Dogs Communicate With Facial Expressions, Find Out How

Dogs can communicate with humans through their body language. Your pet’s tail or the position of his head can tell you a lot about your little friend’s behavior, but can his face express some kind of behavior?

According to science …

A team of Japanese scientists discovered that dogs use their facial expressions to show their emotions. According to his tests, when dogs see their owners, they tend to raise their eyebrows. After several investigations, it was possible to show that expressions reflect the activity of the brain that controls emotions.

Using high-speed cameras, the researchers noted that when dogs were reunited with their owners, after seeing them, they tended to move their eyebrows up for about a second.

The test consisted of placing 12 dogs in a room divided in two by a curtain, so that they can see what was on the other side. Meanwhile, a team of high-speed cameras captured each of his facial expressions. On the other side could be the owner of the dog, a toy, an item, or a stranger.

The researchers found that the dogs moved their eyebrows up whenever they saw someone behind the screen and the movement became even more pronounced, especially on the left side, when they saw their owner.

Earlier this year, a group of psychologists in the United States concluded that dog owners were capable of detecting emotions in their pets’ facial expressions. In that sense, the tests revealed that people could detect whether the animals looked happy, sad, surprised or scared. Such sensitivity is due to the fact that humans develop a natural empathy with dogs, which allows them to detect these types of expressions.

Dogs communicate, how to read a dog’s eyes

A dog can, within its limits, vary the shape and size of its eyes or the direction and intensity of its gaze. Eyes that appear larger than normal usually indicate that you feel threatened in some way. If a dog’s eyes appear smaller than they are, this can also mean that he is feeling scared or stressed. Dogs that are in pain often have their eyes squinted.

Suppose you come face to face with a dog whose body language expresses defiance, he is watching you closely, the pupils of his eyes are dilated, and he is not blinking. That unblinking gaze means that the animal is tense. Therefore, it is better to withdraw safely and back slowly.

Direct eye contact can also cause other types of reactions, especially if the animal is skittish or too shy. A classic scenario is that the dog comes to smell you, when you look down and your eyes meet the dog’s, he will surely back away and bark.

The best way to help a shy dog ​​grow comfortable is to invite him to play and try, in that first meeting, not to make sudden movements.

How to read a dog’s mouth?

A dog with its mouth tightly closed is a sign of tension. In case your mouth is closed but the muscles in your lips and mouth are soft, you don’t have to worry. On the other hand, tightly closed mouth can indicate physical discomfort.

If you notice that your dog licks his lips it could be for several reasons, perhaps it is a sign of appeasement. In case you observe, that his mouth drops a bit of drool, if it is not typical of his breed, and is usually constant, it is likely that your pet is afraid or should be taken to the vet. Perhaps your health is being affected.

In case your pet is in a state of alert, you will notice that his eyes are open, more than normal and his mouth is slightly open, with his teeth covered.

Finally, how to interpret if a dog is happy? Observe your dog’s facial muscles. They should express calm and be gentle. The position of your body is perceived in a relaxed, calm way. Its eyes are normal, perhaps its mouth slightly open and its tail wags from side to side uninterruptedly.