Animals
Why do dogs look like their owners?
Visit any dog park, and you're bound to see matching pairs of dogs and humans. But do dogs really tend to look like their owners? And, if so, what's responsible for this resemblance?
"Whilst not a universal phenomenon amongst all owners and dogs, there is some evidence that purebred dogs and owners tend to resemble each other at some level," Katrina Holland, a research officer on the human behavior team at Dogs Trust, an animal welfare charity in the U.K., told Live Science in an email.
Several studies have found that people can successfully match pictures of purebred dogs with pictures of their owners at levels above random chance. In one study, participants were able to match dogs with their owners regardless of whether they were told to choose the real dog-owner pairs or just choose pairs that looked alike. This finding suggests that it's physical appearance, and not some other element, that people are using to make these judgments.
Certain aspects of physical appearance are more important than others. Facial features, especially the eyes, are more integral to the perception of resemblance than qualities such as size, hairstyle and physical fitness, a different 2015 study found. When a researcher showed participants real and fake dog-owner pairs while masking different parts of the dogs' and owners' facial features, the participants were equally successful at matching when they saw only the eye region as when they saw the full face or the face with the mouth covered. But when they masked the eye region, the participants' success rate dropped to 50-50.
So if it's true that dogs tend to look like their owners, why is this? Do we choose dogs that look like us, or do our dogs start to look more like us over time?
Related: Could dogs survive without humans?
Research suggests it's probably the former, Holland said.
-
Animals3h ago
Meet the beautifully Blue british shorthair Cat the Teddy Bear of the Cat World…!
-
Animals3h ago
After being Abandoned, the sweetest Faced Cat is delighted to be on the better Place!
-
Animals9h ago
Heartwarming гeѕсᴜe: Baby Elephant and Two Ostriches Saved by Dedicated Efforts in Africa.
-
Animals9h ago
“Draco” also known as Flying Dragons exist and they are a Real Wonder of Nature!
-
Animals11h ago
“Impactante Video: Aldeanos Descubren una Enorme Cobra Real en un Entorno Rural”.criss
-
Animals14h ago
Man helps Little Gray Kitten who Refuses to leave his Side and Forms an Unbreakable Bond!
-
Animals14h ago
Boy takes his Fur Friend on a Tour Around the World before he has to say his Final Goodbye!
-
Animals19h ago
Discovery of the world’s largest crocodile: More than 3 meters tall and weighing more than 10 tons, it causes panic (Video).