The reason why dogs have puppy eyes

No matter what they do, if they put on their puppy dog ​​eyes, everything is forgiven…how did they learn the trick?

Considered man's best friend, they have been around for 30,000 to 40,000 years. Dogs were domesticated to help humans during the hunter-gatherer phase, and that bond has remained ever since. In Europe, Canada, and the United States, the bond with their dogs is the strongest. “Puppy look” appeared in the popular press around 1910, and it has stuck. It refers to the sweet, adoring way dogs can look at you… especially when they've done something wrong or are in distress. And it seems that the reason for the puppy look is humans. This seemingly simple eyebrow movement is evidence of canine evolution, and is due to their constant company with their owners.

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A study published in the Journal of the National Academy of Sciences explains that dog faces are capable of complex expressions thanks to a pair of muscles near their eyes. By raising their inner eyebrows, dogs can give us the famous and adorable look, which facilitates human attention and improves their communication skills.

The study, conducted by the University of Portsmouth, looked at how dogs control their eyebrows and how this movement is used as a means of communication. The researchers gathered some dogs and studied these two muscles, finding that they work together to widen and open the dogs' eyes. The results showed that dogs move their eyebrows more frequently when people are paying attention to them and less frequently when they are being ignored or given food. These findings suggest that the eyebrow movement is voluntary and dogs use it to express their needs.

Other findings show that humans tend to respond positively to these raised eyebrows and that humans and dogs receive a dose of oxytocin when making eye contact.

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To find out if this trait is due to human influence, researchers collected some data on wolves. These animals were unable to imitate eyebrow movements, proving that their behavior has partially changed due to the decades in which we have kept dogs as pets.

Dogs may not be as good at hunting as they once were, but they can try their best to mimic our facial expressions. When it comes to living with humans, cuteness is key.