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We can all agree—there’s something truly special about the bond between humans and dogs.

No other two species share a connection quite like this. One reason might be a unique skill dogs have: reading our emotions and responding to them.

Dogs can recognize how we feel just by looking at our faces. They know when we’re happy—and when we’re angry. And here’s the kicker: seeing an angry human face stresses dogs out more than seeing an angry dog.

Research shows that dogs can not only tell human and dog facial expressions apart, but also match them with the right sounds—like tone of voice. This means dogs form general emotional concepts in their minds, such as joy or anger, whether they’re looking at a human or another dog.

Even more fascinating, scientists have observed that dogs are more likely to lick their lips when they see an angry human face. This response was stronger to visual cues (like a frowning person) than to just hearing an angry voice or seeing an angry dog.

Lip-licking in this context may be a subtle way dogs say, “I see something’s wrong.”

Understanding these signals helps us support our dogs’ emotional comfort—and communicate better in return.

So next time you’re frustrated, remember—your dog feels it too.

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Albuquerque N., Guo K., Wilkinson A., Savalli C., Otta E., Mills D. (2016). Dogs recognize dog and humans emotions. Biology Letters, 12.

Albuquerque N., Guo K., Wilkinson A., Resende B., Mills D.S. (2017). Mouth-licking by dogs as a response to emotional stimuli. Behavioural Processes.