Do Dogs Feel Guilt? Hint: Social Media is Lying to You

You come home to a chewed-up shoe, see your dog avoiding eye contact or making themself look small, and wonder… do dogs feel guilt? 🤔

The vast majority of pup parents believe that dogs feel guilt.

But what does scientific research say?

Alexandra Horowitz, a writer, professor, and researcher of dog cognition, conducted a study in 2009 to find out if our pups really can feel guilty!

So let’s break down her study and find out for ourselves if your pup really feels guilty after they have an accident on the carpet.

Let’s do it! ⤵️

This study consisted of 14 dogs of varying ages and breeds. The main criteria were that the dog was at least 6 months old and had lived in their current home for at least 3 months.

So as to get the most realistic results, the study was performed in the respective living rooms of these 14 dogs and their humans.

Here is how the study was carried out.

1. The dog and their human were in the living room a treat was placed in a place accessible by the dog
2. The human told their dog to not take the treat (ie saying leave it, or no, etc.)
3. The human left the room while the dog (and treat) remained in the room

And this is where the real study kicks in…

The study had two main “elements” that varied:

1. Obedience: Essentially, did the dog follow the cue given by the human, aka obedience or did they “break” the cue, aka disobedience
2. Owner response: The pet parents were given two ways to behave when reentering the room, scolding the dog (not hitting or hurting, just scolding with their voice) or greeting the dog in a friendly way

So once the pet parent left the room, sometimes the treat was immediately taken away thus guaranteeing “obedience” to the human’s cue.

In other instances, the dog was prompted by the experimenter (although it was done in a way not to undermine the pet parent’s request to leave the treat) to eat the treat.

Two outcomes occurred for each dog:

1. The dog consumes the treat
2. The dog does not consume the treat

Before returning to the room the pet parent is told to act in one of two ways (see “owner response” above):

1. Scold the dog if told by the experimenter that their pup had consumed the treat
   1. Note: The scolding was verbal, not physical. Think of it as a verbal chastisement like “did you do something bad?” or “what did you do?” or “oh bad dog” etc.
2. Happily greet the dog if told by the experimenter that their pup had NOT consumed the treat

“Obedience” = happy greeting.

“Disobedience” = scolding.

Here’s the twist though!

Some pet parents were told their dog had NOT eaten the treat when the dog actually had.

Others were told the dog DID eat the treat when the dog actually had not.

But the pet parent completely believed the experimenter was being honest. Their behavior returning to the room was equal to what decision the pet parent had been told their dog had done.

So now for the most important part, the results of the study.👇

There was no significant effect on the dog’s obedience to the number of ABs. Meaning whether or not the dog “disobeyed” their human’s “command” had no major role in whether or not the dog acted guilty…

Want to know what did have a significant effect on the number of ABs?

The pet parents’ response!

The study found that the pet parent’s reaction had a MUCH greater impact on the amount of “guilty looks” than the dog’s actual behavior.

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