to react in a positive way when they see a dog smile, either by smiling back or offering treats. So dogs smile more often because they're rewarded for this behavior.

This phenomenon of dogs being triggered to smile when humans smile is akin to "laughter contagion," the veterinarian said. "Just as one person laughing heartily can trigger another person to start laughing, a happy person that smiles can trigger a happy dog to smile back."

Mitchell said it's also important to bear in mind that individual dogs respond to varying situations in different ways. So, what might trigger a smile in one dog may not cause the same in another.

'So Content'

The latest viral video has delighted users on TikTok, with some sharing that their own dogs seem to have a special bond with their grandmothers.

User stillspookydagger wrote: "He is literally smiling," while Meghan said: "That's grandma's baby."

Chad Leamon wrote: "The little wind up before the jump [onto the bed] lol [laugh out loud] cute pup."

Matthew Riches said: "He's so content," to which the original poster replied: "He really is."

Sue Today wrote: "My son's dog was not allowed on the bed, but when I came to visit that rule ended for a few days." The original poster replied: "That's exactly how it goes in our house too."

Catherine D said: "I moved in with my mom recently and my dachshund loves when I drop him off in her room when I go to work."

Newsweek has contacted the original poster for comment via TikTok and email. This video hasn't been independently verified.

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