University of Portsmouth Seeking Labrador and Golden Retriever Puppies for Research

The university's study specifically seeks Labrador and golden retriever puppies aged 10, 12, 14, or 16 weeks from across the UK. The research aims to compare how facial expressions change at different developmental stages.

Owners will not need to travel; instead, they will be asked to film their puppies at home for up to four minutes, following guidelines provided by Dr. Juliane Kaminski from the Dog Cognition Centre. The recorded footage will then be sent to the research team for analysis.

Dr. Kaminski explained the study's objective: "We want to understand how facial movements in dogs change as they grow—do they become more or less expressive with age? Facial expressions are at the heart of how dogs communicate their emotions, yet we still have so much to learn about them. That is what makes this research so exciting."

Eligibility for participation requires that the puppies be either Labrador retrievers or golden retrievers within the specified age range. Owners will need to film their puppy in four different situations, with each video lasting one minute.

Previous research by Dr. Kaminski’s team found that dogs have evolved new muscles around their eyes for improved communication with humans. Findings indicated that dogs significantly raise their eyebrows more when being watched by humans, a behavior believed to elicit a nurturing response.

The research team has also identified an eyebrow movement termed Action Unit (AU) 101, which is associated with raised inner eyebrows.

Interested participants or those seeking more information should contact Dr. Juliane Kaminski at [email protected]. The study has been approved by the University of Portsmouth Ethics Committee, and all video submissions will be treated with care.