Continuous automated analysis of facial dynamics of brachycephalic and normocephalic dogs in different contexts
Abstract This study develops a novel automated method for measuring continuous dynamics of dog facial behavior based on video-based tracking of 46 facial landmarks grounded in the Dog Facial Action Coding System. This method is applied for comparing the facial behavior of ( $$n_1=7$$ n 1 = 7 ) brach...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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BMC
2025-05-01
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| Series: | BMC Veterinary Research |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12917-025-04839-0 |
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| author | George Martvel Petra Eretová Lucie Přibylová Helena Chaloupková Péter Pongrácz Ilan Shimshoni Noam Chen Cittone Yuval Michaeli Dan Grinstein Anna Zamansky |
| author_facet | George Martvel Petra Eretová Lucie Přibylová Helena Chaloupková Péter Pongrácz Ilan Shimshoni Noam Chen Cittone Yuval Michaeli Dan Grinstein Anna Zamansky |
| author_sort | George Martvel |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract This study develops a novel automated method for measuring continuous dynamics of dog facial behavior based on video-based tracking of 46 facial landmarks grounded in the Dog Facial Action Coding System. This method is applied for comparing the facial behavior of ( $$n_1=7$$ n 1 = 7 ) brachycephalic (Boston Terrier) and ( $$n_2=7$$ n 2 = 7 ) normocephalic (Jack Russel Terrier) dogs in four different contexts, eliciting various inner states: positive (play and called by name) and negative (separation and stranger). Having objectively quantified facial dynamics in brachycephalic and normocephalic dogs, we have found that brachycephalic dogs exhibited consistently lower facial dynamics across all four tested contexts and facial regions (eyes, mouth, and ears) compared to normocephalic dogs. They further demonstrated relatively higher dynamics in positive play and negative stranger conditions than in the other two conditions. In contrast, normocephalic dogs showed elevated dynamics exclusively in the positive play condition, with significantly reduced dynamics in the negative stranger condition. These findings highlight distinct patterns of facial expressivity between the two morphological groups, suggesting decreased facial expression in brachycephalic dogs and demonstrating our method’s value in providing novel insights into canine communication. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-4929414b2fff4e12a09f5aeb9a62ceca |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 1746-6148 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-05-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | BMC Veterinary Research |
| spelling | doaj-art-4929414b2fff4e12a09f5aeb9a62ceca2025-08-20T02:33:25ZengBMCBMC Veterinary Research1746-61482025-05-0121111310.1186/s12917-025-04839-0Continuous automated analysis of facial dynamics of brachycephalic and normocephalic dogs in different contextsGeorge Martvel0Petra Eretová1Lucie Přibylová2Helena Chaloupková3Péter Pongrácz4Ilan Shimshoni5Noam Chen Cittone6Yuval Michaeli7Dan Grinstein8Anna Zamansky9University of HaifaCzech University of Life SciencesCzech University of Life SciencesCzech University of Life SciencesELTE Eötvös Loránd UniversityUniversity of HaifaUniversity of HaifaUniversity of HaifaUniversity of HaifaUniversity of HaifaAbstract This study develops a novel automated method for measuring continuous dynamics of dog facial behavior based on video-based tracking of 46 facial landmarks grounded in the Dog Facial Action Coding System. This method is applied for comparing the facial behavior of ( $$n_1=7$$ n 1 = 7 ) brachycephalic (Boston Terrier) and ( $$n_2=7$$ n 2 = 7 ) normocephalic (Jack Russel Terrier) dogs in four different contexts, eliciting various inner states: positive (play and called by name) and negative (separation and stranger). Having objectively quantified facial dynamics in brachycephalic and normocephalic dogs, we have found that brachycephalic dogs exhibited consistently lower facial dynamics across all four tested contexts and facial regions (eyes, mouth, and ears) compared to normocephalic dogs. They further demonstrated relatively higher dynamics in positive play and negative stranger conditions than in the other two conditions. In contrast, normocephalic dogs showed elevated dynamics exclusively in the positive play condition, with significantly reduced dynamics in the negative stranger condition. These findings highlight distinct patterns of facial expressivity between the two morphological groups, suggesting decreased facial expression in brachycephalic dogs and demonstrating our method’s value in providing novel insights into canine communication.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12917-025-04839-0Dog emotionBrachycephalyFacial expressionsFacial dynamicsFacial landmarksArtificial intelligence |
| spellingShingle | George Martvel Petra Eretová Lucie Přibylová Helena Chaloupková Péter Pongrácz Ilan Shimshoni Noam Chen Cittone Yuval Michaeli Dan Grinstein Anna Zamansky Continuous automated analysis of facial dynamics of brachycephalic and normocephalic dogs in different contexts BMC Veterinary Research Dog emotion Brachycephaly Facial expressions Facial dynamics Facial landmarks Artificial intelligence |
| title | Continuous automated analysis of facial dynamics of brachycephalic and normocephalic dogs in different contexts |
| title_full | Continuous automated analysis of facial dynamics of brachycephalic and normocephalic dogs in different contexts |
| title_fullStr | Continuous automated analysis of facial dynamics of brachycephalic and normocephalic dogs in different contexts |
| title_full_unstemmed | Continuous automated analysis of facial dynamics of brachycephalic and normocephalic dogs in different contexts |
| title_short | Continuous automated analysis of facial dynamics of brachycephalic and normocephalic dogs in different contexts |
| title_sort | continuous automated analysis of facial dynamics of brachycephalic and normocephalic dogs in different contexts |
| topic | Dog emotion Brachycephaly Facial expressions Facial dynamics Facial landmarks Artificial intelligence |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12917-025-04839-0 |
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