A 2009 study showed that domestic dogs tended to look the most “guilty” when they were being scolded by their owners
New Delhi, October 25, 2019: While most dogs behave like this in these situations, the ‘guilt-feeling’ part is actually not what it seems to be. According to an article that appeared last year in the UK newspaper The Telegraph, researchers said that when a dog appears to be acting contrite, it may just be responding to the angry or dominant body language of its owner. What they meant is that the moment when your pet appears to understand its own guilt it actually originates from all the regular moments in which you talk and give a lot of love to your dog.
Your pet gets used to this and understands that this is normal behavior for you. However, once you see the results of his ‘alone time’, you get furious – your body language and tone changes and now you’re throwing very stern looks. Some people even avoid physical contact with their dog when they’re angry at them. A 2009 study showed that domestic dogs tended to look the most “guilty” when they were being scolded by their owners — even if they hadn’t done anything wrong. So if you thought your pet feels guilty at moments like these, you are wrong. In truth, your dog sees your erratic behavior which it can’t comprehend, making the poor canine feel like something is very, very wrong.
Instead of guilt, your dog now feels confused and a bit threatened, which makes him adjust his own behavior so that there’s no further conflict. Although dogs are smart animals in general, expecting them to see the link between your change in behavior and their spreading the garbage all over the apartment is kind of a long shot, even for the smartest pooches out there. Take that into consideration the next time your dog goes on a treasure hunt while you’re not at home.
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