Indicators of positive emotional states in dogs

Within human psychology, detailed observations of body posture and movements are increasingly being used to assess emotional states in individuals where verbal information is unreliable (such as small infants). Similar analyses of body language in animals may help in the assessment of subjective emotional states.

In this project, different methods are used in order to identify indicators of positive emotions in dogs by observing facial expressions, body language and heart rate parameters.

In the core experiment setup, dogs were trained to stay in a cubicle as different positive stimuli were presented in front of them (social and food related), and their response was recorded using different methods; frame-by-frame video analysis, motion capture and the Facial Action Coding System (DogFACS). We also recorded heart rate and heart rate variability.

Publications

Zupan M., Buskas J., Altimiras J., Keeling L.J. 2016. Assessing positive emotional states in dogs using heart rate and heart rate variability. Physiol. Behav., 155, 102-111. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.physbeh.2015.11.027.