I have recently been reading the published findings of a new study from scientists at a Vienna University - doesn’t everyone? - who have been researching the dogs abilities in human face recognition and in assessing moods.

Now, if like me you are thinking, ‘Oh dear, yet another piece of near-useless scientific research telling us something we already know’, or, ‘Well, it keeps the little tinkers out of trouble. At least they’re not fiddling about with tomato DNA or plotting Armageddon’.

And it’s true, this study does confirm something that dog-lovers must have long suspected - that man's best friend can tell the difference between our happy and angry faces.

Scientists at the Messerli Research Institute's Clever Dog Lab (yes, this place really exists, believe it or not) trained dogs to differentiate pictures of ‘happy’ and ‘angry’ faces, and were given rewards to do this.

The scientist in charge of these studies, Professor Ludwig Huber - who sounds like a Hergé’s Tintin character - poses the question, 'How is it that dogs are so adapted to humans, and what happened during the process of domestication?’

Other tests involved showing the dogs images of unfamiliar human faces and the dogs could still recognise the difference between these expressions.

But does this recognition of ‘happy’ and ‘angry’ expressions also mean that the dogs understand the emotions behind these faces?

Professor Huber said that dogs were rewarded for touching the faces they were shown with their noses. They were resistant to touching the ‘angry’ ones, and had taken three times longer to learn to do this. The Professor said, ”It seems as if they don't like to touch an angry face.”

The study of evolution of canine domestication is also the preoccupation of British biologist, John Bradshaw. In his recent book, In Defence of Dogs investigates this topic in some depth. (I reviewed this in a previous issue of Lowdown and I recommend this book to those with an interested in the subject).

Canine domestication seems a popular study in the current zeitgeist among researchers. The slow evolution from wolf/wild dog to the tame creatures that guard, herd, and hunt for us, eventually becoming the beloved pets which share our homes and lives is really fascinating.

A different research team, this one in San Diego, California, have studied jealousy in canines. It seems that this emotion is not just a human condition, but is also hard -wired into the brains of dogs.

Some experts have argued that jealousy requires complex cognition, and is unique to people. But this US team of researchers say their work shows that dogs also succumbed to the ‘green-eyed monster’.

This became evident in test conditions when dog owners displayed affection to a stuffed toy dog in front of their pet. Apparently, the dummy dog was quite realistic and 86% of the dog group tested had sniffed the toy’s rear-end upon meeting.

These findings probably won't be a major surprise to anyone who has ever owned a dog, but the team say this is the first proper experimental test into jealous behaviour exhibited in canines.

The study shows that human jealousy is a complicated emotion, mostly requiring a "social triangle”, and usually arises when an interloper threatens an existing relationship.

Building on research that shows that even very young babies showed signs of jealousy. The scientists studied thirty-six dogs at home and recorded their actions when their owners displayed affection to a realistic-looking stuffed toy dog.

Over three quarters of the dogs were likely to push or touch their owners when the owner was interacting with the decoy. They were more than three times as likely to do this for interactions with the stuffed dog compared to when their owners gave their attention to other objects, such a book.

Around a third tried to get between the owner and the faux fido, while a quarter of the put-upon dogs snapped at the dummy (the breeds involved were not specified in the reports that I read).

Professor Christine Harris who conducted the study said, ”Our study suggests not only that dogs do engage in what appear to be jealous behaviours, but also that they were seeking to break up the connection between the owner and a seeming rival.”

These are all very interesting findings, though I think a little predictable to us dog owners, but it must be great fun working in this field of research.

I fancy doing something like this myself, so if any funding body reading this wishes to sink - I mean invest - a small fortune into something like, ‘A Study into Basset Hound Pack Interaction during Monthly Meets’. I am available!

Well, it’s certainly worth a punt!

(Anyway, ‘see you in the next edition. Missing you already, Tony.)