Pugs and Bulldogs: Why Are They So Hard to Understand?

Their irresistibly adorable little faces sometimes muddy the waters more than they reveal.

A Face So Cute It’s Hard to Read

A pug with a wrinkled snout, a bulldog looking at its human with a grave expression: everything seems straightforward. Yet, a study published in Frontiers in Veterinary Science shows that brachycephalic dogs capture far more of our attention.

The researchers compared volunteers’ gaze when facing Boston terriers and Jack Russell terriers. Result: brachycephalic faces demanded about 45% more of our attention, with more fixations and eye movements.

In other words, we don’t understand them better. We scrutinize them more closely.

The trap lies in their morphology: a rounded forehead, prominent eyes, an extremely short snout. These traits vaguely evoke those of a human baby, which triggers affection and a protective instinct. A formidable aesthetic strategy, but a facial language that’s harder to read.

With these dogs, the features seem squashed into a compact space. This very tangible detail complicates the reading of the subtle signals a human usually picks up almost without thinking.

The Snout We Think We’re Watching

The study also reveals a charming paradox: participants believed they were observing the snout most of all. Eye-tracking sensors actually show they fixated more on the eyes, the ears, and the forehead. Our visual intuition cheats a little, even with dogs.

This misperception isn’t merely a laboratory curiosity. Veterinarians already know the breathing difficulties of brachycephalic breeds; their faces could also limit certain expressions that are useful for communicating with humans. Experts remain cautious, but the lead is compelling.

Moreover, Pugs and Bulldogs are among the most popular breeds across several countries, even though their morphology predisposes them to various health troubles and worries from veterinarians as well as animal-welfare advocates.