Seeing Dogs: Human Preferences for Dog Physical Attributes

Hecht, Julie; Horowitz, Alexandra

doi:10.2752/089279315x14129350722217

Cited by 63Human-Animal Interaction StudiesAesthetic Perception and AnalysisEvolutionary Psychology and Human Behavior

Seeing Dogs: Human Preferences for Dog Physical Attributes

Hecht, Julie, Horowitz, Alexandra·2015·Anthrozoös

DOI 10.2752/089279315x14129350722217

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Abstract

This study systematically investigated peoples' preferences for dog physical attributes in images of real-life dogs. Participants (n = 124) completed an aesthetic-preference test wherein they viewed 80 image pairs of mixed-breed adult dogs and were asked which image they “liked best.” In each image pair, the two dog images appeared to be nearly identical, but unbeknownst to participants, the images differed slightly in that one physical characteristic had been manipulated. By altering a single physical characteristic in each image pair, participant preference for each of 14 different physical attributes could be investigated over the course of the study. The feature manipulations examined theories relating to Kindchenschema (an infantile appearance, per Konrad lorenz), ostensive human similarity, the process of domestication, as well as differences in attribute size and symmetry. The results showed that participants preferred some features associated with the infant schema—large eyes and wider-set eyes. They also preferred certain human-like attributes: colored irises and a distinct upturn of the commissure, seeming to capture a smile. By contrast, participants did not reveal a preference for physical characteristics relating to feature size, symmetry or the process of domestication. The findings suggest that identifiable physical attributes of domestic dogs have aesthetic value and, additionally, that human preferences for aesthetic differences can be systematically investigated. Given that people attend to and care about the way dogs look, the effects of particular physical attributes on peoples' preferences merit investigation.

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Evidence suggests that physical appearance outperforms health considerations when acquiring a dog.
“Evidence suggests that physical appearance outperforms health considerations when acquiring a dog [104,105].”
From Ethical Concerns about Fashionable Dog Breeding (2024) · cites this paper as [104]

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Authors: Hecht, J., & Horowitz, A.
Affiliations: City University of New York (US)
Barnard College (US)
Corresponding author: Hecht, Julie
ORCID: Horowitz, Alexandra
Venue: Anthrozoös
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Published: 2015-03
Volume: 28
Issue: 1
Pages: 153-163
ISSN: 0892-7936 (ISSN-L)
1753-0377
DOI: 10.2752/089279315x14129350722217
OpenAlex: W2049981898
Cited by: 63
References: 49
Citations by year: 2026: 2 · 2025: 10 · 2024: 6 · 2023: 12 · 2022: 7 · 2021: 8 · 2020: 3 · 2019: 3 · 2018: 5 · 2017: 3 · 2016: 3 · 2015: 1
FWCI: 2.74
Type: journal article
Language: en
Open access: closed
Locations: Anthrozoös (publishedVersion)
Topics: Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Genetics › Human-Animal Interaction Studies
Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Aesthetic Perception and Analysis
Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Evolutionary Psychology and Human Behavior
Keywords: aesthetic preference, human-dog relationship, human-likeness, domestication, facial symmetry, feature size, eye size, smiling, mixed-breed dogs

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Seeing Dogs: Human Preferences for Dog Physical Attributes

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