Over thousands of years of domestication, you bet dogs have picked up a thing or two about humans. Dogs are always gathering information from us. They look at our body language, listen to the tone of our voice, our facial expressions.
Dogs are even intelligent enough to follow our eyes to gather information on what we are want them to do or look at. Only a few species are aware enough to do this activity. I use this technique often when teaching “Touch”. If the dog is struggling, I look at the dog, look at my extended hand, and look back at them. That feedback works beautifully.
Remember, everything you do “feeds down the leash.” If you are stressed, your face will show that. If you are excited, the dog will see it. They can smell even the slightest change in hormones. Dog’s are always trying to figure us out. Because of this curiousity, this release is regarding a study done to see if “Dogs are capable of understanding the emotions behind an expression on a human face.”
The most interesting thing about this article is this quote:
“Clearly arousing, negative emotions seem to be processed by the right hemisphere of a dog’s brain, and more positive emotions by the left side,” says Siniscalchi.”
Check it out!