The topic of whether dogs can take offense is of interest to many owners, especially when their pets show certain emotional reactions to changes in their relationship with their owners.
To understand how dogs perceive our actions, it is important to understand how they perceive the world and what emotions they are capable of experiencing.
Cynologist Diana Belyaeva will help us with this.
Dogs are social animals that live in groups, usually with one or more leaders whom they perceive as their masters.
This nature of interaction is closely related to their emotional experiences.
However, their emotional reactions are significantly different from humans, and the important point is that they cannot think about their situation with the same degree of reflection as we do.
In short, no, dogs can't be offended. Dogs aren't prone to complex feelings.
Many owners want to get closer to their pets so much that they begin to attribute human feelings to them.
We are just people and we are used to communicating this way, so when interacting with a dog we expect the same reactions.
When a person starts scolding his pet, he bends down, turns away, presses his ears, etc.
The owner “melts” and lowers his voice.
Thinking that the culprit has understood everything. In fact, these grimaces that he demonstrates are just signals of reconciliation to the aggressive reaction of the person.
Dogs are quite sensitive to changes in relationships and perceive violations of their personal boundaries.
For example, if the owner changes the usual routine or begins to pay less attention to the pet, the dog may begin to show signs that it is uncomfortable.
In some ways this could be interpreted as "resentment", but it would more likely be associated with a growing sense of insecurity and disruption of the usual order.
An experiment was conducted: several dogs were locked in two different rooms.
They put a treat on the table. The first group of dogs ate it, the second group did not.
Entering the room, a man with menacing feelings began to scold the last group, which did not touch the treat.
The dogs began to show the same signals that animals show "when guilty". No one scolded the first group. There were no signals of reconciliation.
Should you scold your dog for misbehavior? No. Your pet will hardly be able to identify what you are scolding him for. He will think about your unpredictability and insecurity.
When a dog shows a guilty look, in reality it is showing, at the very least, fear.
And if you scold your dog all the time, it may develop an anxiety disorder.
Punishments only spoil the relationship between owners and their pets. Love and mutual understanding are the basis of a happy life with a dog.
Expert: Belyaeva Diana
