University of Parma study finds dogs blink more when owners blink

Researchers at the University of Parma have discovered that dogs increase their blinking frequency when observing their owners blink, suggesting that eye blinking may serve a social function in human-canine interactions.

Published in Royal Society Open Science, the study involved 35 dogs of various breeds. To isolate the effect of blinking from other social cues, researchers used 40-second videos showing either the dog's owner or a stranger. In one set of videos, the individuals blinked once every three seconds, while in the other, they maintained a fixed gaze.

The results indicated that dogs blinked more frequently when seeing people blink, but this increased frequency occurred specifically when the person on screen was their owner. No such significant change was observed when dogs watched strangers blink. Lead researcher Chiara Canori noted that this suggests the social relevance of the partner is a key factor, though the study did not find evidence that dogs were precisely synchronizing their blinks with humans or using them to transmit specific messages.