{"id":9904,"date":"2020-11-10T10:00:21","date_gmt":"2020-11-10T16:00:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.diamondpet.com\/?p=9904"},"modified":"2025-06-26T15:07:54","modified_gmt":"2025-06-26T20:07:54","slug":"how-to-read-your-dogs-facial-expressions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.diamondpet.com\/blog\/behavior\/psychology\/how-to-read-your-dogs-facial-expressions\/","title":{"rendered":"PAWS in Translation: How to Read Your Dog’s Facial Expressions"},"content":{"rendered":"

You\u2019ve heard the phrase \u201cpuppy dog eyes,\u201d as in, \u201cHe gave me those puppy dog eyes and I just melted.\u201d When a person gives someone \u201cpuppy dog eyes,\u201d it\u2019s generally understood to be an intentional action designed to elicit an emotion from the other person. In short, it\u2019s used to persuade someone to do what you want.<\/p>\n

But do \u201cpuppy dog eyes\u201d work from an actual puppy? If their eyes are always<\/em> puppy dog eyes, how do you tell when they\u2019re actually making a face to try and tell you something? Body language<\/a> can help you determine if your pet is stressed, but is it possible to read your dog’s facial expressions?<\/p>\n

It is. To a degree.<\/p>\n

Dog expressions? Or reacting? Does it matter?<\/h2>\n

\u201cWhy does my dog squint at me?\u201d \u201cWhat do dog expressions mean?\u201d \u201cIs my dog frowning or sad?\u201d
\nThese are all great questions about how dogs communicate with humans. Does it mean anything when your furry friends make eye contact, or should we not take human communicative cues into account when considering domestic dogs’ facial expressions?<\/p>\n

The biggest hurdle with reading canine facial expressions is that we tend to apply human emotions, expressions and context to dogs, and that might be the wrong thing to do. Even though as pet owners we like to think we know our dogs and cats inside and out, we don\u2019t really<\/em> know what\u2019s going on in those dog and cat minds, and their faces\u2026are different than ours. If your dog were to give you one of those big, toothy grins that human faces are so great at, you might run for the hills.<\/p>\n

For instance, you know that guilty look your dog offers when you catch him or her doing something wrong? The \u201cpuppy dog eyes\u201d with real puppy dog eyes? 2009 research studies show that your dog might not be showing guilt at all<\/a>. Instead, they are reacting to your<\/em> face, and expecting to be scolded. That guilty look might not be an emotion so much as a reaction. Dog facial expressions are complex!<\/p>\n

Either way, it\u2019s a facial cue that is telling you something, and that\u2019s what this post is all about. Here are some other facial \u201cexpressions\u201d that can help you better understand your dog\u2019s mood, courtesy of Bash Dibra<\/a>, \u201cpet trainer to the stars.\u201d<\/p>\n

Aggressive<\/h3>\n

Flat ears, positioned either forward or back on the head, squinted eyes, erratic eyebrow movement or an unbroken, challenging stare<\/a> accompanied by bared teeth means that it is time to stand down and give your pal some space.<\/p>\n

Curious<\/h3>\n

A wide-open mouth not showing teeth, big wide eyes and perked-up, forward ears mean that your dog is curious, even surprised or excited about something.<\/p>\n

Afraid<\/h3>\n

Similar to the \u201caggression\u201d face. Flattened ears laid back on the head and narrowed, darting eyes with the teeth bared tells you that your dog is afraid of something. Fear and dogs don\u2019t mix well!<\/p>\n

Friendly<\/h3>\n

Perky dog’s ears and wide, alert eyes might be accompanied by a \u201csmile\u201d; that open mouth that isn\u2019t showing any teeth. This means that this relaxed dog is down for some pats.<\/p>\n

Playful<\/h3>\n

This face looks just like the \u201cfriendly\u201d face, but the ears might be more relaxed and there might be some panting. A happy dog is often easy to spot, though!<\/p>\n

Flight<\/h3>\n

This face means that they\u2019re beyond scared and in panic mode. The ears are back, the eyes wide and maybe rolling to show the whites. The mouth will be slightly opened and possibly drooling.<\/p>\n

There are obviously a lot more \u201cfaces\u201d your dog might make, but these cover the basics.<\/p>\n

Dog Facial Expressions Chart for Dog Owners<\/h2>\n

We understand that it can be hard to tell what a dog\u2019s facial muscles are doing based on simple descriptions of animal facial expressions, so we\u2019ve created this handy chart to act as a visual guide to each dog facial expression.<\/p>\n

\"An<\/p>\n

Dog Facial Expressions Are Only Part of the Tale<\/h2>\n

Dog facial expressions can tell a big part of the story, but for any pet, it\u2019s the whole package that tells the, ahem, tail. Dog body language extends beyond expressive eyebrows or facial movements. Canine communication contains multitudes, and encompasses everything from body posture, eye contact and other body language. Dogs produce all sorts of communicative function and nonverbal language, and animal behavior is far from an exact science. In the end, you know your dog\u2019s emotions and emotional state better than anyone, and your first feeling about their body language cues is likely the right one.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

If you need more information about your dog\u2019s body language, stress level or anything else, be sure to contact your veterinarian.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

You\u2019ve heard the phrase \u201cpuppy dog eyes,\u201d as in, \u201cHe gave me those puppy dog eyes and I just melted.\u201d When a person gives someone \u201cpuppy dog eyes,\u201d it\u2019s generally understood to be an intentional action designed to elicit an emotion from the other person. In short, it\u2019s used to persuade someone to do what […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":9909,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"none","_seopress_titles_title":"How to Read Your Dog's Facial Expressions","_seopress_titles_desc":"Decode your dog's feelings through facial expressions. Explore signs of joy, fear, curiosity and more to uncover the secrets behind those \"puppy dog eyes.\"","_seopress_robots_index":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_searchwp_excluded":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[201,283],"tags":[134,504,54,503],"class_list":["post-9904","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-behavior","category-psychology","tag-diamond-pet-foods","tag-dog-body-language","tag-dogs","tag-pet-psychology"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.diamondpet.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9904","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.diamondpet.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.diamondpet.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diamondpet.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diamondpet.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9904"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.diamondpet.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9904\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diamondpet.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9909"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.diamondpet.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9904"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diamondpet.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9904"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diamondpet.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9904"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}