Understanding dog facial expressions

Who's talking

Pet parents often understand what their dog is "saying" or communicating  (yes, even without the dog talk buttons)! This is likely due in part to our intense bond with our pets and time spent observing them in various situations. We are pretty good at understanding their barks, tail wags and facial expressions. But it is also clear that dogs are specialists in communicating with us. Dogs evolved from their wolf ancestors to gain our favor - so that we would offer them food, protection, and companionship. This idea is called "self-domestication". Over time, dogs developed methods to communicate with people in various ways.

Plain faces are more expressive

Researchers have also focused on canine communication, and specifically understanding dog facial expressions. A recent study included over 100 dogs and their people studied if the dog's facial markings were and if that impacted their expressions or the ability of people to understand their expressions.

The researchers from George Washington University reported that dogs with fewer markings or colors on their faces were more behaviorally expressive and better understood by humans than dogs with more complex facial characteristics.

Working dogs or highly trained dogs were also more expressive. This finding may reflect the importance of communication for dogs that excel at working closely with people. Consider the skills of a sheep herding dog or a medical alert dog. They have intense attention to us to coordinate their behavior. This requires a great deal of communication and use of facial expressions from both dog and human.

Pet parents were better at understanding the facial expressions of dogs that were 2-7 years of age and with plainer faces. Senior dogs were judged to be less expressive. This could simply reflect that after years together, they do not need to "try" so hard to communicate with their human family. Surely by then, our dogs have us trained!

Want to get involved? Check out the howdogstalk.org website for ways you can participate in studies about understanding dog facial expressions.