“Puppy dog eyes” and evolution

[pdq]

Awww:



The appeal is undeniable, but science has an explanation. Apparently there are actually eye(lid/surroundings) muscles that dogs have that wolves don’t.

This suggests ancient canines with expressive eyebrows might have elicited nurturing from humans, the authors write, and that care would have given the animals a selection advantage that allowed them to pass on puppy-dog eyes to their descendants...

I knew it- the little dickens! They’re just in it for the steak bones! Why I oughta....I oughta....



Awww....

...what was I saying now?

[Filliam H. Muffman]

[mrbigstuff]

I can tell when my dog is worried, because his brow really furrows.

[rjmacs]

mrbigstuff wrote:
I can tell when my dog is wants me to do what I do when I think he's worried, because his brow really furrows.

I don't think dogs have evolved worry, but they know how to manipulate people!

[Rick-o]

Heh! Those eyebrows! (tu)

[mrbigstuff]

rjmacs wrote:
[quote=mrbigstuff]
I can tell when my dog is wants me to do what I do when I think he's worried, because his brow really furrows.

I don't think dogs have evolved worry, but they know how to manipulate people!
ever seen a dog in a thunderstorm? scared or worried!

[rjmacs]

mrbigstuff wrote:
[quote=rjmacs]
[quote=mrbigstuff]
I can tell when my dog is wants me to do what I do when I think he's worried, because his brow really furrows.

I don't think dogs have evolved worry, but they know how to manipulate people!
ever seen a dog in a thunderstorm? scared or worried!
Well, now I'm just splitting hairs over vocabulary... "Worry" generally implies a concept of imagined future, which is arguably beyond what we normally associate with dog cognition (dognition?). I mean, as a feeling worry always has an object, explicit or implied. We worry about something happening or not happening, about a person or thing. Without an object, worry becomes just nervousness/fright/anxiety. Sorry to be a pedantic wondnerd.

[DeusxMac]

"... a dog will have all of the basic emotions: joy, fear, anger, disgust and even love. However based on current research it seems likely that your dog will not have those more complex emotions like guilt, pride and shame."

As "worry" per se does not appear in this quantification, I'd propose that "distress", "fear" and "suspicion" could qualify as facets of worry.

[rjmacs]

DeusxMac wrote:
As "worry" per se does not appear in this quantification, I'd propose that "distress", "fear" and "suspicion" could qualify as facets of worry.

rjmacs wrote:
"Worry" generally implies a concept of imagined future, which is arguably beyond what we normally associate with dog cognition (dognition?). I mean, as a feeling worry always has an object, explicit or implied. We worry about something happening or not happening, about a person or thing. Without an object, worry becomes just nervousness/fright/anxiety distress/fear/suspicion

.

Okay.