Samoyed

　　We all know a dog's tail can well reflect its mood, but scientists now believe humans can already tell how a dog is feeling from its expressions. Could your dog also be a "facial emperor"? Let’s quickly look at how to interpret dog expressions.
　　According to a report from the UK’s Daily Mail, American psychologist Tina Bloom invited a 5-year-old Belgian Shepherd and used various methods to guide it into making different expressions. The results showed that 88%, 70%, and 45% of people, respectively, could distinguish its happy, angry, and fearful expressions from photos. This result was published in the journal Behavioural Processes.
　　Some of dogs’ expressions are indeed easy to understand, especially happiness and anger. The former releases positive signals through shining eyes and gentle movements, while pulling the lips fully back to show canine teeth is a classic angry expression.
　　It is worth noting that angry dogs will stretch their ears forcefully backward and outward, while soft ears laid back indicate submission, compliance, or joy. This is a very common communication method among dogs. Therefore, dogs that have had their ears cropped are easily mistaken by other dogs as threatening because their ears always remain upright.
　　Additionally, when dogs feel uneasy or fearful, they will also lay their ears back and tuck their tails, sometimes trembling all over or trying to find a place to hide.
　　Returning to happiness, many people think dogs’ baring teeth represents “smiling,” but only humans and apes use baring teeth to express happiness; dogs actually bare teeth when panicked or in pain. Also, when dogs stick their tongues out to cool down, just opening their mouths a little wider causes the corners of their mouths to naturally turn upward.
　　Eyes are also easy to use to observe a dog’s mood, especially between strangers or between dogs. Direct eye contact often represents provocation, which is why people are reminded not to look directly at stray dogs. However, pet dogs simultaneously wagging their tails while staring at their owners often show waiting and expectation.
　　Conversely, eyes darting or avoiding direct gaze means avoiding a frontal conflict. Dogs often show this behavior after doing something that upsets their owners; their heads lower and their eyes roll upward because they don’t dare to look people in the eye at that moment, and their ears may also lay back as described earlier. But note, dogs showing fear at the owner’s anger does not mean they know they made a mistake.