With those sad eyes and whimpers asking for forgiveness, it’s hard to stay mad at our fur babies for making a mess. But it begs the question, do dogs feel guilty when we catch them red-handed? According to scientists, dogs experience fear and stress rather than guilt. This is caused by their owner’s reaction and body language.
We see “guilty” behavior as merely the manifestation of anthropomorphism, an instance where we associate human characteristics with animals.
In the viral video, we see brothers Watson and Kiko (white retriever and golden retriever) in a sticky situation. Jenny Medrano, the owner of the two, films the cute and interesting exchange between her and her dogs.
Watson shows signs of guilt when asked about his brother’s missing snack. Later on, the owner asks Watson to apologize to his brother. This leads to an unexpected and highly admirable hug from Watson to Kiko right before the clip ends.
This exact behavior shown by Watson is what we call “guilty” behavior. In reality, the dog is experiencing slight stress caused by the change in his owner’s tone. Unlike humans, guilt is too complex for dogs to process.
Scientists find it difficult to prove whether it exists in dogs or not. Whatever the case, dogs recognize the type of situation they are in through their owners’ body language.
Dogs do feel “guilty.” Whether it’s anthropomorphism or not, we define what our dogs do as we see fit. Like in the video, we all had been a Watson at some point. We also show signs of guilt and try to get out of a mess through various affection ways.
Ultimately, this “guilt” behavior they convey makes them much more humane and closer to our hearts.
Youtube via GoViral