Jake Lieberfarb

Jul 22, 2023 | mdpi.com | Courtney Sexton |Colleen Buckley |Jake Lieberfarb |Francys Subiaul

Abstract: Simple SummaryAs dogs evolve to fill a new and increased number of roles in human societies, it is critical that we understand how they communicate with people. Here, we investigate whether markings on dogs’ faces influence how expressive they are perceived to be by humans. Using standardized systems to analyze dogs’ facial complexity and behaviors, we find that dogs with plainer faces (fewer markings) objectively score as more behaviorally expressive.