A new study has found that dogs blink more often when they observe their owners blinking. The research, published in the journal Royal Society Open Science, suggests that blinking may hold social relevance in the interactions between dogs and humans.
Dr. Chiara Canori, the study's first author from the University of Parma, and her team analysed recordings of 35 dogs watching videos. The videos showed either the dog's owner or two unfamiliar humans, with one video featuring the humans blinking every three seconds and another where they maintained a still gaze.
The findings revealed that dogs blinked more frequently when the on-screen humans blinked. Crucially, this increase in blinking was only observed when dogs saw their owners blinking, with no similar effect seen for strangers. Dr. Canori noted that while blinking is essential for eye protection, the results indicate it may also provide subtle feedback about attention or engagement, particularly with a socially important partner.