The dog’s ‘fake pupil’: The influence of humans on a dog’s appearance

The human-canine bond exists for over 15,00 years ago, when humans began to socialize the European wolf-dogs. The influence of humans on the appearance of dogs created the extraordinary variety of phenotypic diversity among the modern dog. Humans seem to be particularly interested in certain paedomorphic features in animals, such as a round face and large pupils, which is related to the Kindchenschema. Remarkably, one of the characteristics in dogs is an extra dark colouring around the pupil which seems to create an enlarging effect of the existing pupil. This so-called ring might be part of the human influence within the domestication of the modern dog. As well as a higher contrast between the iris and the ring, which creates a more visible ring and therefore strengthens the influence of the ring. The current study hypothesized and expected that 1) the ring is a predictor of the level of perceived cuteness in humans, 2) contrast is a moderator of this relationship and 3) attitude...Show moreThe human-canine bond exists for over 15,00 years ago, when humans began to socialize the European wolf-dogs. The influence of humans on the appearance of dogs created the extraordinary variety of phenotypic diversity among the modern dog. Humans seem to be particularly interested in certain paedomorphic features in animals, such as a round face and large pupils, which is related to the Kindchenschema. Remarkably, one of the characteristics in dogs is an extra dark colouring around the pupil which seems to create an enlarging effect of the existing pupil. This so-called ring might be part of the human influence within the domestication of the modern dog. As well as a higher contrast between the iris and the ring, which creates a more visible ring and therefore strengthens the influence of the ring. The current study hypothesized and expected that 1) the ring is a predictor of the level of perceived cuteness in humans, 2) contrast is a moderator of this relationship and 3) attitude is correlated with the level of perceived cuteness. The 1100 participants were asked to rate 36 pictures of dogs on cuteness via an online questionnaire. The results showed that the larger the ring, the higher the level of perceived cuteness, as well as a positive correlation between attitude and the level of perceived cuteness. However, the contrast between the ring and the iris did not influence the relationship between the ratio ring/iris and the level of perceived cuteness. These results carefully confirm the influence of humans on a dog’s appearance. Future research could focus on gazing as a predictor of perceived cuteness, including isolating the eyes as presented stimuli.Show less

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The dog’s ‘fake pupil’: The influence of humans on a dog’s appearance