Are German Shepherds Playing Mind Games with Their Owners? This Study Reveals the Truth!

A recent study confirms what many dog owners have long suspected: dogs are skilled at manipulating their owners by making adorable puppy eyes. The study suggests that dogs may actually be deliberate in their use of facial expressions to communicate, overturning the previous assumption that their expressions were involuntary.

The findings, published in the journal Scientific Reports, suggest that dogs have a level of awareness about how their facial expressions can influence their owner’s reactions, whether it’s a scowl or a grin. It’s no wonder they’re called man’s best friend – they know exactly how to tug at our heartstrings!

“The findings appear to support evidence… that expressions are potentially active attempts to communicate,” said study co-author Juliane Kaminski of the University of Portsmouth.

Through a series of experiments involving various breeds of pet dogs, researchers have found that dogs tend to “move their faces” more when they are being watched by humans. The most common expression used by dogs to communicate with humans was raising their brows, which makes their eyes appear larger and cuter, leading to the heart-melting “puppy dog eyes”.

Interestingly, when humans were not paying attention or were distracted, the dogs’ facial expressions were much less active, regardless of whether a food treat was being offered or not. Previous studies have also shown that dogs are aware of how attentive humans are, suggesting that they have a sophisticated understanding of human communication.

In a previous study, dogs were found to be more likely to steal food when their human had their back turned or eyes closed. “We now know dogs make more facial expressions when the human is paying attention,” said Kaminski, one of the researchers.

However, the researchers caution that it is still too early to definitively conclude that dogs have a perception of what humans are thinking or feeling, a trait considered a sign of high intelligence displayed by humans.

In fact, there are signs that your dog may be manipulating you. For instance, when it’s movie night and your friends are over, your dog may whine and make a sad face, as if begging you not to leave.

Experts suggest that dogs have the thinking age of a toddler and may use fake crying and tantrums to get their owner’s attention. In this way, it’s possible that we are simply pawns in their puppy paws. So next time your dog uses their cuteness to get what they want, remember that they may be playing you!