Hey We’re Twins. Why Dog and Owners Look Alike
- Vickie Foster
- Aug 15
- 2 min read
Hey We’re Twins. Why Dog and Owners Look Alike
It’s not just your imagination. Dogs and their pet parents really do look alike. Researchers in psychology and animal behavior have been studying this phenomenon for years.
In 2004, Michael Roy of the University of California, San Diego did a study using separate photographs of 45 owners and their dogs. He then asked study participants to match the pups and their pet parents. They correctly matched the pairs more than twice as often as chance would predict. This seemed to only work with purebred pooches whose looks were predictable, however.
In another study published in 2015, long-haired women overwhelmingly preferred dogs with long ears. The women in the study with short hair styles tended to pick dogs with upright ears. Similarity won again.
According to Art Markman, a cognitive scientist and senior vice provost for academics at the University of Texas at Austin, if you are picking out a dog at a shelter, and looking at all kinds of dogs, you’re not focusing on a dog’s facial features. It’s more of an overall feeling that something about the dog is desirable. Driving this feeling is the idea that the dog seems familiar. The dog reminds you of something you’ve encountered before. Namely it reminds you of yourself.
Several human behaviors may explain this desire for similarities in their pet partners.
The Mere Exposure Effect
People tend to choose what is familiar to them. The more we see something, the more familiar it is and the more we like it. Owners may unconsciously pick a four-footed pal that has similar facial features, overall size, hair type, hair length or overall size. After all, this is what we see in the mirror. These features are familiar and comforting to us.
Seeing Human Traits in a Dog and Self-extension
Anthropomorphism or seeing human traits in animals may be at play when owner are
picking out their furry friends. A potential pet parent may see their own physical features in a dog. They may also see these traits as an extension of theirself or family members. The similarity influences their choice.
In studies and research certain physical features are often shared between owners and their dogs. Among these are the following:
Human Feature Matching Dog Trait
Hair texture or length Fur texture or length
Facial features Head Shape and eye position
Size or body type Dog Build (small, stocky, slender etc.)
Perceived personality Expression - Example: energetic, calm etc.
We choose dogs that resemble us. This enhances the deep emotional and social role they play in our lives. The similarity is backed by science that illustrates the extraordinary dog-human bond.
So look in the mirror. Is that your dog’s face?
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