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If you’ve ever come home to a chewed shoe, shredded socks, or an accident on the carpet, you might’ve spotted your dog with a guilty expression in the aftermath. While dogs clearly experience emotions and communicate through body language, scientists still don’t know whether dogs actually feel guilt. Research suggests the classic “guilty look” has less to do with dogs knowing they broke a rule, and more to do with how they react to their owner’s behavior.
Dogs Communicate Many Emotions
Most of us believe that our dogs experience emotions. We see them show affection toward us, react fearfully to things that scare them, and alert us to newcomers approaching the house.
With their expressive faces and demonstrative body language, dogs can communicate a wide range of emotions. But whether they understand when they’ve broken a rule – and feel guilty about it – is a separate question, and one science hasn’t settled.
What Is the ‘Guilty Look’ in Dogs?
You’ve probably found your dog after they’ve done something naughty, like peeing in the house or shredding your favorite pair of socks. Their body language afterward may seem to radiate guilt.
Many veterinary experts suggest this is a classic case of anthropomorphism, which occurs when humans attribute human emotions, motivations, or behaviors to animals.
A 2009 study from dog cognition scientist and author Dr. Alexandra Horowitz examined these so-called guilty canine expressions. Researchers observed dogs and their owners under several sets of circumstances. They found that dogs displayed “guilty” body language more often when their owners scolded them than when the owners remained neutral – regardless of whether the dogs had actually done anything wrong.
“A better description of the so-called guilty look is that it is a response to owner cues, rather than that it shows an appreciation of a misdeed,” Dr. Horowitz concludes.
Behaviors People Mistake for Guilt
When people describe a dog as looking guilty, they’re often referring to behaviors such as:
- Tucked tail
- Visible whites of the eyes
- Cowering, hunched posture
- Yawning
- Licking
- Flattened ears
- Avoiding eye contact
These behaviors are also common signs of fear and stress in dogs.
Is It Guilt or a Response to Your Reactions?
The challenge for researchers is determining what these behaviors actually mean. Do dogs understand they’ve broken a household rule and feel bad about it? Or are they responding to an owner’s tone of voice, facial expression, or body language by attempting to appease them?
Guilt is a complex concept. It requires an understanding of cause and effect over time, which is difficult to demonstrate in animals. Because dogs cannot describe their thoughts and feelings with words, there’s currently no way to know exactly what they’re thinking after they’ve chewed a shoe or had an accident indoors.
How Dogs Learn to Appease Their Owners
Dr. Mary R. Burch, certified applied animal behaviorist and Director of the Canine Good Citizen program, suggests that when a dog appears guilty after house soiling or chewing, they may have previously experienced a strong reaction from their owner, such as scolding, yelling, or being ignored.
As a result, the dog may anticipate how the owner will react and display appeasing body language, such as cowering or avoiding eye contact, in an effort to reduce conflict and seek reassurance.
Poking fun at a “guilty” dog in a funny photo is harmless enough, but misunderstanding these behaviors can create training problems. Animal behaviorists agree that because dogs are highly sensitive to human reactions, and delivering punishment after the fact is usually ineffective or can backfire.
For example, if you come home and discover your dog had an accident on the living room rug, scolding them may only teach them that seeing the mess upsets you. The next time it happens, they may choose a more hidden location, such as a basement or spare room, rather than learning not to eliminate indoors.
Instead, focus on preventing the behavior whenever possible. Strategies like using a crate or exercise pen, arranging for a dog walker, and ensuring your dog receives adequate exercise before you leave can help reduce unwanted behaviors.
Do Dogs Know Right From Wrong?
Dogs can learn what humans consider acceptable behavior when we consistently teach and reinforce it.
For example, if you spend months teaching “leave it” around a backyard lily pond and rewarding your dog for making the right choice, they can learn to resist the temptation to enter the water, even when unsupervised.
But does making the wrong choice mean a dog feels guilty?
Although some experts have interpreted Dr. Horowitz’s research as evidence that dogs don’t really experience guilt, Horowitz herself cautions against drawing that conclusion.
“My study was decidedly not about whether dogs ‘feel guilt’ or not. I would feel dreadful if people then thought the case was closed on dogs (not) feeling guilt, which is definitely not the case,” she says.
For now, the question remains open. Dogs can certainly learn rules, anticipate our reactions, and display behaviors that resemble guilt. Whether they actually experience guilt the way humans do is something science hasn’t yet answered.