I read a study a while back where they had people wear special glasses that could track the movements of their eyes precisely, and they found that when two people encounter each other, both eyes of each person simultaneously scan one eye of the other person (I think they said the right eye)
It happens so quickly that we don’t know we do it, and it isn’t noticeable, but the instruments picked it up. You focus for a brief second on one single eye of the other person.
They ended up testing a bunch of other animals of all sizes and types (even including chimpanzees) and they only found one other creature they tested that does that exact same thing: You guessed it...dogs. When a dog sees a human face, they focus on the right eye for a split second just like we do.
Additionally, they found that dogs are cued into humans in ways no other animal is. They did an experiment where they would put a treat under an upturned bucket, and have a little shell game with two identical, empty upturned buckets.
A human would gesture towards the bucket with the treat, and try to get the animal to go to it and get the invisible treat by overturning the bucket. They tried it with chimps, birds, cats, etc.
None of them would take the cue of the human pointing to the bucket with the treat under it. Except for dogs.
They took a little puppy, and the puppy picked it up immediately when the person pointed at it, literally on the first try.
Further, the person didn’t even have to point, they could simply look. More remarkable, they didn’t even have to linger with the look. They could just flash their eyes for a split second at the bucket with the treat, and the puppy would go unerringly to it.
Dogs have lived around humans so long that they are tuned into us, emotionally and physically. So they are a little bit different than other animals in this respect.
Interesting. My two dogs trained me to feed them!
That’s all fascinating.
“Further, the person didn’t even have to point, they could simply look. More remarkable, they didn’t even have to linger with the look. They could just flash their eyes for a split second at the bucket with the treat, and the puppy would go unerringly to it.”
My dog does this. She can know where to go or where something is by my eyes or fingers
I just thought it was something animals did...should have known cats aren’t going to cooperate
They ended up testing a bunch of other animals of all sizes and types (even including chimpanzees) and they only found one other creature they tested that does that exact same thing: You guessed it...dogs. When a dog sees a human face, they focus on the right eye for a split second just like we do.
...
Yet humans are more closely related to rats than dogs.
I’ll bet further testing would show that some pet birds are equally watchful of their owners’ eyes or movements.
Parakeets, Cockatiels, Conures and their bigger, louder cousins are quite observant.
For one thing, those kinds of birds have eyes spaced far apart, making it more likely that they would use one single eye to study whats in front.
Secondly, many of those birds like or are accustomed to positive interactions with people.