Dogs don’t blink just to keep their eyes clean – research calls it an ‘attempt’ to tell you something important

Dogs use blinking as a subtle form of social communication, a behavior that goes beyond the simple physiological act of keeping their eyes moist. Evolutionary biologist Chiara Canori of the University of Parma, Italy, has conducted research revealing that dogs blink more frequently when in the presence of other dogs or humans than when alone. Her study aimed to determine whether these blinks convey social signals and how they affect interactions among dogs.

In the study, 54 pet dogs participated in an experiment where each dog sat with its owner while watching a series of videos featuring other dogs exhibiting various facial behaviors: blinking, nose-licking, and attentively remaining still. The videos included three dogs of varying breeds and ages to provide a diverse set of examples. A six-year-old terrier mix, a five-year-old cocker spaniel mix, and a one-year-old border collie mix were all shown. Including dogs of different sizes, ages, and temperaments helped ensure that the video captured a wide range of behaviors and responses. However, before the main experiment, a pilot study confirmed that the identity of the dogs or their expressions in the clips did not influence how much attention the viewer dogs paid.

Between each set of video clips, the participating dogs took five-minute breaks to prevent carry-over emotional effects, allowing researchers to isolate reactions to each facial behavior. During the viewing, researchers closely monitored how frequently the dogs blinked, hypothesizing that dogs might mimic blinking as a form of social communication. Additionally, continuous heart-rate monitoring was conducted to assess whether the dogs experienced stress or emotional arousal. The heart rates remained steady, indicating that the blinking was not a stress response but likely a meaningful social signal.

Results showed that dogs blinked significantly more often while watching videos of blinking dogs compared to nose-licking or still dogs. This suggests a mimicry effect similar to humans, who often unconsciously synchronize blinks with social partners during conversations, especially at pauses or endings of speech. Nose-licking, previously linked to positive anticipation or frustration in dogs, did not evoke the same blinking response in observers.

"In dogs, blinking has been considered as an appeasement behavior used to express non-aggressive intentions towards conspecifics," the team points out, according to ScienceAlert. "Reciprocal blinking in dogs might help to facilitate conspecific social bonds, cope with frustration and communicate non-aggressive intentions, as already shown in the interspecific context with humans."

Published in Royal Society Open Science, this research offers new insight into canine social behavior, highlighting blinking as an important, communicative gesture rather than a mere physiological reflex. It enhances our understanding of canine social interactions while drawing attention to the complex, often unnoticed signals in their body language.  This knowledge can improve how humans interpret dog behavior, enhancing communication, training, and welfare in our shared relationships.