Do you think dogs can feel "guilty"?

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Puppy

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I do, although with Popple it's a rarity, but Puppy was very sensitive to thinking that she'd done something wrong.

I just had one of my mother guests make a comment about dogs not having a brain and not knowing "guilt"...
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(I'm afraid made a rather sarky comment
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I am not sure about guilty but put it this way when I get home and Simba doesn't get out of his bed to meet me then I know something is wrong. The time the flour bag had been split spread round the kitchen and then caggled himself in it was the worst. I don't know whether it was guilt or oh my god I am in big trouble!!!
 
Yes and no.

They are very sensitive to vibes and even when you think you are keeping calm, they can certainly feel if you are annoyed or frustrated.
Although he is a big, bolshy boy, B can act incredibly submissive (to the point where, on Sunday, my mother said 'anyone would think you gave him a kicking'
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) when all I did was give him a vocal correction because he went down instead of a sit.

Some of our bitches would get very 'contrite' if they were in the house when my mum came home as she would always say 'WHAT is that dog doing in the house?' - even when she was being lighthearted.
One used to lie stock still and very, very flat - as if to say 'if I stay REALLY quiet and I don't move, maybe she won't spot I'm here.......'
 
No, I don't think they can. However they can pick up on our anger, however subtle and revert to submissive puppy behaviour to appease us, and this is what we mistake for guilt.
The more sensitive the dog, the early they will pick up and try to appease you. Dogs with rhino hide for a brain (Otto!) don't notice anything until you've smacked their arse
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Yes and no.

They are very sensitive to vibes and even when you think you are keeping calm, they can certainly feel if you are annoyed or frustrated.

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But that doesn't explain why Puppy (the same as Sarah_Jane's dog) wouldn't come and greet me when I came home if she'd been naughty and been on the sofa. I was never aware of it, until I saw she was acting guilty, so she can't have picked up on it from me
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But would she have remembered being reprimanded or told off for it before?

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But if it was, that would mean her knowing that she'd done something wrong, and therefore I would describe her behaviour as acting guilty.

I guess that I have worded it wrong as "feeling guilty" and meant "guilty" to mean more as does a dog know that they have done something wrong - which this person was suggesting they don't.
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Gah! I'm not really writing much sense tonight. The guests are driving me mad making lots of noise
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Yes, she knew she had done wrong because you had told her off.
Of course dogs know when they have done something wrong if they already knew, or else none of us would be able to train our bolshy ones from chasing small furry things and pulling like trains
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If your guest thinks that dogs don't know when they have done something wrong - and therefore don't have memories (GSDs have amazing senses of recall, they wouldn't do so well as working/service dogs if they didn't) then he is talking horse poo
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I think 'guilt' is perhaps too human an emotion to imbue them with - well, my version of guilt anyway, relates to hangovers
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But if it was, that would mean her knowing that she'd done something wrong, and therefore I would describe her behaviour as acting guilty.


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To me, guilt means generally you regret doing something, and I don't think dogs are that complex! Their 'guilt' is in reaction to the knowledge they are going to be told off, it's more grovelling than it is guilt IMO.
It is also a reponse you have trained your dog to show, IMO not a genuine emotion.
 
Hmmm, I don't know about that. I think guilt just means you know that you have done wrong, and hence is distinguishable from regret or remorse.

Anyway, as I say, I think I worded it wrong, I just thought this woman was silly to suggest that dogs don't know that they've done wrong
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I guess I'm just feeling a bit p*ssed off with these people. Remember the annoying houseguest - I have half her family and friends here tonight
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Post afternoon/evening in the pub! Argh!
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Sorry, I said 'he' not 'she' - can you tell I am used to blokes who don't know their arse from their elbow and have never had a pet in their adult lives, telling the ickle woman all about dogs, their behaviour and how they should train them, because they watched one episode of Cesar?!
 
Well we have another member of the family here who is declaring that dogs sniff at your face because they want you to throw up so they can eat it!
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He owns 17 cats
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Ah, poke them in the eye
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Oh I wish I could. I do keep turning the tv up every other minute
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You can tell him that dogs sniff your feet because the smell is similar to that of a bitch in heat
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I *think* face-sniffing by puppies is an instinctive throwback to motherly regurgitation but I don't think that domesticated adult dogs expect their owners to hock up their breakfast every time they approach
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You can tell him that dogs sniff your feet because the smell is similar to that of a bitch in heat
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No no no!! He has already declared that it's really nice having your feet licked by a dog.....
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Popple is shut out of bounds tonight! *shudder*
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I'm not sure they actually feel guilt but mine do a very good impression of looking guilty when I have to guess which one of the 3 has done whatever it is they shouldn't have done
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Whenever a car pulls into my drive 2 of the dogs jump up with front paws on the worktop to see who it is, a few weeks ago I'd been out for about an hour or so and when I got out of the car my 8 month old Darby's face was covered in feathers, OMG I thought a bird had got in & she'd slaughtered it, opened the front door and my kitchen was absolutely covered in feathers and my husbands jacket (down filled), or what was left of it was lying on the floor, she'd just chewed it to bits & it was hanging up in the utility room. I was not impressed and it was bleep, bleep, bleep from me.

The funny thing was (I can laugh now), Xara my 2yo was a picture, I swear I could almost hear her saying to Darby, you are soooo in trouble now. I told darby off and Xara who is very sensitive peed herself whilst I'm telling Darby off, so feathers are now sticking to all the pee on the floor and I'm trying to have a conversation with Xara saying it's all right Xara whilst saying to Darby it's not alright.

So, Xara for sure knew that something was wrong & got herself all worried and scared, honestly that dog is so sensitive, if a stranger had been with me that night, they would have got the impression that I was really evil to them.
 
Face sniffing/ licking is a grovelling tactic... confirming that you are the alpha in the pack! In puppies it does indeed stem from the regurgtating scenario. I've also been told it's so they can tell what mood you are in... but not sure i believe that one!

My Springer def. acts guilty! She will hide if she has done someithng wrong and spend along time asking for forgivness esp if we come home and she has doen something like rip the bin up. We never tell her off when we get home either as it would be difficult for her to link the two.
 
Of course they know if they have done something wrong!!

We had bangers and mash for tea but I only wanted two sausages, not three, we ate dinner then Dan went into the kitchen and said "Sarah did you give Star this sausage" (that was sat on the grill) the little begger had nabbed it!! She knew as soon as he said that and came cowering up to me.. mummy doesn't tell her off!
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She thinks it's worth being told off for a sausage though. Guilty, but not feeling guilty, just feeling like she enjoyed the sausage!
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Can you tell I run a very strict household!
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