Can Dogs Feel Guilty About Their Antics?

All of us who have a dog have suffered some of his mischief. Many times we have had to scold them even if it hurt us or the antics made us laugh. Have you ever wondered if dogs feel guilty?

Not long ago a video was uploaded on the Internet in which a dog accused her brother of having eaten a package of cookies. The dog could not hide it and his sad eyes made his owner laugh.

Although it was seen by thousands of people, perhaps few wondered if dogs can really feel guilt for their actions. The truth is that when they make their sad face after we scold them, it seems impossible to believe that they do not feel remorse.

What Science Says About Guilty Dogs

The facial expression of dogs when we call them attention for something done wrong seems to confirm that they really feel guilt. However, science claims the opposite.

Despite the fact that 74% of dog owners are convinced to the contrary, science has proven that the face our dogs give us after doing something wrong does not respond at all to the feeling of guilt.

Sometimes we have believed that our dog makes damage at home or in our things because he is taking revenge because we have left him alone. That is not true either. Actually the main reason is anxiety or boredom.

What causes the guilty face of our dogs

It is simpler than we think. And it is as simple as that dogs are peaceful animals in which they do not like harmony at all. When seen in the middle of a conflict, regardless of whether it has not started, he, another person or another animal, create reactions that help calm the environment.

As we have said on many occasions, dogs have the ability to recognize our mood by looking at our face and perceiving our feelings. How do they react? Emitting calm signals.

These calming signals are intended to defuse tension and anger. People find similarities with the guilty gestures that humans make. Thus, we think that it is the reason for these expressions.

What are the signs of calm

Calm signals are part of the dog’s body language. As a pack animal, you need to communicate with others. The purpose of these is to live in peace with their peers.

Although dogs do not think this way, they know that conflicts between beings that live together only bring physical damage and weaken the pack. Through the signs of calm that give off regret and peace, tensions are relieved and coexistence flows calmly.

What are the signs of calm

It is known that there are at least 30 calming signals that dogs use to communicate. These signals are some type of gesture that the animal makes with some part of the body.

We tell you what some are:

• Blink. When you do it repeatedly, it is a sign that you are feeling forced because you want to calm things down.
• Look sideways away. That is a sign of discomfort because you may feel pressured. This is usually the signal that makes us think that dogs feel guilty for their actions.
• Lower your head. This is a sign of submission and can also lead us to believe that dogs feel guilty. A dog that notices anger or aggressiveness on the part of its leader (in case you are scolding him, for example), lowers his head as a sign of submission to calm the spirits of the one who is angry.

After this, it has become clear to us that animals cannot feel guilty. But they do everything they can to make us feel better and defuse the situation. That is a very recognized quality in dogs, empathy. Wouldn’t the world be better if we all imitated them and tried to find peace?

Author of the main image: Amici with the coda