Study Confirms That Dogs Can Read Emotions

Dubai, February 2, 2016 (Newswire.com) - Most humans have known this for hundreds of years, but a new research has actually proven it beyond any doubt, that dogs can read the expressions and emotions in a person's face. And just as it's for us, the eyes are the starting point for them too. Dogs spent more time looking at the eyes of the subjects, whether they were human or canine, than on any other feature.

The study conducted recently by the University of Helsinki in Finland revealed that dogs, just like their human counterparts, engage in "social gazing behaviour". Depending on the perceived level of threat, they also change their viewing behaviour.

According to one of the researchers, "The study tracked the voluntary eye gaze of domestic dogs during viewing of emotional expressions of dogs and humans." The study used photos of faces of both humans and dogs depicting three different types of expressions - pleasant,  threatening and neutral.

The dogs' heavier focus on the eyes led the researchers to conclude that "eyes play a significant role in the face perception of dogs."

With expressions thrown in to the mix, the study got more complicated. The reaction of the dogs to the varying expressions were quite different as were the reactions depending on whether the pictures were of dogs or humans. If the picture was that of a dog which looks threatening, the dog under study stared at the mouth for longer. When it was a threatening human, the dog turned its gaze away from the picture. The study said canines, just like humans, maybe trying to avert gazing into the eyes of a person/dog who looks angry and threatening.

"The tolerant behaviour strategy of dogs toward humans may partially explain the results," University of Helsinki researcher Sanni Somppi has said. "Domestication may have equipped dogs with a sensitivity to detect the threat signals of humans and respond to them with pronounced appeasement signals."

So, it's official: Dogs can read our emotions. They know when we are happy, angry, sad or scared. They comfort us in our sorrow, share our joy and be our best friend through thick and thin.

As shown in this study and many others before that, having a dog for a pet is an experience that benefits humans in a multitude of ways. They give unconditional love, devotion and friendship to their human owners in good times and bad. For somebody who may want to experience the joy of having a dog in the United Arab Emirates, an ideal place to visit is Europets at Shop 7, Lake Terrace Tower, Cluster D, Jumeirah Lake Towers.

The pet store has almost 100 breeds of pedigreed puppies for sale dubai throughout the year. If customers make any requests for less common breeds, they are also arranged. Six out of every 10 puppies in the UAE are imported by the company which has been active in the business of getting down dogs for sale in dubai for 17 years. Europets pays its exclusive undivided attention to dogs and doesn't deal in any other pets. Almost all the breeds it imports are from Europe.