Rather than a cute accident, your pooch might actually be signalling messages through their puppy dog eyes, according to leading scientists.

When meeting a person’s gaze, dogs often raise their inner eyebrow muscle to make their eyes look larger and more adorable.

This behaviour may signal a desire for nurture and care, reaffirming their love for you, a response which could have evolved over centuries.

Dogs haven’t always had this ability – since they were domesticated 33,000 years ago, their eyebrow anatomy has changed to allow them to raise their brows.   

Interestingly, the same adaptation wasn’t found in wolves, suggesting it could be a response to human preference, according to a study by the University of Portsmouth. 

It said the “likely evolutionary scenario was that humans consciously or unconsciously preferred (and therefore cared more for) individuals that produced the movement” which led to a manifestation of the trait.

Dogs may have realised it often leads to a nurturing response from humans, and thus developed the ability.

Another study by Dr Bridget Waller supports this theory, after finding out that dogs who produce this facial movement more were rehomed from a shelter more quickly.  

Psychologist at the University of Portsmouth Juliane Kaminski said: “Interestingly, this movement increases paedomorphism and resembles an expression humans produce when sad, so its production in dogs may trigger a nurturing response. 

“We hypothesize that dogs’ expressive eyebrows are the result of selection based on humans’ preferences.”

So the next time your dog hits you with the puppy eyes, they may be signalling they’d like a hug or affection. 

Others say you can also tell how a dog feels by its tail movements: a tucked tail signifies fear or stress; a slightly upright wagging tail indicates happiness; while a ‘helicopter tail’ signals pure joy and excitement. 

Licking people could be a natural continuation of their puppyhood experience. Once used to maintain relationships with their mother and littermates, dogs may continue it with humans as their new family.

Bringing you toys is also thought to show affection, invite you to play, and show they trust you with their favourite possessions.