title: Paedomorphic facial expressions give dogs a selective advantage.
abstract: How wolves were first domesticated is unknown. One hypothesis suggests that wolves underwent a process of self-domestication by tolerating human presence and taking advantage of scavenging possibilities. The puppy-like physical and behavioural traits seen in dogs are thought to have evolved later, as a byproduct of selection against aggression. Using speed of selection from rehoming shelters as a proxy for artificial selection, we tested whether paedomorphic features give dogs a selective advantage in their current environment. Dogs who exhibited facial expressions that enhance their neonatal appearance were preferentially selected by humans. Thus, early domestication of wolves may have occurred not only as wolf populations became tamer, but also as they exploited human preferences for paedomorphic characteristics. These findings, therefore, add to our understanding of early dog domestication as a complex co-evolutionary process.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Comparative and Evolutionary Psychology, University of Portsmouth, Portsmouth, Hampshire, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Bridget M
authors.initials: BM
authors.lastname: Waller
authors.affiliation: Centre for Comparative and Evolutionary Psychology, University of Portsmouth, Portsmouth, Hampshire, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Kate
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Peirce
authors.affiliation: Centre for Comparative and Evolutionary Psychology, University of Portsmouth, Portsmouth, Hampshire, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Cátia C
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Caeiro
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Linda
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Scheider
authors.affiliation: Department of Physical Therapy, Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, United States of America ; Department of Anthropology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, United States of America.
authors.forename: Anne M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Burrows
authors.affiliation: WALTHAM®, Centre for Pet Nutrition, Leicestershire, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Sandra
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: McCune
authors.affiliation: Centre for Comparative and Evolutionary Psychology, University of Portsmouth, Portsmouth, Hampshire, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Juliane
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kaminski
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000829:Animals, Domestic; D001522:Behavior, Animal; D004285:Dogs / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000254:growth & development / Q000502:physiology*; D005149:Facial Expression; D006801:Humans; D012641:Selection, Genetic