With their large, child-like eyes and raised eyebrows, it can be difficult to say no to your dog when they give you the'puppy-dog eyes'. Now, a new study has revealed the precise anatomical features that could explain what makes dogs' faces so appealing. Researchers from Duquesne University in Pittsburgh found that dogs have similar muscles in their faces to humans, allowing them to form facial expressions close to our own. Their findings suggest that these features have been selectively bred by humans over the last 33,000 years, since our ancestors first started breeding wolves. 'Throughout the domestication process, humans may have bred dogs selectively based on facial expressions that were similar to their own, and over time dog muscles could have evolved to become "faster," further benefiting communication between dogs and humans,' said Professor Anne Burrows, senior author of the study.

"My dog accidentally knocked down the trash and found old cheesy pasta in it, and is now convinced that trash cans provide an endless supply of cheesy pasta, knocking it over every chance she gets." Sometimes, you would have seen your Machine Learning(ML) model do the same too. A notorious example is how a neural network learned to differentiate between dogs and wolves. It didn't truly learn to differentiate between dogs and wolves, instead it learnt that all the wolf pictures had snow in the background as it was their natural habitat as opposed to dogs with grass in the background. The model then differentiated the two animals by looking at whether the background was snow or grass.

Dogs have evolved muscles around their eyes to look cute to humans, scientific research has shown for the first time. The muscles allow dogs to raise a quizzical eyebrow and to look sad - giving them facial expressions similar to our own. The authors say that the eyebrow raising movement triggers a nurturing response in humans. They makes the dogs' eyes appear larger and more child-like. The authors say that the eyebrow raising movement triggers a nurturing response in humans.

In the process of domestication, dogs may have lost the ability to grasp the connection between cause and effect, a new study has found. Researchers investigating the reasoning skills of dogs and human-socialized wolves have discovered that the two canines had different approaches when searching for food after they'd been given hints about its location. While dogs were unable to make the connection, the study revealed that wolves can – suggesting domestication may have altered dogs' cognitive abilities. In the study conducted at the Wolf Science Center of the Vetmeduni Vienna, the international team of researchers observed 14 dogs and 12 human-socialized wolves. A genetic analysis of the world's oldest known dog remains has revealed that dogs were domesticated in a single event by humans living in Eurasia.

We all know how difficult, distracted and stroppy some teenagers can be. Now, new research has shown that dogs go through a similar'teenage' growing-up phase when they hit 8 months. The discovery comes after owners of hundreds of dogs that were tracked as they grew up reported'adolescent' behaviour at eight months. Teenagers can be difficult, distracted and stroppy. The research was aimed at spotting those that would be suitable for training as guide dogs.

We are familiar with the famous saying "dog is a man's best friend," but no one could figure out exactly why this particular animal carries the capability of being so friendly toward humans. According to a study published Wednesday, the reason behind humans and dogs striking a common cord might be because the latter descended from wolves. The study found that hyper-social canines carry variants of the genes GTF2I and GTF2IRD1, the deletion of which, in humans, triggers the Williams-Beuren Syndrome, or more commonly known as the Williams syndrome. Bridgett vonHoldt of Princeton University and her colleagues studied a portion of DNA in dogs that included 29 genes. They noticed that deletion of part or all of this section due to prolonged domestication seemed to cause the overtly friendly nature in dogs.

While the bond between humans and dogs now seems a natural part of life, a look at their closest living ancestor is a reminder that things weren't always that way. A new study has identified a genetic marker in dogs that sets them apart from wolves when it comes to human interaction, suggesting dogs developed a genetic condition through domestication that causes them to be so sociable. According to the researchers, this marker is the same found in people with Williams-Beuren syndrome – a condition which essentially causes people to love everyone. A new study has identified a genetic marker in dogs that sets them apart from wolves when it comes to human interaction, suggesting dogs may have developed a genetic condition through domestication that causes them to be so sociable. A genetic analysis of the world's oldest known dog remains has revealed that dogs were domesticated in a single event by humans living in Eurasia.