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1. When humans misinterpret the emotional states of dogs by misreading dog body language, they may be more likely to put themselves at risk by interacting with fearful & aggressive dogs, with consequences for both dog & human welfare. (see prior tweet for video) #AnimBehav2021
2. Does experience with dogs facilitate accurate interpretations of dogs' facial expressions and body language? I conducted a literature review. Differences in study methodology abounded, making it difficult to compare results across studies. #AnimBehav2021
3. Some studies found no or only limited effects of experience with dogs on interpretations of canine visual signals, while others, summarized here, found that dog experience appears to facilitate accurate interpretations. #AnimBehav2021
4. Several studies found that people tend to be more proficient at interpreting happiness than fear in dogs and that subtle signals of fear or distress, such as those at the bottom and middle of this “ladder of aggression,” are particularly difficult to interpret. #AnimBehav2021
5. Teaching adults & children about dogs’ fear & distress behaviors improves recognition of these behaviors, but young children continue to struggle with subtle behaviors. Educational videos, such as these, could be helpful for all ages: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXv0hxfMzvR1OFaFrwlWhmaxEBsinR9ux #AnimBehav2021
6. This spreadsheet details methods and results for the studies I reviewed: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/14G7gqsUx6gMufFJFOzEQxSTKepN2VCgvCC7n4syaNic/edit?usp=sharing Future studies should include clear examples of basic emotions, recorded in situations designed to elicit those emotions & validated by dog behavior professionals. #AnimBehav2021
