Male Dogs Show Bigger Treat Faces Than Females: New Study

The team found that when shown either food or non-food treats, the male and female dogs parted their lips more, dropped their jaws more, showed their tongues, and moved their ears closer together, towards the head midline. In addition, the male dogs wrinkled their nose, raised their upper lip, dropped their lower lip, licked their lips and licked their nose in response to the treats. The male dogs also showed their treat-related expressions for the whole one-minute test time, while the female dogs tended to stop them after about 30 seconds. One of the authors of the study, Yasushi Kiyokawa, an associate professor in the university’s laboratory of veterinary ethology, said: “From my own experience owning dogs, I think males are simpler and more straightforward in showing their thoughts to humans. “Females are harder to read, but I believe they possess more complex psychological processes than males.” The study, which was published in the journal Applied Animal Behaviour Science, involved 30 dogs of a range from breeds, from chihuahuas and miniature dachshunds to a Cavalier King Charles spaniel and a labrador retriever. • Can dogs really be taught to speak? I put my terrier to the test It is not known why male and female dogs would differ in their facial expressions when shown a treat. One suggestion, however, is that female dogs tend to be less impulsive during certain tasks: in tests in which a dog must inhibit reaching for a treat directly through a transparent barrier and instead go around the barrier to access it, females tend to perform better, for example. Kiyokawa said: “During our test, the male dogs were probably concentrating on the rewarding stimuli, whereas the female dogs were able to think about other things at the same time.” “Both have their own unique charm, which makes them equally lovable,” he added. It is thought that humans contributed to dogs’ ability to form facial expressions through thousands of years of selective breeding. Researchers at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh found that dogs have more “fast-twitch” muscle fibres around their eyes and mouths than wolves, with which dogs share a common ancestor. This allows dogs to make expressions more reminiscent of human ones. They also have a muscle in their upper face that allows them to give their owners the “puppy eyes” look, which is missing in wolves. Studies have also shown that other animals, not just dogs, have “treat faces” too. Cows’ ears become more upright and less forward-facing when presented with something they like to eat, while horses’ ears will move forward, they will move their noses more and close their eyes less. Mice start moving the tips of their ears and lower jaw vigorously when given sugar water. Tickle a rat, meanwhile, and you’ll see their ears become pinker and more relaxed.