Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility

US Electric Vehicle Tax Breaks Will Expire on Sept. 30

17 hours ago

‘Reservoir Dogs’ and ‘Kill Bill’ Actor Michael Madsen Dies at 67

18 hours ago

Eyeing Arctic Dominance, Trump Bill Earmarks $8.6 Billion for US Coast Guard Icebreakers

18 hours ago

Trump’s Sweeping Tax-Cut and Spending Bill Wins Congressional Approval

19 hours ago

Americans Celebrate Their Independence With Record-Breaking Travel Numbers

22 hours ago

US Supreme Court to Decide Legality of Transgender School Sports Bans

23 hours ago

Nvidia Set to Become the World’s Most Valuable Company in History

23 hours ago

Poll: 41% in US ‘Extremely Proud’ to Be American, Near Historic Low

23 hours ago
Scientists Take a Peek Behind Those Sad Puppy Dog Eyes
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 6 years ago on
June 18, 2019

Share

NEW YORK — What’s behind those hard-to-resist puppy dog eyes?

“You don’t typically see such muscle differences in species that are that closely related.” — Anne Burrows, Duquesne University
New research suggests that over thousands of years of dog domestication, people preferred pups that could pull off that appealing, sad look. And that encouraged the development of the facial muscle that creates it.
Today, pooches use the muscle to raise their eyebrows and make the babylike expression. That muscle is virtually absent in their ancestors, the wolves.
“You don’t typically see such muscle differences in species that are that closely related,” said Anne Burrows of Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, an author of the study released Monday by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Dogs differ from wolves in many ways, from having shorter snouts, smaller sizes and more expressive faces. And unlike wolves, dogs heavily rely on human eye contact, whether to know when someone’s talking to them or when they can’t solve a problem, like hopping a fence or getting out the door.
Burrows and her colleagues examined the eye muscles in the cadavers of six dogs and two wolves. They found dogs have a meaty eye muscle to lift their eyebrows and make puppy dog eyes. But in wolves, the same muscle was stringy or missing.
The scientists also recorded 27 dogs and nine wolves as each stared at a person. Pet pooches frequently and intensely pulled back their eyebrows to make sad expressions, while the wolves rarely made these faces, and never with great intensity.

Using This Eye Muscle to Communicate

The researchers believe dogs, over their relatively short 33,000 years of domestication, used this eye muscle to communicate, possibly goading people to feed or care for them — or at least take them out to play. And people, perhaps unwittingly, obliged.

The researchers believe dogs, over their relatively short 33,000 years of domestication, used this eye muscle to communicate, possibly goading people to feed or care for them — or at least take them out to play. And people, perhaps unwittingly, obliged.
Dog experts not involved with the study were impressed.
“The implications are quite profound,” said Brian Hare from Duke University and who edited the article. Hare wrote in an email that these muscles almost certainly developed because they gave dogs an advantage when interacting with people, and people have been unaware of it.
“The proof has been in their puppy dog eyes all this time!” he said.
Evan MacLean at the University of Arizona called the findings fascinating, but cautioned that the muscle difference could be an indirect effect of other changes rather than a specific response to human influence.
Clive Wynne of the Canine Science Collaboratory at Arizona State University said: “Kudos to the researchers for thinking of a cool way to investigate an important aspect of dogs’ success” with humans.
But he noted in an email that the study has a few snags, particularly the small sampling — only five dog breeds were examined and videos were mainly of Staffordshire bull terriers — and the lack of background information about each animal.
“Did these wolves regularly meet people bearing gifts that might be worth asking for with an endearing face?” he asked.
Burrows said she planned follow-up studies to examine more breeds.

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

Fresno Police to Conduct DUI Checkpoint on Fourth of July, Boost Holiday Patrols

DON'T MISS

July 4th Quiz: Test Your Knowledge of the Founding Fathers

DON'T MISS

Fresno Crash Involving Unlicensed Teen Driver Sends Woman to Hospital

DON'T MISS

Madre Fire Burns More Than 52,000 Acres in San Luis Obispo County

DON'T MISS

RIP John Harris: Fresno County Rancher, Racehorse Breeder Was a Visionary Leader Who Leaves a ‘Profound Legacy’

DON'T MISS

Valadao, Costa Spar on What Passage of Trump’s Bill Means for Medicaid Recipients

DON'T MISS

US Military Says 200 Marines Being Sent to Support ICE in Florida

DON'T MISS

Boeing Secures $2.8 Billion US Satellite Contract

DON'T MISS

Kaweah Health Names Its New Chief Nurse. She’s From Texas

DON'T MISS

Clovis Police Say At-Risk Missing Woman Found Dead in Mariposa County

UP NEXT

Keep Pets Safe on 4th of July: Fresno County Animal Shelter Offers Tips

UP NEXT

Ringo Is Ready to Rock Your World With ‘Pawsitive’ Vibes!

UP NEXT

Fresno County’s New Breeding Ordinance Could Shut Down 50 Operations

UP NEXT

Fresno County Supervisors to Vote on Dog Breeding Ordinance

UP NEXT

Bentley the Porch-Crasher Pup Hopes for a Forever Home

UP NEXT

The Secret to Finding the Best Travel Bargains

UP NEXT

Amazon’s Prime Day 2025 Levels Up With Four Days of Deals Starting July 8

UP NEXT

Clover Is Eager to Bring You Good Luck and Great Joy

UP NEXT

Possum the Wanderer Finds Her Groove After Tumor Surgery

UP NEXT

Five Weeknight Dishes: Seven Ingredients or Fewer, Because Summer

Madre Fire Burns More Than 52,000 Acres in San Luis Obispo County

15 hours ago

RIP John Harris: Fresno County Rancher, Racehorse Breeder Was a Visionary Leader Who Leaves a ‘Profound Legacy’

15 hours ago

Valadao, Costa Spar on What Passage of Trump’s Bill Means for Medicaid Recipients

15 hours ago

US Military Says 200 Marines Being Sent to Support ICE in Florida

16 hours ago

Boeing Secures $2.8 Billion US Satellite Contract

16 hours ago

Kaweah Health Names Its New Chief Nurse. She’s From Texas

16 hours ago

Clovis Police Say At-Risk Missing Woman Found Dead in Mariposa County

16 hours ago

Over 100 Former Senior Officials Warn Against Planned Staff Cuts at US State Department

17 hours ago

US Electric Vehicle Tax Breaks Will Expire on Sept. 30

17 hours ago

‘Reservoir Dogs’ and ‘Kill Bill’ Actor Michael Madsen Dies at 67

18 hours ago

Fresno Police to Conduct DUI Checkpoint on Fourth of July, Boost Holiday Patrols

The Fresno Police Department will step up enforcement efforts this Fourth of July, deploying additional patrols and setting up a DUI checkpo...

38 minutes ago

38 minutes ago

Fresno Police to Conduct DUI Checkpoint on Fourth of July, Boost Holiday Patrols

2 hours ago

July 4th Quiz: Test Your Knowledge of the Founding Fathers

A crash causes a traffic jam in northwest Fresno on Thursday, July 3, 2025. (GV Wire/Paul Marshall)
14 hours ago

Fresno Crash Involving Unlicensed Teen Driver Sends Woman to Hospital

The Madre Fire near New Cuyama has burned 52,593 acres with 5% containment, prompting evacuation orders in several San Luis Obispo County zones as of Thursday, July 3, 2025, afternoon. (CalFire)
15 hours ago

Madre Fire Burns More Than 52,000 Acres in San Luis Obispo County

15 hours ago

RIP John Harris: Fresno County Rancher, Racehorse Breeder Was a Visionary Leader Who Leaves a ‘Profound Legacy’

15 hours ago

Valadao, Costa Spar on What Passage of Trump’s Bill Means for Medicaid Recipients

An ICE agent talks with migrants about their scheduled appointments with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on Father’s Day, to learn about their immigration status, in Chicago, Illinois., U.S., June 15, 2025. (Reuters File)
16 hours ago

US Military Says 200 Marines Being Sent to Support ICE in Florida

Boeing logo and miniature satellite model are seen in this illustration taken, March 10, 2025. (Reuters File)
16 hours ago

Boeing Secures $2.8 Billion US Satellite Contract

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend