Why Your Dog Sighs — & What It’s Really Trying To Tell You

John McKeen/Getty ImagesFrom their empathetic eyes to their smile to wagging their tail, it can be hard to resist assigning human emotions to our dogs’ behaviors. But dogs do something even more relatable: sighing. When your dog sighs and stares at you while standing next to its empty food bowl, or after plopping down on the couch (after circling the same spot nine times), it feels like they’re communicating something with you. We may assume that, like humans, dogs sigh when they’re frustrated, exasperated, or exhausted. But is that an accurate assessment? We spoke with several dog behavior ex