It’s in the eyes as pets win our puppy love
DOGS make puppy dog eyes for the benefit of humans and rarely use the imploring facial expression when on their own, a new study has shown.
Scientists at the Dog Cognition Centre at Portsmouth University have found that dogs mostly use facial expressions when humans are present, as a direct response to attention. Puppy dog eyes, in which the brow is raised, making the eyes appear wider and sadder, was found to be the most commonly used expression in the study.
Researchers do not know whether the dogs are aware they look “sad”, or have just learned that widening their eyes elicits sympathy in humans.
Dr Juliane Kaminski, a dog cognition expert, said: “We can now be confident that the production of facial expressions made by dogs is dependent on the attention state of their audience and not just a result of dogs being excited.
“In our study they produced far more expressions when someone was watching, but seeing food treats did not have the same effect.
“The findings appear to support evidence dogs are sensitive to humans’ attention and that expressions are potentially active attempts to communicate, not simple emotional displays.”
The researchers studied 24 dogs of various breeds, aged one to 12. They found that when a human was not watching the animal, it abandoned facial expressions.
Dr Kaminski said. “This study moves forward what we understand about dog cognition.”