Do You Know: When is the Cutest Puppy?

One thing is indisputable: puppies are cute. But when are they cutest?

Illustration: Puppies are always cute to us

A new study shows that puppies are most adorable to humans when they are 6 to 8 weeks old. That's when they are weaned, leading the researchers to speculate that puppies are at their cutest when they most need human attention.

"Once the mother dog gets bored with the puppies and throws them out of the den, and they have to figure out their way to survive, that's when I think they're at their cutest," said the study's lead author, a professor of psychology and Arizona State University. Clive Wynne, director of the Canine Science Center.

Illustration: Puppies are always cute to us

The discovery could help scientists better understand how dogs evolved to be dependent on human care.

"This human affection for puppies at the time may have given untamed dogs of the past, and dingoes of today - a competitive advantage (over other species) that were adopted and cared for by humans," the researchers wrote in the newspaper May issue of the Anthrozoös Magazine.

Illustration: Puppies are always cute to us

Cute and super cute dog

Dogs evolved from wolves, but the two animals in this genus have distinct differences, such as wolf cubs being cared for by their parents until they are two years old, while puppies are abandoned by their mothers after weaning. 6 and 11 weeks old.

Left unattended, puppies have a very high mortality rate due to abandonment at an early age; it is estimated that more than 80 percent of puppies die unattended within their first year of life.

Previous research has shown that humans find animals cuter when they have "baby-like features" such as large eyes, round faces, and small mouths. But these studies didn't investigate whether there was a "golden age" of cuteness.

A Husky breed puppy

In the new study, 51 students (very lucky) were invited to take part in an experiment: They were shown pictures of puppies of three breeds: a Jack Russell terrier, a Cane Corso, and a White Shepherd in different locations. Different ages, from birth to 7 months old, to assess how cute these dogs are.

Puppies' cuteness was lowest at birth, peaked at 10 weeks of age, and then declined with age.

In the study, Cane Corsos were found to be cutest at 6.3 weeks, while Jack Russell terriers were at 7.7 weeks and Collies were at 8.3 weeks.

Illustration: Super cute puppy

The researchers also noted that the volunteers were not asked about their knowledge of the three breeds, which may have influenced the assessment.

Also, the study used only pictures of the puppies, and volunteers rated them differently if they watched videos of the puppies performing certain actions. That will be done in follow-up studies, Wynne said.

He also stresses that the study doesn't mean we stop loving dogs after eight weeks of age. Wayne said: "At eight weeks is when we are most drawn to them. But once they make us fall in love, we love them for life."

A lovely affirmation, isn't it? <3