How Dogs Perceive Human Emotions—and How They Respond
Facial expressions, voice, body language, scent: dogs pick up emotional cues through several channels. What research shows—and where it reaches its limits.
May 20, 2026
Guides
Canine science
There are studies on almost every question about dogs, and many of them are quoted more boldly than their data allow. These guides look at what the research actually found and how far the findings reach.
How to Read Dog Body Language: Signals, Sounds and What They Really Mean
A wagging tail doesn’t mean happy, and a yawn doesn’t mean tired. Dogs communicate through several channels at once—which is why any signal read on its own leads you astray.
November 10, 2025
The “Dangerous Breed” Myth: Why Certain Breeds Are Wrongly Considered Dangerous – A Scientific Look
“Fighting dog” is a social label, not a scientific one. The evidence is nuanced—which is exactly why neither side of the debate likes to cite it in full.
October 29, 2025
Can Dogs See in the Dark? How Night Vision in Dogs Really Works
Dogs can't see in total darkness, but their adaptation to twilight is remarkable. Three anatomical features make the difference—and almost everyone knows one of them from photos.
September 20, 2025
Dogs as Emotion Readers: What Your Dog Shows You About Yourself
Your dog reads faces, voices and posture – and can even smell how you are doing. What follows is less romantic than it sounds: he picks up your signal, not your feeling.
May 24, 2025
Can Dogs Ease Pain? What Research on Social Closeness Shows
Social closeness changes how pain is processed. A study from Humboldt University of Berlin tested whether the same holds for a dog’s presence—with a nuanced result.
April 8, 2025
Social Contact for Dogs: Why Quality Often Matters More Than Quantity
What matters for your dog is not how many social contacts they have, but which ones. Why the daily trip to the dog park is not automatically part of it.
March 25, 2025
What Dog Research Means for Everyday Life: Six Practical Findings
Six areas of canine behavior research, translated into everyday actions. Not a survey of studies, but what you can do differently tomorrow.
January 23, 2025
Do Dogs Lower the Risk of Allergies and Asthma in Children?
For decades the advice was: no dog in allergy-prone families. Some research has turned that around – but the evidence is less clear-cut than the headlines suggest.
November 4, 2023
Do Dogs Make Their Owners Healthier? What the Studies Really Show
Almost all studies on dogs and health show associations, not causes. That doesn’t make them worthless – it only changes what you can conclude from them. And that step is rarely taken.
October 4, 2023