Hey Canine Readers,
Dogs have feelings but they are not the same as humans. They are a different species and we often forget that as their owners. There is nothing wrong with treating your dogs like your children but not your dog may not feel the same towards you.
Common Dog Feelings Owners think they Know:
Does my dog feel guilty?
You come home after a long day at work, and walk into your house to find your dog got into the Trash. Your dog’s head is hanging low, ears drooping and gaze averted. The guilty look as we all know it. It’s the look our dogs get after they’ve pooped on the living room carpet or swiped half of our breakfast while our backs were Even though your dog is showing all the same signs of guilt that we see in humans, this doesn’t mean they are sorry. We as owners often assume our dogs feelings of guilty about misbehaving are true and honest but that is because we assume that they share our cognitive and emotional abilities. This leads us to read our dogs behaviors the same way we would read a human’s. Dogs are not like humans, they don’t feel guilty, it is all a show.
Another way to look at this is through canine cognation, your dog learns that if he does something he should not he will be yelled for it, that is why he hangs his head. These guilty actions actually cause 60% of dog owners to scold them less, this is your dogs way of reducing conflict.
Next time your dog does something they should not, remember they have no guilt. Learn from the experience and learn to better manage your dogs environment to prevent these behaviors from happening next time.
Does my dog Feel Jealousy?
In a study done in 2014 by PLOS ONE they tested 36 dogs. The experiment proved jealousy in dogs does not exist. Dog do have cognitive abilities though and use a variety of human communication signals (hand signals and eye gazes) to determine locations of treats and toys and appear aware of how to actively attempt manipulation and keep the attention of their play partners on them.
Does my dog Care about me?
Current Biology published a study in 2015 stated dogs can read emotions in our faces. They perceive our feelings through our expressions, happy or sad which explains why your dog may be more playful when you are happy and more calm when you are bothered by something. Your dog senses their emotional state and respond accordingly. They use a form of social eavesdropping by observing and collecting interactions between others. This shows your dog has your back.
Our furry companions are also super skilled at sensing our emotions. They can pick up on our subtle changes in tone of voice and respond accordingly.
What does my dog feel about me when I Facetime them?
Maybe. Dogs typically recognize people through their scents they can also relay on facial and voice recognition in order to know that it’s you
Does my Dog Love me?
Dog owners can all attest that our dog’s truly love us. However this relationship depends on the dog and on the person. Just like human relationships are all different so are dog and owner ones.
If you enjoyed this post, I’d be very grateful if you would help spread it by email to a friend, on social media or even word of mouth!
Happy Training!