Dogs blink more often when they see owners blinking, study finds

A dog winking. ‘This study shows how socially sensitive our dogs are to subtle cues, such as blinking, on our faces,’ one researcher said. Photograph: Jaromir Chalabala/Alamy

Stare into a dog’s eyes and you may encounter a bemused expression. But researchers have found that dogs blink more often when they see their owners doing so, suggesting there may be more to the mutual gaze than meets the eye.

Scientists have previously found that dogs turn on the puppy eyes when humans look at them, and that their brains can distinguish happy human faces from other expressions – even telling apart fearful faces from those that are angry or sad.