Do Dogs Feel Guilty?

[sandgrubber]

Well, not quite no way. My Phd project looks at indicators of whether dogs are in a positive or negative emotional state.

Well, huh? What are you saying? (not quite! no way! . . . or not-quite (adj) no-way (noun) . . . also: not-quite no-way what?)

Wow, I'm as confused as you are! I don't even know what that was supposed to be, but I'm going with "Well, not quite, maybe".

It would be great to see a copy of your dissertation proposal. Sounds interesting.

I have a very ugly but layperson-oriented website that kind of explains it here: http://www.dogoptimism.com/

Also have a Facebook page where I post all my favourite articles about detecting emotion in animals and that sort of thing:http://www.facebook....232233783467933

I think you meant to tell me there are objective, repeatable ways of characterising an emotional response . . . both for humans and other species of animal.

p.s. my gut-based way of separating optimists from pessimists is based on Winnie the Pooh. . . I just ask: "Eeoyre or more like Roo"? I have an Eeyore mother and her Roo daughter.

[corvus]

I think you meant to tell me there are objective, repeatable ways of characterising an emotional response . . . both for humans and other species of animal.

We don't like to call whatever animals feel the same thing as what we feel even if it looks the same because we're not sure if it is the same and there's no way to tell. But Panksepp got in trouble with fellow scientists for saying rats laugh. His defence was if something uses the same brain pathways and the same neurotransmitters and occurs in the same contexts of a particular human feeling, then what else is it going to be but the same thing? I don't think anyone especially disagreed with him, but it makes scientists uneasy.

[Mel@Marengo]

its the same when people say something they think the dog understands. You see they change their tone, body language, facial expression etc even if they dont realise. Say the same thing in a different position and tone the dog wont react.

My friends are convinced you cant say 'hungry' in their house without their dogs going berzerk. So I said it monotone without going 'hey puppy ... are ... you ... HUNGRY!' like they do. I danced around the dog going 'hungry hungry hungry' in a boring manner and the dog just looked at me. No running to the food box and going spastic like usual. I dont understand people that feel the need to spell words out ... yes ... they even spell it out to me in case the dogs go off.

We manage to convince ourselves, and dogs being an opportunistic animal wont say no to an opportunity for attention/reward or simply follow apattern they see as part of life - the 'oh dear the humans are doing that thing again I have to react this way' routine.

But if it makes peopl feel better ... yes they feel guilty :p

Why can't a dog understand words, we are pretty sure our dog does, the other day my wife was in the garden and she told the dog to wake me up and we would go for a walk, she has never been given that command before but went running straight inside and woke me with her front paws. if I was asleep on the couch she would normaly just give me a quiet sniff, I dont posture when I am talking to the dog we both talk normally to her.

[aussielover]

Do they feel guilty- probably not. Guilt implies you feel some kind of regret for your actions, which I'm not sure that dogs do.

Do they know when they've done the wrong thing- yes I think many dogs know when they have done something unacceptable and may anticipate punishment/displeasure, which can result in a "guilty" look, even hours after the event.

[wuffles]

Do they feel guilty- probably not. Guilt implies you feel some kind of regret for your actions, which I'm not sure that dogs do.

Do they know when they've done the wrong thing- yes I think many dogs know when they have done something unacceptable and may anticipate punishment/displeasure, which can result in a "guilty" look, even hours after the event.

I agree... guilt to me implies some kind of moral or values system.

But they can definitely associate certain behaviour with negative consequences.

[Guest Black Obsession]

Do they feel guilty- probably not. Guilt implies you feel some kind of regret for your actions, which I'm not sure that dogs do.

Do they know when they've done the wrong thing- yes I think many dogs know when they have done something unacceptable and may anticipate punishment/displeasure, which can result in a "guilty" look, even hours after the event.

I agree... guilt to me implies some kind of moral or values system.

But they can definitely associate certain behaviour with negative consequences.

Yes, I agree with wuffles and aussie lover here.

I think dogs understand that certain actions lead to certain consequences...but I think we are projecting our own human feelings onto them when we say that dogs look or feel 'guilty'.

Edited September 23, 2011 by Black Obsession

[Mrs Rusty Bucket]

I think many dogs know when they have done something unacceptable and may anticipate punishment/displeasure, which can result in a "guilty" look, even hours after the event.

I think many dogs know when you're mad at them (or just generally angry at anything), and may anticipate punishment. But most dogs - hours or even minutes after the event - would have no idea why you're mad at them or what they need to do to avoid you being mad at them next time.

For instance if you get mad at the dog when it doesnt come when you called, and you punish it when it eventually comes near enough for you to catch it... Is the dog going to come quicker next time you call? Personally I don't know any dogs that respond to this by coming quicker the next time. Most of them just become completely deaf as best I can tell.

Edited September 23, 2011 by Mrs Rusty Bucket