Why Do Some Dogs Look Like Their Owners?

Dogs that look like their owners. It’s definitely “a thing”. Right? Whether you flash back to the classic movie Best in Show or remember how your auntie with extra large glasses always had an affinity for pugs with those big, eternal puppy-dog eyes, almost anyone can reference a person and pup pair that look at least something alike–that is, if not entirely related. 

But is there any evidence to support that there’s more to this than happenstance? Are we just seeing what it is we want to see? After all, if we consider our dog to be our child, maybe we just want them to resemble us, and that desire alone plays tricks on our eyes. 

Well, we’re definitely not the first to ask this question and some have gone pretty far to validate their assumptions. You can find scientific research dating back to the 90s that explores the person/canine look-alike phenomenon. And various studies have followed, including this one that examined how a group of people were able to match photographs of dogs who they had never met before to their owners without any context. They simply had to base their decision off of looks. Unsurprisingly enough, most people were able to make the correct matches with a “fair degree of accuracy”. 

Scientists credit some of this to the fact that people tend to self-seek when looking for companions, human or not. Described as a behavioral inborn trait among humans, self-seeking could be at work when humans choose a pet or life partner. Further, the idea of mere exposure effect can also help explain why some people gravitate towards dogs that share similar physical characteristics. But beyond even the looks, it’s also been found that human behavior can impact the behavior of a dog. So while a person and their dog might not look exactly alike, their mannerisms make them seem more similar and can appear to resemble each other. 

So, if you think you look like your dog–there’s scientific evidence to prove that you (probably) do! Or at least you’ve rubbed off on each other enough to pass as an unquestionable pair. 

Have a pup body double of your own? There’s still time to enter Sundays’ Pawfect Pair Twinning Contest. Here’s how to enter.