The Smaller the Snout, the Bigger the Bond!
It’s true, dogs with shorter snouts are more social. Pugs, Shih-Tzus, and bulldogs have often been commented on for their so-called funny looks. With such short snouts, these pups can be seen as “flat-faced” or even “bug-eyed.” If you’re worried this might apply to your dog, we’ve got a great comeback!
A new study from Budapest, Hungary has just revealed that dogs with shorter snouts tend to be more social than others. This can be attributed to their ability to maintain better eye contact with people. This study included a few different experiments with one-hundred and thirty dogs from a mix of breeds – including both mixed and purebred.
The dogs were all around the age of eight. There were twelve experiments in total wherein the dogs were tested on their eye contact with strangers while their owners sat quietly off to the side. Compared to dogs with longer snouts, these short-nosed dogs were found to have made faster eye contact with strangers without being distracted.
Are Dogs With Longer Snouts Less Social?
Some of these short-nosed breeds have ganglion cells. These ganglion cells give dogs the ability to receive visual information. According to Zsófia Bognár, a Ph.D. student in the ethnology department at Eötvös Loránd University in Hungary, these cells help the dogs to “respond better to stimuli.”
Because these breeds of dogs are able to keep their focus on their owners rather than being distracted, they are often better at learning and retaining information the owners try to teach them. They also are able to maintain a higher rate of communication. This, in turn, helps build a stronger bond between the pet and its owner.
So the next time someone tries to comment on the size of your dog’s snout or the shape of their face, you can rest easy knowing you have a great bond with your dog. On the other hand, if your dog has a long snout, don’t doubt that the love is there. As long as you keep focused on that eye contact, that bond between you and your pup will continue to grow just as long as their nose.
