How many expressions can a dog make

But cats are solitary animals — the undomesticated ancestors of house cats spent most of their time alone. Nevertheless, I swear my cat smiles at me when I give him a bit of tuna. Dogs are pack animals, so they have evolved the ability to communicate through facial expressions. But as you have to be close enough to clearly see the facial expressions of others of your species for this to be efficient, dogs can also communicate through body language, sound and smell. The ancestors of domestic cats were lone hunters, so had less need for close communication.

Furthermore, cats are nocturnal hunters, as is deduced from their vertical-slit pupils. For example, cats furrow their brows to convey worry. Apart from their faces, cats also express themselves using their tails. In contrast to a dog, in cats, whole-tail swishing usually indicates deep concentration, not pleasure. Dogs also seem to be motivated to establish eye contact with humans at an early age, which could be an indicator of the level of attachment between humans and dogs.

The mutual gaze seems to trigger an increase in oxytocin, a hormone that plays a role in social bonding, in both species as well, according to the study. This tendency likely evolved when early domesticated dogs expressed characteristics that elicited a caregiving response from humans, the study said. We'll notify you here with news about. Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest? MORE: Feeling stressed?

It might be making your dog stressed, too. MORE: Florida bill would make it illegal to abandon tied-up dogs during a hurricane. Comments are welcome while open. We reserve the right to close comments at any time. Join the conversation Create account. Already have an account? Dogs can read your expression, but study finds they aren't super excited about your face CBC Radio Loaded. As It Happens Dogs can read your expression, but study finds they aren't super excited about your face Dogs aren't biologically attuned to faces in the same way that humans are, according to a new study.

But they work hard to read our expressions anyway. Social Sharing. As It Happens Dogs can read your expression, but they aren't super excited about your face: study.

Transcript Dogs aren't biologically attuned to faces in the same way that humans are, a new study has found — but scientists say they work hard to read our expressions anyway.