Do you own a flat-faced dog? Scientists have found that you may be reading their facial expressions all wrong.
A study published in Elsevier journal Applied Animal Behaviour Science set out to see whether the expressions of brachycephalic dogs—breeds with short skulls and flatter faces such as pugs and French bulldogs—were interpreted differently by their owners.
Scientists from the Czech University of Life Sciences in Prague and Loránd University in Hungary asked 350 participants to comment on the behaviors of 23 dogs in video footage. These dogs were Boston terriers—which are brachycephalic dogs—and Jack Russell terriers, which are normocephalic dogs.
In the videos, the dogs were behaving in response to two positive scenarios—"called by name" and "play"—and two negative scenarios—"separation" and "threatened by a stranger."
Overall, participants were more likely to correctly read the facial expressions of Boston terriers in positive scenarios but they struggled to decipher negative expressions. These negative scenarios were more successfully recognized in Jack Russells, the study reported.
"Brachycephalic or flat-face dogs are often seen as cute, appealing and almost comedically 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," the study's lead author, Petra Eretová, who works at the Czech University of Life Sciences in Prague, said in a summary of the findings. "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."
Brachycephalic dogs are particularly popular with humans. French bulldogs, for example, were named the most popular dog breed of 2022 by the American Kennel Club. There is no question that these dogs have a pleasing and "cute" appearance to their owners. The particular "cuteness" of these dogs is exaggerated by their shortened muzzle, the scientists report.
However, there has been a lack of research on how we actually interpret their facial expressions. Overall, the findings suggest that despite the true situation, humans usually assigned "positively valenced contexts to them," according to the study's conclusion.
"This might suggest that the flat faces of certain dog breeds, and the richness (or lack thereof) of communicative signals they are able to perform, do not affect the popularity of those breeds," the conclusions reports.
In other words, the inability to actually understand these dogs, does not make them any less desirable as pets.
"This conclusion is supported by the general disinterest of human viewers in the faces of Boston Terriers compared to Jack Russell Terriers when asked about the most informative canine body regions," the study reported.
The study notes that the shortened muzzles and other features that make these dogs "cute" to their owners can actually "severely compromise" their health. Some flat-faced dogs suffer from breathing problems, for example. On top of this, it seems their inability to form facial expressions in the same way as other dog breeds could also impact their well-being.
More research will be needed however, to consolidate these findings and assess more about the relationship between these dogs and their owners.
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