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Can dogs really look 'guilty'?


Sarah

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very interesting added to rep.

IMO I dont think dogs intentionally put a guilty look on their face. Dogs and guilt is like dogs and jealousy IMO its one of those subjects, we as owners, mis-interpret with our own emotions as to what the dog is actually trying to say.

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lool >>> On a serious note, i believe they display a different set of emmotions, body language, they use their eyes, head movements and the tail to to show how they 'feel', us humans then depict a notion of what we get from these movements and gestures. I think dogs are not as simple as people think tho, they are very emmotionally intelligent but you have to own and love and a dog to get it ;) We add our lingo to their world, for example an emmotion may be nothing more to a dog than a position of their tail, however all we have is language so i still think yes! Dogs do have inner feelings which they can portray through how they look :D

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I agree with the article, especially this part:

Researchers concluded that any such "guilty look" is a response to human behaviour and has no relation with the dog's actions or sense of having broken any rules.

Do people really think that if they come home to a dog that trashed the lounge room several hours before that the dog is really going to "look guilty"? The dog won't even remember doing it in the first place. If they are responding to us yelling at them or carrying on, by hanging their head down or skunking around I would suggest that is a submissive response to our outburst rather than the dog feeling a human emotion like guilt. Dogs don't think or act like people. Dogs think and act like dogs.

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I beleive they do show a guilty face I know as soon as I walk in if nooks has been naughty she doesnt come near for a pet and looks as if to say I am sorry mum was the dog next door rofl only thing is no dog next door

You'd be surprised what subtle cues we give dogs that they pick up on, she probably feels your anger/frustration and is avoiding you out of submission or because she knows that if she goes up to you she will get in trouble. Her behaviour is probably more a reaction to your body language/voice tone and cues than anything else ;)

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I also think that a dog is able to have the same emotions as humans or we would not have blind dogs dogs that know when fits are coming on etc

Dogs don't have the same emotions as humans because their instincts, drives and thought processes are very different to ours... IMO it does them a discredit to assume they think and feel the same way we do.

Dogs that can be trained to detect things like epiletic fits aren't cued into our emotions, they are trained to respond to certain smells/cues like body language etc.

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OMG Sandy >>>> Shiloh's face screams: BUSTED!!!! loool

Yup!... we can say he mastered the skill early on!... 36_11_6.gif

Nina on the other hand, is more nonchalant... unapologetic... haven't really caught her sporting one of those looks yet...

Nina: "Yup... we did it!..." Shiloh: "S-o-r-r-y!" ... this photo says it all!

3274_74278614754_519804754_1684507_3965646_n.jpg

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I dont know about feeling "guilt" but they do know when they have done something wrong that they will get into trouble for.

When Nao was going through his peeing in the house phase I could often tell by the look on his face and body language that he had peed. When I saw that face I knew I had to look around and see where he did it. I don't think that his expression could have been a refection of my emotions since I didn't know there was anything wrong until I saw him and even then I would always give him the benefit of the doubt until I found the evidence.

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