Dogs are incredibly in tune with us, much more than we sometimes give them credit for. It’s not just our words or actions they pay attention to, our dogs are constantly reading our emotional states. A study by Müller and her team in 2015 gives us a deeper understanding of this, showing that dogs can read our facial expressions. They’re able to recognise emotions like happiness, anger, or sadness, not just from obvious cues like a smile or a frown, but from subtler, more internal signals.
This ability likely stems from the long history dogs have shared with humans, learning how to interpret our emotions to navigate their world.
Why Facial Expressions Matter for Traumatised Dogs
As our dogs are so finely tuned to our body language, even the smallest shifts in our expressions can make a huge difference to them, especially for dogs that have experienced trauma.
Traumatised dogs are often hyper-alert and on edge, always scanning for signs that something might go wrong. When they’ve lived through unpredictable environments or been hurt in the past, their entire system is wired to look out for danger. And since dogs can’t reason with our human world through words, they depend on our facial expressions and body language to make sense of their surroundings.
We have to remember, dogs notice everything. They are exceptional at reading those micro signs of tension in the human face; the tightening around the eyes, the clenching of the jaw, or the furrowed brow.
For a dog who has been through trauma, these small signals might be enough to confirm their fear that danger is near. So, if we feel frustrated, stressed, or impatient, even without realising it, we’re sending them signals that can escalate their anxiety.
Dogs Use Memory to Recognise Emotions
What’s fascinating is that the study found dogs use their memories of real human faces to interpret emotions. This means that traumatised dogs, who may have had negative experiences in the past, are likely drawing on those memories when they see even the faintest sign of frustration or anger in us. For these dogs, it’s not just about what we do; it’s about how they interpret our facial expressions, linking them back to past experiences of safety or danger.
This highlights just how important it is to be aware of the emotional signals we’re sending. When we’re calm, open, and inviting, they notice that. But if there’s frustration or tension in us, even if we don’t say a word, they’ll pick up on it and may react accordingly.
Creating Safety Through Our Own Emotions
For dogs, especially those who are anxious or traumatised, safety isn’t just about having a calm space to retreat to. It’s about the emotional atmosphere we create around them. If we approach them with softness, patience, and empathy, they can start to feel safe. However, if we’re tense, impatient, or stressed (even if we try to hide it) they’ll sense that too, and it can reinforce their feelings of insecurity.
It’s easy to get caught up in wanting to "fix" behaviour, especially with a dog who’s already on edge, but we have to ask ourselves, “What emotions am I bringing into this moment?” Are we bringing calm, or are we unintentionally adding to their stress by being frustrated with their behaviour or even our own?
It’s in those small, quiet moments when we soften our expression, relax our body language, and give them space to come to us, that we offer them the reassurance they need. For dogs who have never truly felt safe, this consistent display of calm and safety can be life-changing. For people who live with unprocessed trauma, our dogs can gift us the opportunity to look inside and heal ourselves.
The Smallest Signs of Safety Can Mean Everything
Traumatised dogs live in a state of hyper-vigilance, and that means they notice everything. They read our faces before they react to our words or training cues. When we show them calmness, through our expressions and body language, it gives them something crucial—trust. And trust is where their healing begins.
As our dogs live with us, they’re constantly looking to us for signals. They don’t need us to explain everything in words; they need us to show them that the world can be a predictable, safe place. A softened expression, relaxed shoulders, and a calm approach can be powerful. And when a traumatised dog feels safe, they can finally begin to let go of that hyper-vigilance.
Dogs that have been through trauma don’t need direct physical reassurance as humans might. While we feel safer through touch, a traumatised dog may feel safer through the lack of direct attention or physical contact, giving them the space to regulate in their own time. They need us to hold space for them, patiently and quietly, so that they can begin to trust again.
Building Trust Through Emotional Stability
For anxious or traumatised dogs, the process of rebuilding trust starts with us. If we can provide a stable, calm, and emotionally predictable environment, they’ll start to feel secure. And once they feel safe, their nervous system begins to regulate, and their behaviour follows.
In the end, our dogs are constantly watching us, not just to learn what we want from them, but to understand how we feel. In those moments when we show them calmness, understanding, and patience, we give them the gift of safety—and for a traumatised dog, that’s everything. Sometimes it’s not about doing more, it’s about being more present and allowing them the time and space to heal at their own pace.
Join me on the 9th October to discuss strategies for healing our beautiful dogs, click here. Scentwork for Healing: Empowering Dogs Through Enrichment and Exploration
Study Reference:
Corsin A. Müller, Kira Schmitt, Anjuli L.A. Barber, Ludwig Huber,
Dogs Can Discriminate Emotional Expressions of Human Faces, Current Biology, Volume 25, Issue 5, 2015, Pages 601-605, ISSN 0960-9822, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2014.12.055.
(https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0960982214016935)
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