There was a study published in the last month that was investigating whether humans can read emotions on flat-faced breeds as easily as they can on normal muzzles breeds.
Brachycephalic breeds are breeds with a significantly shorted muzzle length, including English Bulldogs, French Bulldogs, Pugs and the Boston Terrier.
When I meet a brachy breed on walks I’m always a bit unsure on them. I definitely spend more time sniffing at them than I do other breeds. They dont have any tails to wag so I can’t use that to judge their mood. Their eyes are always slightly bulgier than other breeds, so that often gives them a wider eyed stare, which can often indicate caution or anxiety in a normal dog. If meeting on a walk, they are often breathing heavier/harder, panting more than other breeds, which again can make it hard to communicate. Because they are panting so excessively, their mouth and muzzle area is often pulled back tightly as they breathe, which could confuse the approaching dogs by looking aggressive.
If the dog is unfortunate enough to have had its ears cropped (illegal in the UK as it has no medical benefit as all and is purely cosmetic) then that will also impact the ability of other dogs and humans to read the dogs expressions.
The problem often is, is that sometimes the owners don’t even know what the dogs behaviour means. I remember when Mother and I started at puppy training classes. On the first day, the trainer came out to meet us all before we went into the hall. One of the dogs was a Frenchie that was jumping up and lunging at the lead and barking at us other dogs. The trainer said straight away that he wasn’t going to allow that dog in the group class, and the trainer made arrangements to do one-to-one training sessions instead. In our class he then told us that that Frenchie was showing signs of anxiety and fear, and the owner hadn’t realised that the barking and lunging was the dog trying to show his unhappiness. The trainer gave us updates at each class, and he said the owners had done a really good job with him and he was coming on really well. It goes to show, that some owners just don’t understand what us dogs are trying to tell them. But I do feel bad for those brachy breed dogs, because it must be so much harder for them to try and get their point across.
If they can’t make themselves understood as easily, it stands to reason that there’s a chance not all their needs are being met.
I like all breeds, but Mother has definitely noticed that the way I approach a Brachy dog is definitely more cautious and time consuming compared to when I approach a normal muzzle shaped breed. I wonder if other dogs struggle with Brachy dogs the same way I do?? Thoughts?
My 10-year-old hound mix, Casey, has always been suspicious of flat-face dogs. Now I understand why.