It’s in the DNAFor starters, though, when people began breeding dogs selectively for certain physical traits, we were able to greatly alter a dog’s appearance. Through
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To reach these conclusions, the authors examined the eye muscles in six dead dogs and four dead wolves of varying breeds. They found that five of the six dogs had thick muscles capable of lifting their eyebrows intensely (the only breed that didnt was the Siberian husky, which is a breed closelyrelated to wolves). The wild wolves, meanwhile, were either missing that eyebrow-lifting muscle entirely or had a thinner, stringier version of it.
This is just a hypothesis, of course — and, as some dog experts told the Associated Press, the studys small sample size prohibits any sweeping conclusions about canine evolution. Still, gaze into the eyes of a forlorn corgi puppy for a few seconds, and its hard to argue with these results. Dogs are clearly doing something to get into our mushy human hearts and brains — and were OK with that.
According to the researchers, these findings suggest that some selection process has encouraged domesticated dogs to evolve a more human facial anatomy than wolves in just a few tens of thousands of years. Its likely, they hypothesize, that these anatomical changes are a result of interaction with people, who may be more likely to favor dogs capable of making expressions that could almost pass for human.
The researchers coupled these anatomical studies with a behavioral analysis, in which 27 shelter dogs and nine wild wolves were filmed up close by a human with whom they were unfamiliar for 2 minutes. The researchers recorded how often the animals raised their eyebrows during the interaction and, unsurprisingly, found that the dogs made puppy dog eyes about five times more often than the wolves did. The dogs also raised their eyebrows significantly higher than their wild cousins.
In a study published June 17 in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, researchers looked at the evolution of “puppy dog eyes” — the signature, eyebrows-raised look of sadness that any dog can employ to escape virtually any consequence — and found that the expression finds its source in a powerful eye muscle that seems to have evolved specifically to mimic human emotions. [Like Dog, Like Owner: What Breed Says About Personality]
Do Dogs Cry When They’re Sad?
Can dogs cry as humans do? While it may be easy to think that dog crying translates to sadness, it is crucial to understand that crying in humans is not the same when it comes to dog body language.
When humans cry, self-soothing helps regulate emotions and calm down, but a dog cries to signal a health condition, mostly related to the eyes. While this may be counterintuitive to us humans, it helps make a mental note about these things not to misinterpret our dogs’ needs.
To provide some context — dogs also have tear ducts that allow for proper eye function, but the process is not exactly the same compared with humans. A dog’s tear ducts don’t function by spilling out the liquid. Instead, the liquid is drained at the back, leading to the nasal cavity.
So if your dog is crying tears, what could be the reason for this?
If it’s not because they’re sad, what could be the reason then? “Why is my dog crying?” you might ask.
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There’s no single reason as to why dogs shed tears. So, if it happens, you might need to have a dog checked by a veterinarian to know the exact cause. To give you an idea, below are some of the possible reasons why dogs cry or have weepy eyes:
If there’s a blockage in your dog’s tear ducts, you may notice tears falling down from their eyes. This symptom of overflowing tears is called epiphora. It’s hard not to miss when your dog has epiphora because this will be evident from the dampness around their eyes. The causes of epiphora are many, ranging from rhinitis and sinusitis to parasites and bone trauma.
If it’s been happening for a long time, it may also be accompanied by symptoms such as skin irritation and reddish or brownish fur around your dog’s eyes. Have your dog checked with the veterinarian to determine what’s causing the blockage.
Active and playful dogs are more prone to getting a corneal ulcer, which is also called a scratched cornea. The cornea is a transparent membrane that covers the dog’s eyeball. When your pup is playing rough with cats or when they like exploring thick bushes, scratching the cornea is entirely possible.
If you have a crying dog after intense playing outside, this may indicate that your pup’s cornea has a scratch. Apart from watery eyes, other signs may include excessive blinking, pawing at an eye, and swelling around the eye. Treating scratched cornea is complex since it depends on the severeness of the damage. So if you see these signs in your dog, consult with your veterinarian to determine a possible treatment.
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If you’ve noticed that your dog is crying and that their tears are producing mucus, are yellowish, or contain blood, it could be a sign of an eye infection. It may also be accompanied by other symptoms such as swelling and eye irritation. If your dog exhibits these symptoms, it is best to have your dog checked by a veterinarian as soon as possible to get the treatment that they need.
Another cause of tears in dogs is conjunctivitis, an inflammation of the conjunctiva tissue. In healthy pooches, this tissue can hardly be seen. In dogs with conjunctivitis, the membranes become red and swollen, causing discharge from the eyes, excessive blinking, and swelling around the eyes.
Conjunctivitis in dogs can sometimes be caused by the obstruction of nasolacrimal or tear ducts. Put it simply, this inflammation might cause dogs to cry tears. If your pup has swelling around the eyes and discharges tears, scheduling a visit to a vet is a must. Luckily for dogs, conjunctivitis is usually easy to treat, especially if you contact a specialist early.
Watery eyes in dogs are also among the allergy signs. When it comes to allergies, however, there are many possible causes. These may include food ingredients, pollen, scents, dust, smoke, among others.
A veterinarian needs to run a few tests to determine a particular allergen. If you’ve made any changes to your pup’s diet, dog tears may be a reaction to a specific food allergen. Try an elimination diet to determine what specific food ingredient caused watery eyes, and make the necessary adjustments.
If your dog has tears after digging up in the backyard, the chances are high that a speck of dust or dirt got into an eyelash. Usually, it’s quite harmless, and the dog’s tears will stop soon. However, if the tears won’t go away, you might need to take your dog to their veterinarian to determine what’s causing this condition.
If your dog has watery crying eyes, ask a veterinarian for professional advice. For most cases, online consultation would be more than enough to see whether it is something serious or just a minor issue that will be fine in several days with more attention to it. For 24/7 vet help, you can try Online Vet by Petcube — an Online Chat with a licensed vet any time you have a question in mind.
Tears in our dog’s eyes don’t mean they are crying out of emotions. However, upon understanding that dogs have their own way of expressing emotions, we come to know that tears may actually indicate something else.
While we might instinctively want to comfort our dogs when they are in tears, it’s important to remember that there’s a different cause for their weepy eyes that a serious condition may cause.
Suppose your dog’s tears don’t subside easily. In that case, it’s best to have them checked by a veterinarian to determine the exact reason for their watery eyes and help them get proper medical treatment if necessary. Share this Article
The Science Behind Puppy Dog Eyes
Dog owners the world over will tell you that their dog feels emotions, and when you look into your dog’s eyes, there’s no doubt in your mind that there’s a lot going on in there. Dogs do seem to know when you’re sad, but do they cry like humans do when they are sad?
If you ask me, dogs are definitely capable of feeling and expressing emotion, but not in the same way humans do. Their eyes can certainly produce tears, but dogs don’t cry for the same reasons you do. Let’s take a look at what canine tears mean and when to be worried about a medical issue.
Dog’s eyes can produce tears, but insofar as we are capable of knowing, they don’t seem to be producing emotional tears. They most certainly are capable of expressing emotion, and they typically will express sadness by whimpering or whining or hiding their face. They just don’t cry when they’re sad.
It is believed that humans are really the only animal that will shed tears of emotion. Dog crying for emotional reasons takes the form of whimpering and other similar vocalizations. When you hear them doing that, you won’t see them shedding those emotional tears.
Aside from the vocalisations, a sad dog might also lack energy and show no interest in things they normally love like their favorite toys. So why exactly does your dog cry? Well, there are a number of reasons.
The biological function of your dog’s tear ducts is similar to your own. Tears are useful for washing away anything that might get in your eyes such as dust or some other kind of irritant. That may be why your dog is crying, but there are some medical issues that can cause them to have watery eyes.