Introduction
Believe it or not, but your dog most certainly can recognize your face! For animals that live in packs, facial recognition is extremely important. In years past it was thought that only humans and primates could recognize specific faces, but new research indicates otherwise. In fact, this is a highly-developed skill that our dogs also possess, which makes perfect sense, if you ask us.
Facial recognition is an important part of the dog-owner relationship, as eye contact is crucial to both trust and training. Dogs are much more likely to listen to people with whom they have an established relationship and are willing to make eye contact with, which is often those whose face they recognize.
Furthermore, dogs are so in tune with facial cues that they often look to their owner's faces for clues on what they should be doing.
Signs Your Dog Recognizes Your Face
It will probably be pretty obvious to you once your dog has learned your face. Like humans, dogs display their emotions in different ways but licking, jumping, whining, and overzealous joy are just a few indicators that your dog most definitely knows your mug.
Over time, it has become increasingly important for dogs to learn how to read human faces. This is an evolutionary that skill dogs have developed over time and it is incredibly important to the relationships they establish. Dogs look to faces for information and behavioral signals, and they can also read mannerisms based on a person's face.
Body Language
- Alert
- Head tilting
- Whining
- Listening
- Jumping up
- Wag tail
- Raise ears
Other Signs
- Licking
- Happy to See You
- Snuggling
- Relaxed
- Responds to You
- Seeks Out Your Affection
History of Dogs Recognizing Faces
Faces are incredibly important to dogs in regards to social behavior, which is just one reason why these discoveries are so important. Scientists have learned that the brain strongly correlates to perception and processing of faces in dogs, which means they likely know your face if they've met you before.
Science Behind Dogs Recognizing Your Face
In the experiment, dogs were shown 50 pictures of different people and the scientists monitored their reaction by measuring blood flow in the brain, the temporal lobe, specifically. This study uncovered that the parts of the brain that are linked to emotions (thalamus) were much more active when the dogs were given pictures of people.
This means that dogs use the same part of the brain as humans do to recognize faces of people. This same study also showed that dogs can actually read our facial expressions, which means they can tell when we are smiling or when we are angry.
Training Your Dog to Recognize Your Face
So, while it isn't necessary to train your dog to recognize your face (they already know how to do this!), you can train them to look at you. Eye contact is an important part of establishing any relationship between dog and owner, but it can also be quite difficult for many animals. Taking the time to train your dog to look at you and others he trusts takes effort, but it is worth it in the end.
You can start by choosing a word or phrase that means "look at me". This can be as simple as "look at me", or something else if you prefer. Practice the command by sitting or standing and facing your dog. You want to be on the same eye level as them to encourage eye contact.
At this point, you can add in a hand signal to help drive the point home. Practice makes perfect here, so do your best to use the command in various settings and environments.
How to React When Your Dog Recognizes Your Face
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Reward them for being happy to see you.
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Offer praise for positive behaviors.
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Encourage eye contact.