Your Dog Does Not Care What Your Face Looks Like
Many dog owners love to look at their puppy’s face. However, this attraction can be one-sided, at least in the brain. New studies suggest that the brains of dogs are not particularly impressed by the faces of other dogs or humans.
People’s brains are perfectly tuned to the faces that facial expressions can convey and the wealth of information. Whether the brains of other animals also pay attention to the face is an open question.
Researchers in Hungary and Mexico used brain-scanning techniques on 20 dogs to measure their response to the face. The dog was instructed to rest in the sphinx position on the MRI tube and place its head on the chin rest while looking at the screen. The scientists displayed four different 2-second video clips on the dog. In front or behind the human head and in front or behind the dog’s head. Thirty volunteers on an MRI machine watched the same short video.
In front of fascinated people, as many previous studies have discovered. When the faces of humans or dogs appeared, most of these people’s visual systems became active. These areas of the brain were quieter when people looked back.
The dog’s brain image didn’t seem to care about the face, the researchers reported it on Oct. 5 in the Journal of Neuroscience. No brain areas had greater activity when viewing a face compared with the back of the head. Instead, areas of the dogs’ visual systems were more tuned to whether the video featured a dog or a human.
However, this study measured brain response rather than behavior. The result doesn’t mean that the dog doesn’t see or doesn’t care about our face as other studies have shown that dogs can recognize human facial signals.
The new findings somewhat complement information from other studies on canine cognition. But for now, a complete calculation of how a dog experiences the world is beyond human comprehension. But one thing is clear that love between Dog and a Human is the purest form of love as it does not require a pretty face to make it work. Your Dog will always love you no matter what!
