What Your Dog's Cute Behaviors Really Mean

Do dogs know how to act cute?

Most dog owners would agree that our canine friends are doggone cute. Some of their expressions and actions simply amplify their “cuteness.” But are they born with the innate “cuteness”, or do they learn how to be cute?

The Dog Smile

There is nothing quite as disarming as a full-blown doggie smile. You know the one: your dog pulls back the corners of his mouth and shows just enough teeth to be sweet and not enough to be scary. There is no tension in their face; they have a relaxed head carriage; they are wagging their tail; and they have soft squinty eyes. But are dogs really smiling at you or is there another explanation for this sweet facial expression?

Historically, in wild canids such as wolves, the facial expression we call a smile communicates submission to a member of the same species. To signal that he is not going to challenge the other wolf, the submissive wolf retracts the corners of his lips, which makes his face appear to be smiling. The dominant wolf interprets the smile as a submissive gesture.

"Dogs often smile to show they are not a threat."

Dogs often smile to show they are not a threat. A smile may also indicate that your dog is calm and relaxed – so we could understand that as being happy. If you respond to the smiling, submissive pup with a kind word, a pat on the head, or a treat, he quickly learns to smile a lot! 

The Adorable Head Tilt

Who can resist the cute head tilt? When dogs cock their heads to the side and look up at you, are they doing it to be cute, or is there another reason? The answer is more physiological than romantic, and there are two reasons for this.

To see better. Dogs’ eyes are set on the sides of their heads, which makes it difficult for them to focus on objects directly in front of them. If they angle their heads, dogs get a clearer view of things that are front and center.

To improve communication. Dogs cock their heads to see you better. Dogs assess your facial expressions, eye movements, tone of voice, body language, and inflection to improve their communication skills. To make an accurate assessment of your facial expressions, dogs must clearly see your face. That cute canine head tilt broadens the range of vision and allows a dog to more clearly see a person’s face and communicate better. Recent research suggests the head tilt may be a sign of concentration on communication as well.

To hear better. A person with normal hearing can discern sound regardless of where it is coming from - front, back, left, or right. The human external ear canal is engineered to pick up sound so efficiently that you do not have to turn toward the sound to capture it. This is not so with dogs! Dogs have ear flaps (pinnae) that partially or completely cover the ear canal and block sound transmission. To compensate for the interference of ear flaps, dogs perk up their pinnae and tilt their heads for optimum sound collection.

Even though you recognize that the cute canine head tilt as an endearing doggie feature, it may be based on improving vision and hearing. Regardless, if you respond to this cute canine trait with positive reinforcement, you will reinforce the behavior.

Those Puppy Dog Eyes

It is impossible to resist sweet, puppy dog eyes and, even though they are called “puppy” dog eyes, they are ageless. Even a 10-year-old dog can have precious, puppy eyes. This wide-eyed expression makes dogs look sweet and vulnerable and melts our hearts. 

Why are puppy dog eyes so cute? Research demonstrates that dogs raise their inner brows to make their eyes appear larger. Research also indicates that humans have a preference for dogs with childlike faces that include big eyes. When choosing a pet, we opt for dogs that raise their inner brows to make their eyes appear larger and make their faces look more baby-like. It’s possible that human selection of this trait has influenced breed characteristics.