We’ve all seen it… a ripped up sofa and a guilty looking dog right? But do dogs actually feel guilt? Dog shame and dogs feeling guilty is something many people wonder about. Does your dog know when they’ve done something wrong? Do they feel guilty? What even is that guilty look we see in dogs on social media all about?
In this article we’re going to take a look (pun intended) at why do dogs look guilty, whether dogs feel guilt or is it fear? Is there a difference in body language between a dog that’s fearful and a dog that’s guilty, and do dogs understand when they do something wrong.
In the Zigzag app we have a full puppy training programme, that helps your puppy learn right from wrong, all laid out in lessons that use up-to-date methods and are kind and effective. There’s also a team of professional dog trainers on hand via our in-app chat, to answer all kinds of questions, yes including ‘do dogs feel guilt’.
Why do dogs look guilty?
When we think dogs look guilty, this is our interpretation of their low, appeasing, non-threatening, and some may say submissive body language. In human terms, if someone displayed this type of body language, we may assume it was their non-verbal way of saying sorry.
We anthropomorphise dogs a lot! So when they exhibit certain body language, we often try to put it in human terms, but they’re not humans, they’re 100% another species.
Read more in our guide to puppy behaviour and puppy body language.
Do dogs feel guilty? Or is it fear?
We hate to break the news, but dogs do not feel guilt, avoiding eye contact, turning their heads, and looking sad is a response to our cues. Domestication has made dogs very attuned to how we feel, and the guilty look is generally a fearful response in anticipation of punishment.
What is the difference in body language between guilt and fear?
Signs of ‘guilt’ and signs of fear are often linked, but can also look different. What matters is the context and situation the dog is in, if they are fearful of fireworks, their behaviour will look different to them reading your behaviour that they have done something you don’t like.
Signs of Fear
A dog scared of something will generally have their fight or flight system activated, and the body language displayed will be based around making the threat go away, or hiding away from it.
- Hiding – to get away from whatever is scaring or worrying them
- Panting – increased breath rate, and panting are common signs of fear
- Excessive vocalisation – whining, howling and barking
- Growling – to make the threat go away, dogs may use aggression as a way of distancing themselves or making the threat go away.
Signs of Guilt
Appeasing body language or behaviour, and generally making themselves low to the ground, as if to say ‘I’m no threat to you’ anticipating you’re cross, or going to tell them off.
- Low body language – dogs can look like they are slinking when they are sad, worried or ‘guilty’
- Tail tucked – a dog will often tuck their tail when scared or in a position where they feel threatened.
- Head turns or dipped head – another way of avoiding eye contact and appearing non-threatening is a dog turning their head away.
- Whale eye – showing the whites of the eyes, is a classic ‘guilty look’ we see in dogs on social media, but it’s often a sign that they’re scared.
- Rolling on their back – this is common, and doesn’t mean they want their tummy tickled!
Do dogs understand when they do something wrong?
Dogs understand when they do something wrong, because it predicts a punishment, they do not have a moral compass, but simply live in the moment and respond to how we behave. Although we might not realise the subtleties in our behaviour, research shows that dogs can pick up even small signs of displeasure from us like a frown, or a change in breath rate.
To put it bluntly, we do a great disservice to dogs, by putting the human emotion of guilt onto them. While dogs can and do express a whole range of emotions, guilt is not thought to be one of them. Dogs are generally just responding to the cues and behaviour we exhibit, after they have done something that we didn’t like, and can in fact be scared of us. Fearful behaviour and so-called guilty behaviour can have differences, though often a dog is displaying this guilty and appeasing behaviour because they are scared.
If you’re saying to yourself ‘he looks guilty’ or ‘he knew he’d done something wrong’ it’s worth reflecting on your behaviour and response when you find them, as the likelihood is they’re just reading your body language and behaving accordingly.
Learn more about the fascinating world of how dogs communicate in our articles on puppy barking, puppy body language, and why do dogs tilt their heads?
If you’re looking to learn more about raising your puppy, how we train by rewarding for things we want them to do, so it becomes a default over time, then download the Zigzag puppy training app and start on your training journey today. You can also drop our team of professional dog trainers a link via the in-app chat, they’ll help you with any of your puppy related questions.
