Does dog humor exist? Well, this article featuring Leonbergers claim that it likely does. Dogs think it is funny to be a bit mischievous and they special sounds while doing it. You can call it dog laughter. Well, if that is the case, then our Leonberger Bronco laughed on several occasions, for example the time he escaped the leash and had me chasing him around the neighborhood (see story below).
Regarding dog laughter, I am also wondering about Rollo, our mini-Australian Shepherd. He loves lying on his back and getting a belly rub. While you are doing it, he is kicking all four of his legs while turning his head back and forth with his mouth open. It looks like he is laughing, like a giggling baby getting tickled.
A couple of times, Bronco took advantage of the fact that the snap hook on his leash would come loose and detach from his collar. One day this became a big problem. Bronco ran off, and I chased him—across the street, across people’s lawns, across the street again, and back over neighboring lawns. When he ran in circles, I ran in circles right behind him, yelling at him. He would stop and wait for me, and then as soon as I got close, he would start running again. I even jumped to catch him a few times. But he dashed off both times, and I just landed flat on my belly.
Bronco had a lot of fun doing this. I imagined him laughing at me, and I got angry. Dogs can’t laugh, of course, but his tail was wagging in excitement, and it was obviously a game to him—a dangerous game.
So, I asked him, “Do you want to be lost? Bad things happen to dogs who get lost.” I don’t know how much of that he understood, but I had to tell him the truth. Then I turned around and started walking home. I figured I’d never catch him, so it was better for me to go back and get help. (It was 2008, and I didn’t have a cell phone.) Naturally, I worried that Bronco would get hit by a car. I was also worried about the damage an energetic 130-pound adolescent dog could do to the neighborhood.
As I stomped off, I turned around to look at Bronco. He stood still, around a hundred yards away, staring back at me. He seemed confused. I continued walking. After a while, I heard the soft slapping of big paws on the road behind me, accompanied by some distinctly noisy breathing. Then I saw Bronco walking next to me, so I carefully snapped the leash back onto his collar. He let me do it without protest. He was finished playing games. We walked home calmly, and the next day I bought a new and better leash.
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Finally, I would like to promote my book about Bronco and Leonbergers. It has a lot of color photos, amusing Leonberger stories, and Leonberger information that has been verified and is also based on personal information.
Below is a list of where you can find the book. Click on the links to go to the respective store. However, if your favorite bookstore is not listed below you can search for it using the ISBN or ASIN numbers.
ISBN number for printed edition: 978-0998084954
ASIN number for the e-book edition: B0B5NN32SR
Leonberger Life 
11 replies on “The Day My Leonberger Was Laughing At Me”
He must have had so much fun! They do say that if a dog gets loose from its lead, don’t chase as it thinks it’s a game… 😉
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Yes you are so right. I didn’t know it at the time, but I learned my lesson.
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Whew, I’m glad he left off the game and decided to come home with you!
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Yes I am so glad he came with me. I think he would have found his way home if he hadn’t, but it would have been potentially dangerous.
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Oh, that naughty boy. LOL It sounds like he had a good time, though. 😀 That was smart to just start walking home. I’m glad it all turned out well.
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Thank you Kymber. Yes I am really happy he just stopped when I did that. I learned later on that the fun chase is typical dog behavior. Chasing them around trying to catch is just fun for them and they are faster. Unless they have really learned how to obediently heed “come” without fail (which he hadn’t yet) you will lose that game.
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What a heart-warming story, Thomas. You are going to have a legion of readers falling in love with Bronco.
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Thank you so much for your kind words Jacqui. BTW your third book in the “Dawn of Humanity” series, the paperback version, is currently out for delivery. I got an email. I am waiting for it. I am looking forward to reading it as the other two are great!
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Thank you for ordering it! Ump finds a friend in it I think you’ll like.
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That sounds exciting. Thank you Jacqui.
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The book just came. Ump looks great on the cover.
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