You feel something warm and furry nudge your leg at the dinner table. It’s your dog, and he’s gazing up at you. “Give me that pizza!” his expression seems to say. Later you catch him feasting on one of your brand-new Nikes. He drops the shoe and stares at you, his eyebrows raised. He looks like he’s saying, “I’m sorry!”

Even if you’ve never had a pet dog, you’ve probably seen dogs make humanlike expressions. Do dogs make these faces on purpose? And if so, are they using their faces to try to tell us something?

These are the types of questions that Juliane Kaminski thinks about. She’s a scientist who studies dog cognition, or how dogs think and learn.

Dogs pay close attention to humans’ faces, Kaminski says. And scientists have learned that they have a remarkable ability to understand what we mean when we make different facial expressions or use gestures, like pointing. (If you have a dog, you’ve probably noticed!)

A few years ago, Kaminski wondered if dogs might use their faces to try to communicate with their human owners. As a dog owner, she thought it was certainly possible! But as a scientist, she needed evidence to support her ideas.

You’re at the dinner table. Something warm and furry bumps your leg. It’s your dog. He gazes up at you. “Give me that pizza!” his face seems to say. Later you catch him chewing on a shoe. It’s one of your brand-new Nike sneakers. He drops the shoe. He stares at you with his eyebrows raised. “I’m sorry!” it looks like he’s saying.

You may have never had a pet dog. But you’ve probably seen dogs make humanlike expressions. Do dogs make these faces on purpose? And if so, is it to tell us something?

Juliane Kaminski thinks about these types of questions. She’s a scientist. She studies dog cognition. That means how dogs think and learn.

Dogs watch humans’ faces closely, says Kaminski. And scientists have learned that dogs have an amazing ability. They know what different human expressions mean. The same is true for human gestures, like pointing. (You’ve probably noticed if you have a dog!)

Kaminski wondered something a few years ago. What if dogs use their faces too? And what if they’re using them to tell humans something? As a dog owner, Kaminski thought it was possible! But as a scientist, she needed evidence to support her ideas.

What’s the weirdest face you can make? Go ahead, try it! You just made one of the 27 different expressions people can make with their faces. Many other mammals—like horses, chimpanzees, and dogs—make facial expressions too. They have special muscles that allow them to raise their eyebrows, tighten their lips, and more. (See Muscles in a Dog’s Face.)

Humans change their facial expressions when they feel different emotions. If you’re like most people, the corners of your mouth turn downward when you feel sad. And they turn upward when you feel happy. Scientists have found that other mammals change their facial expressions when they feel different emotions too.

Humans also make faces for another reason—to communicate with each other. We make more faces when we’re with people than when we’re alone. Think about it: You might raise your eyebrows to show you’re listening to your teacher or smile to show you’re happy for a friend.

Dogs make more than 20 different facial expressions. Kaminski wanted to know if they made these faces more often when humans were around, like people do. If they did, it might mean they were trying to tell us something.

What’s the wackiest face you can make? Go ahead. Try it! You just made one of the 27 expressions people can make. Many other mammals make facial expressions too. These mammals include horses, chimpanzees, and dogs. They have special muscles in their faces. These muscles allow them to raise their eyebrows, tighten their lips, and more. (See Muscles in a Dog’s Face.)

Humans change expressions when they feel different emotions. Sometimes you may be sad. The corners of your mouth may turn down when that happens. They turn upward when you feel happy. Other mammals also feel different emotions. Scientists have found that this causes them to change their expressions too.

Humans also make faces for another reason. It’s to communicate with each other. We make more faces when we’re with people than when we’re alone. You might raise your eyebrows when your teacher is talking. That shows you’re listening. Or you might smile to show you’re happy for a friend.

Dogs make more than 20 facial expressions. Kaminski wanted to know if dogs were like people. Did they make faces more often when humans were around? If they did, it might mean they were trying to tell us something.

To test her question, Kaminski set up an experiment at her lab at the University of Portsmouth in England. The test involved 24 dogs of different breeds. In a quiet room, each of the dog’s owners performed four different actions one by one. Each person faced their dog while holding a treat. Next, they faced their dog with no treat. Owners then faced a wall while holding a treat. Finally, they faced the wall without a treat. A camera recorded the dogs’ faces during each action to see if they moved.

Later, Kaminski analyzed the images and looked for patterns. She found that dogs changed their facial expressions more often when they could see their owners’ faces. Most often, they raised their eyebrows and let their tongues hang out. The dogs made these faces whether or not their owners held a treat.

What did the results mean? Since the dogs moved their faces when their owners were empty-handed, they weren’t just begging for a treat. It seemed they were trying to catch their owner’s attention and—possibly—trying to say something!

Kaminski has a lab at the University of Portsmouth. It’s in England. There, she set up an experiment to test her question. The test involved 24 dogs of different breeds. Each dog went with its owner into a quiet room. The owner then did four different actions, one at a time. They faced their dog while holding a treat. Next, they faced their dog with no treat. The owner then faced a wall while holding a treat. Finally, they faced the wall without a treat. A camera recorded the dogs’ faces during each action.

Later, Kaminski studied the images. She looked for patterns. She noticed something when dogs could see their owners’ faces. The animals changed their facial expressions more. Most often, they raised their eyebrows. And they let their tongues hang out. The dogs made these faces whether or not their owners held a treat.

What did the results mean? The dogs moved their faces even when their owners were empty-handed. So they weren’t just begging for a treat. It seemed they were trying to get their owner’s attention. Possibly, they were trying to say something!

Scientists are just beginning to learn about the minds of dogs, Kaminski says. The more we understand them, the better care humans can take of the dogs we love. Learning about dogs can also help humans learn about our own history. That’s because dogs have been living alongside humans for tens of thousands of years.

When it comes to facial expressions, researchers aren’t sure if dogs make them on purpose or if they do it without meaning to. And if the dogs are trying to communicate with humans, what might they be trying to say? Scientists don’t know that either.

One thing is for sure: The look on a dog’s face can affect human behavior.

In an earlier study, Kaminski tracked the facial expressions that dogs made in animal shelters and how quickly they were adopted. She discovered that the dogs who raised their eyebrows more often tend to get adopted faster than other dogs.

“It’s the typical puppy dog eyes that every dog owner falls for,” says Kaminski. That expression clearly has a powerful effect on people. It makes our hearts melt!

Scientists are just starting to learn about the minds of dogs, says Kaminski. It can help us understand how they think. Then humans can take better care of the pets we love. Learning about dogs can also help humans learn about our own history. That’s because dogs have been living alongside humans for tens of thousands of years.

Scientists aren’t sure if dogs make faces on purpose. They may do it without meaning to. Or they may be trying to communicate with humans. If so, what might dogs be trying to say? Scientists don’t know that either.

One thing is for sure. The look on a dog’s face can affect human behavior. In an earlier study, Kaminski tracked the facial expressions dogs in animal shelters made. She compared that to how quickly the animals were adopted. She found a trend with dogs who raised their eyebrows more often. They got adopted faster than other dogs.

“It’s the typical puppy dog eyes that every dog owner falls for,” says Kaminski. That face clearly has a powerful effect on people. It makes our hearts melt!

Your dog might excitedly lick your face when you walk through the door. And he may snuggle with you when you’re sad. Have you ever wondered how dogs became humans’ best friends?

To answer that question, we need to travel back more than 25,000 years, to a time during Earth’s last ice age.

Back then, the world was a very different place than it is today. Enormous sheets of ice covered much of the planet. There were no farms, roads, or villages. Humans found shelter in caves or huts made of animal bones. They used wooden spears or sharpened stones to hunt rhinos, elk, or giant elephant-like creatures called mammoths.

Danger was everywhere—from deadly diseases to fierce predators like lions. For both humans and animals, surviving was a constant struggle.

You walk through the door. Your dog might greet you by happily licking your face. And he may snuggle with you when you’re sad. Have you ever wondered how dogs became our best friends?

We need to travel back more than 25,000 years to answer that question. This is during Earth’s last ice age.

The world was a very different place back then. Huge sheets of ice covered much of the planet. There were no farms, roads, or villages. Humans found shelter in caves or huts made of animal bones. They used wooden spears or sharpened stones. They used the weapons to hunt rhinos, elk, or giant elephant-like mammoths. 

Danger was everywhere. There were deadly diseases. And there were fierce predators like lions. Survival was a constant struggle for both humans and animals.

Another animal lived near these early human communities: ancient wolves. Like today’s wolves, they were predators, hunting prey in packs. They were also scavengers, animals that eat dead creatures and scraps of food lying around.

At some point, scientists think, some of these ancient wolves began going near the edges of human camps. They nibbled on the animal bones and other waste that humans tossed aside. The wolves that were best at snatching human food had two things in common: They weren’t very aggressive, or likely to attack humans. They also weren’t very scared of humans.

When these wolves had pups, they passed down their less aggressive traits. Each new generation of wolves inherited these friendlier qualities.

Ancient wolves lived near early human camps. They were predators like today’s wolves. They hunted prey in packs. They were also scavengers. They ate dead creatures and scraps of food lying around. 

Scientists think some ancient wolves began going closer to human camps. They found food there. It was waste, like animal bones humans had tossed aside. Some wolves were better at snatching human food than others. These animals had two things in common. They weren’t likely to attack humans. And they weren’t very scared of humans.

These wolves had pups. They passed down these traits. Each new generation of wolves inherited these friendlier qualities.

As humans moved around the world, they took their dogs with them. People learned they could breed dogs to have puppies with different traits.

Different dog breeds began appearing around the world. In the Arctic, strong, thick-coated dogs pulled sleds across the snow. Native Americans in the Pacific Northwest kept longhaired dogs. They sheared the dogs like sheep and knitted their fur into blankets!

Today, there are more than 400 dog breeds, each with its own special traits. Most dogs are mutts—a combination of many breeds—with many of these traits mixed together.    

No matter the dog’s breed, all dogs have one thing in common—a special connection with humans. It began tens of thousands of years ago—and it’s still going strong!

Humans began moving around the world. And they took their dogs with them. People learned they could breed dogs. Then their puppies would have different traits.

Different dog breeds began appearing all over the globe. Strong, thick-coated dogs were bred in the Arctic. They pulled sleds across the snow. Native Americans in the Pacific Northwest kept longhaired dogs. They sheared the dogs like sheep. They knitted the fur into blankets!

Today, there are more than 400 dog breeds. Each has its own special traits. Most dogs are mutts. They’re a mix of many breeds. They have many different traits.   

No matter the dog’s breed, all dogs have one thing in common. That’s a special link to humans. It began tens of thousands of years ago. And it’s still going strong!