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4 months ago
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Most dog owners will insist they can tell what their pooch is thinking from their face alone.
But man’s best friend used to be even more expressive, according to a new study.
Researchers have discovered that the domestication process has resulted in the loss of some communication abilities in today’s dogs compared to their wolf ancestors.
The team, from Durham University, used a 'Dog Facial Action Coding System' to analyse video recordings of captive wolves and domestic dogs.
This was during both spontaneous social interactions and reactions to external stimuli, for example a squeaky toy.
Domestication and selective breeding has limited the ability of domestic dogs to use facial expressions to convey emotions as effectively as their wolf ancestors, say experts at Durham University
It's thought selective breeding has limited the ability of domestic dogs to use facial expressions to convey emotions as effectively as their wolf ancestors (pictured)
The researchers identified nine distinct emotional states – including anger, anxiety, curiosity, fear, friendliness, happiness, interest, joy and surprise – that could be predicted based on wolves' facial movements with 71 per cent accuracy.
However, the accuracy dropped to only 65 per cent for domestic dogs across different breeds.
The confusion was especially high between positive states like friendliness and negative states like fear.
The researchers suggest that the varying facial structures resulting from selective breeding, such as shorter muzzles, floppy ears, pendulous lips and excessive wrinkling, have limited dogs' ability to produce the same range of facial expressions as their wolf ancestors.
In fact, dogs that had short, broad skulls, floppy or semi-floppy ears or hanging lips were linked to nearly 80 per cent of the cases where a dog’s facial expression did not match the perceived emotional state.
Here, the grey wolf (A) and 'wolf-like' Finnish Lapphund (B) are pictured, along with three dogs less adept at conveying emotion due to unusual facial structures resulting from selective breeding - Rottweiler (C), Pug (D) and the almost comical Komondor (E)
Dog Facial Action Coding System (DogFACS) is a observational tool for identifying facial movements in dogs
According to the authors, this confusion between positive and negative states could be detrimental for dog-human interactions and even pose safety risks if humans misinterpret fearful or aggressive behaviour in dogs as friendliness.
They suggest domestic dogs may compensate for limited facial expressions by vocalising more than wolves during social interactions.
Lead author Elana Hobkirk, from the university’s Department of Biosciences, said: ‘This study demonstrates how important it is to be able to observe fine details in behaviour.
'Such observations have allowed us to see just how communicatively complex and sentient wolves are and how domestication may be affecting our social bonds with our companion dogs.’
Co-author Dr Sean Twiss said: ‘Our research team focuses on individual differences in animal behaviour, and Elana’s work adds an exciting new dimension to this, revealing how individuals differ in their abilities to convey their emotional states, and what that might imply for successful communication – or not – within social groups, including humans and their dogs.’
The findings were published in the journal Scientific Reports.
Dogs really do relieve stress! Spending quality time with a pooch increases the power of brain waves linked with relaxation, study finds
They're renowned for their loyalty, companionship and ability to make us laugh.
And it turns out spending quality time with man's best friend reduces stress and anxiety too, according to a study.
Researchers have found interacting with dogs generates electrical activity in the part of the brain associated with relaxation, concentration, creativity and attention.
The team, from Konkuk University in South Korea, recruited 30 adult participants for their study.
They were asked to perform eight different activities with a well-trained four-year-old poodle, including playing with a handheld toy, giving her treats and taking pictures with her.
