Yes, they can

A new study has confirmed that dogs yawn contagiously. They're the only creature known to do so other than humans and chimpanzees. In fact, they are even better at it than we are:

Seventy-two percent, or 21 of the 29 dogs, yawned after watching the researcher yawn -- higher than the 45% to 60% rate reported in humans and the 33% rate reported in chimps.

No dogs yawned during the control portion of the experiment.

"Dogs are not only reading and responding but may be sharing feelings with humans," said Atsushi Senju, a research fellow at the University of London's Birkbeck College and one of the study authors.