Researchers studies 24 randomly selected family dogs from a volunteer pool. They wanted to know how to dogs use their facial expressions.
Each dog was taken into a separate room and put a few feet from a strange person they have never met. The person would make four different stances;
- Face dog with treat
- Face dog without treat
- Turn away with treat
- Turn away without treat
The researchers’ camera taped the dog which let them analyze the dog’s expressions. In order to standardize their analysis, the team used a guide that defined each expression down to the specific facial muscles the dog used.
AU 101 also known as the “sad puppy” face which is known to have an effect on people. For example, previous studies have shown dogs that show this expression more often get adopted faster.
This study found that dogs responded the most when the people were facing them. AU 101 was most often seen when the person was facing the dog. The study showed a significant change in the dog’s behavior based on a person’s attention.
“We believe that this shows that this movement is potentially tapping into a preference humans have,” says Kaminski, whose study was published October 19 in the journal Scientific Reports.
But Why?
Although the study shows that dogs make different faces when humans are paying attention, this research can’t tell us why they do so.
Kaminski hopes that future research will show more of why dogs do this.
No sad faces here, we’ve got more Doggy Times goodness for you: mailman that even dogs love, shop for great gear, the dog that finds her way home years later.
