Published in Animals, the review by Marcello Siniscalchi and colleagues examined the complexity and adaptability of canine communication. Dogs possess a highly expressive behavioral repertoire that allows them to engage effectively with both their own species and humans. Their communication encompasses visual cues such as facial expressions, gaze direction, ear position, and tail movement; tactile interactions like nudging or leaning; vocalizations ranging from barks to whines; and olfactory signals that convey social and emotional information.
The authors highlight that many of these signals—originally evolved for dog–dog communication—have been adapted for dog–human interaction. For instance, sustained eye contact, a behavior uncommon in wolf communication, serves as a powerful affiliative signal between dogs and humans. Similarly, changes in body posture or tail wagging direction can communicate a dog’s emotional state and intent, fostering mutual understanding within the human–dog relationship.
The review also discusses lateralized brain processing in dogs, showing that specific hemispheres are specialized for interpreting emotional tones in vocalizations and visual cues. Such asymmetry reflects sophisticated neural mechanisms underlying canine social cognition, supporting the idea that dogs are finely attuned to the emotional and communicative cues of both humans and other dogs.
Siniscalchi et al. conclude that dog communication is multimodal, flexible, and deeply social. Their ability to interpret and produce complex signals plays a critical role in cooperation, empathy, and the unique cross-species bond that has evolved between dogs and humans over thousands of years.
Source: Siniscalchi, M., d’Ingeo, S., Minunno, M., & Quaranta, A. (2018). Communication in Dogs. Animals, 8. Published July 31, 2018.
