Flat-faced dogs are so cute, we can’t tell when they are sad

FLAT-FACED dogs are so cute that humans cannot tell when they are sad, a study suggests.

Brachycephalic dogs, which have been bred to have a short snout and compressed skull, suffer a range of health issues and are often sickly animals as a result of their extreme form.

Scientists from the Czech University of Life Sciences Prague took videos and photos of 23 dogs belonging to either a Boston terrier – a brachycephalic breed – or a jack russell terrier.

Footage of them in four different environments – “called by name”, “play”, “separation” and “threatened by stranger” – was shown to 350 people who were asked to describe the facial expressions of the animals.

Participants were more successful in reading the facial expressions of Boston terriers in “positive” scenarios but struggled to recognise expressions in “negative” contexts, which were more easily seen in jack russells, data show.

Petra Eretová, the study lead author, said: “Brachycephalic or flat-face dogs are often seen as cute, appealing and almost comically expressive, with their large eyes and short noses.

“But contrary to the stereotype, it is actually harder to read the facial expressions of flat-face dogs, compared to normal dogs. We found that Boston terriers were often misunderstood when expressing negative emotions, and people were in fact more likely to assume the dog was happy, even when it was scared or anxious.”

Kennel Club data show that flat-faced dogs in the UK are enduring their biggest decline in popularity in more than a decade, with experts cautiously optimistic that messaging on health woes may be getting through to owners.

Dr Dan O’neill, associate professor of companion animal epidemiology at the Royal Veterinary College, told The Daily Telegraph: “These findings help explain why so many people still refuse to accept the serious health issues linked to popular breeds such as French bulldogs, pugs and English bulldogs.”

He added: “It now seems that those flat faces that make dogs look so appealing to humans despite the severe problems that they cause are also the reason owners cannot recognise the suffering.”

The study is published in the journal Applied Animal Behaviour Science.