Research shows dogs try to communicate with humans

It turns out your pet knows exactly what they're doing when they look longingly up at you.

That's according to new research out of the UK that found dogs use facial expressions to communicate with people. 

The research found dogs produce more facial movements in front of people. 

That includes raising their eyebrows or making their eyes appear bigger when they're ignored, or presented with a tasty treat. 

"What they've learnt to do is look to us for direction... and for the goods, and for information," Mark Vette, dog behaviourist said.

"Running at you, bumping you with their nose, looking you straight in the eye, looking at something else and trying to get your attention. 

"All of those things are very much part of a dogs way of getting you to engage with them."

So those puppy dog eyes really are a thing. 

"They look as puppyish and sweet and smoochy as possible of course because that achieves a lot more than being grumpy and aggressive," Mr Vette said.

Kate Vinson started her own dog walking business "Paw Project", and says there's no doubt these pups know what they're doing.

"I definitely think you can tell a lot by a dog's eyes especially,"Ms Vinson said

The research says domestication is the main reason dogs have learnt many of our social cues and Ms Vinson agrees.

"[You] know if you went way back to wolves or whatever they probably wouldn't read our facial expressions as well as these dogs do because they've been around humans since they were born."

Newshub.