A client was complaining that his 5 month old puppy still occasionally urinated in the house, much to her owner’s displeasure. “She knows she shouldn’t do it,” he said, “Because she always looks guilty.”
My first question to him was whether his dog truly understood she should only eliminate outside. Dogs who mess in the home usually haven’t been trained thoroughly enough that they should only pee outside. (The use of the dreaded puppy pads often contributes to this.)
But most of our conversation was a discussion of whether Do dogs really ‘look guilty’ when they’ve done something wrong?
They don’t.
Guilt can be described as “a bothered conscience” or “a feeling of culpability for offenses.” We feel guilty when we feel responsible for an action that we regret. People can feel ashamed, unworthy, or embarrassed about actions for which they are responsible.
Although dogs are indeed capable of a range of emotions, feeling ‘guilt’ requires an understanding of cause and effect, an awareness of what is ‘right’ and what is ‘wrong’, an ability to experience regret and an ability to understand how others might view an action or occurrence.
All these things are is beyond even the cleverest dog. Dogs live in the moment. They don’t understand cause and effect and they certainly can’t link an event that happened in the past to what’s going on in the present.
At best they might understand that if there is a wet puddle on the floor, then their owner is cross and grumpy when he or she comes home, but they cannot reason that it is their own actions that have created that situation.
So dogs do NOT “look guilty” when they’ve done something you find naughty. That look is a result of the dog casting their eyes down, holding their ears lowered or back and turning their mouths downwards. These behaviours are an attempt to defuse your annoyance – we call them Dogs use “appeasement behaviours”. (I’ve told you before that we dog trainers like long words!). She’s trying behaviours aimed at defusing the immediate situation, such as.
So what sort of behaviours will your dog use in this stressful situation?
It could be any or all of these:
– Body lowered: Your dog uses his body – where the weight is placed, the posture and the movements – to communicate a lot of information. Dogs who are nervous or feel threatened will often try to make themselves as small as possible, so they lower their bodies and sometimes crouch down. Dogs will lean away from any perceived source of danger or from things they find unpleasant – like cameras or looming people
– Head turn: When I’m travelling I often try and avoid too much contact with other people. I used to feel pestered by people who always seemed to make a beeline for me just to talk. I’ve learnt that turning my head away and not making eye contact deters this annoying practice. Dogs do much the same thing. They’ll turn their head to avoid a confrontation, or to show they don’t want social contact at that moment. Turning their head is also a way of showing they are no threat, by turning those dangerous teeth away
– Eyes looking down: Dogs will avert their eyes from a source of perceived threat, so they’ll often look down towards the floor when they feel threatened
– Blinking: Dogs and people blink more frequently when they are under pressure. (Just watch any interview on TV where a politician is being grilled and you’ll see what I mean.) Rapid blinking is a sign of stress and can be an appeasement behaviour in dogs, that is, they use it when they’re feeling uncomfortable, or to try and ward off a perceived threat
– Ears held back: Ears that are pinned back can signify that the dog is very unhappy about something
– Yawning: Stress can cause yawning. Typically, uncertain or worried dogs do a “shallow” yawn, where their teeth remain hidden
– Licking their lips: Lip licks and flicks can be a sign that your dog is nervous about a person or situation. (Humans lick their lips when nervous too.)
– Panting: panting when the dog is not hot is often a sign of stress
– Low tail wag: A low tail with just the end wagging usually indicates a lack of confidence or nervousness
– Rolling over: This is often thought of as a “submissive” behaviour. Using the word “submission” about dogs is nearly as bad as “dominance” in my view, so please don’t use either term. Certainly some dogs will roll over as an appeasement behaviour to humans, if they feel threatened or if they are seeking reassurance
As I explained to my client, his dog was responding to his emotions and using behaviours to try and stop him being cross. She was not “looking guilty.”
Keep those “why” questions coming!
Keep training,
Carol