Yes, it’s normal for dogs to bare their teeth when they smile. The bigger problem is that people often misinterpret a toothy smile as aggression and become scared, Haug says.

Cats do smile, but not in the way that humans do – while we bare a grin to show our happiness, cats smile with their eyes, says Marci Koski, a feline behavior and training consultant.

Cats do smile, but not in the way that humans do – while we bare a grin to show our happiness, cats smile with their eyes, says Marci Koski, a feline behavior and training consultant.

Yes, it’s normal for dogs to bare their teeth when they smile. The bigger problem is that people often misinterpret a toothy smile as aggression and become scared, Haug says.