Dachshund Can Do One Facial Expression on Demand, Internet Obsessed

A video of a dog grinning from ear to ear has racked up over 2 million views on TikTok.

The heartwarming clip was shared on an account dedicated to Isabella and Bean, the dachshunds (@isabellaandbean). It shows one of them sitting on a dog bed, staring at their owner, who is holding the camera. The owner then says, “Smile,” and, just like clockwork, the dog does exactly that.

The text layered over the video reads: “When I asked my dog to smile… I never expected she would.”

It’s not just the dog who’s smiling—the internet is too. At the time of writing, the November 15 post has gathered more than 483,000 likes and 880 comments.

“OMG! That is the perfect smile!” said one user, while another agreed: “Omg! That’s the cutest thing I’ve ever seen.”

“That smile got me smiling,” said a third commenter, and a fourth joked: “Every time she smiles, I would just give her my wallet.”

Other comments on the clip captioned, “CHEEEEEEEESE,” suggest that sausage dogs smiling isn’t anything out of the ordinary.

Do Dogs Really Smile?

Dogs control their facial expressions when feeling happy through a complex interaction of brain activity, hormones, and neurotransmitters, as outlined in the study Current Advances in Assessment of Dog’s Emotions, Facial Expressions, and Their Use for Clinical Recognition of Pain.

When a dog associates positive emotions with humans or other dogs, the amygdala—a small part of the brain that plays a key role in processing emotions—triggers an increase in hormones like oxytocin (OXT), dopamine (DA), and serotonin (SE). These chemicals activate specific facial muscles, causing the eyes to appear larger and the corners of the mouth to pull back, mimicking a “smile.”

Oxytocin, often called the “love hormone,” plays a significant role in fostering bonds between dogs and their human companions. Studies have shown that the oxytocinergic system—the system in the body that produces and regulates oxytocin—is key in managing these inter-species relationships.

Oxytocin, in particular, plays a key role. At optimal levels (around 15 ng/mL), it supports the brain’s ability to process social cues and recognize emotional expressions, whether happy or sad. This ability is crucial for social bonding and emotional memory, promoting a deeper connection between dogs and their companions. The balance between excitatory neurotransmitters (like DA and noradrenaline) and calming ones (like serotonin) further influences the dog’s emotional state, regulated by the amygdala and motor cortex.

Newsweek reached out to @isabellaandbean for comment via TikTok. We could not verify the details of the case.

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