Chewed slippers. Scratched furniture. Shredded curtains. All potential evidence that your dog or cat is guilty of a crime. Is their doleful look an indication of guilt? Do they realize they did something wrong? Or could their “guilty look” be a reaction to your emotional response upon learning of the crime?
Do pets understand right from wrong?
Living harmoniously in a social group generally involves adherence to some rules. Animals learn behavioral rules through trial and error, and by observing and following other group members. They repeat behaviors that bring positive results, and do not repeat behaviors that yield unpleasant or unproductive consequences.
Every household has its own set of social rules or behavioral expectations — for the humans and for the pets. What is considered “right” in one household might be “wrong” in another. When you bring a new pet into your home, it joins your household with no innate knowledge of your social rules. From day one, your pet will make behavioral choices based on its individual needs and will naturally seek opportunities to satisfy basic goals. Your pet will seek food, water, play objects, and a comfortable place to rest, but will not know that some food, objects, or furniture are meant just for the people.
Over time, through training, your pet can learn which behaviors you prefer (the “right” behaviors), and which you do not prefer (the “wrong” behaviors). When your pet selects a behavior that you consider wrong, the training in that context is likely incomplete. For instance, you may have taught your pet not to scratch objects when you are in the room, but you may not have followed through with teaching your pet that scratching is not an option, even in your absence.
When your pet chooses a behavior that breaks house rules, such as stealing forbidden food, your pet is not likely to ponder whether the behavior is “right” or "wrong." In your pet’s mind, the action will bring immediate reward. In fact, by the time you discover the missing food, your pet will not even recall making the decision.
Can I teach my pet which behaviors are right and wrong in my home?
The first step in teaching your pet appropriate behaviors is to practice good management, which prevents them from engaging in self-rewarding behaviors that you do not favor. A self-rewarding behavior is an action that is inherently rewarding, such as climbing onto a soft chair (the chair feels good to lie on, so jumping onto it is inherently rewarding).
Every time your pet engages in a self-rewarding behavior, it will be more motivated to do the behavior again. The behavior becomes more ingrained over time. It is much easier to use management to prevent a behavior from occurring than it is to stop the behavior once it has become a habit. Management includes keeping things tidy, putting food and tempting objects out of reach, and using gates to keep your pet in a pet-proofed area.
When your pet wanders around the house, be sure to supervise. Direct supervision allows you to intervene promptly — before your pet reaches for an object or begins to eliminate on your rug. When you notice your pet approaching that tempting object or location, calmly interrupt them. You can shake a treat bag or squeak a toy or happily call them to you. Always give a reward for their attention. Provide an appropriate outlet to reward the “right” choice further: guide your pet to a toy or an appropriate bathroom area.
Over time, you can further clarify the rules for your pet. For instance, if your pet tends to steal food from the table, you can teach your pet to always lie down on a mat while people eat. You can purposely place a tempting pair of shoes on the floor and leave a new toy close by to reward your dog for leaving the shoes. Place a scratching post near a chair that your cat inappropriately scratches. A professional trainer who understands the value of using positive reinforcement can help you teach your pet the important rules for your household.
Should I scold my pet when they do something wrong?
It is never appropriate to scold your pet when they do something wrong, whether the crime occurred 10 seconds ago or 10 hours ago. First, punishment is ineffective unless it occurs within a few seconds of the behavior. More importantly, even a verbal reprimand can trigger a fear response that can seriously damage your relationship with your pet. Further, this “after the fact” punishment will not change your pet’s motivation to do the behavior in the future. Being scolded in the presence of the evidence only teaches your pet to be afraid in the presence of the evidence.
For example, say your pet has defecated on the floor, and you return to find a pile of stool. Your pet comes to greet you, and you scold them. The next day, your pet again defecates on the floor. Then they notice there is a pile of feces on the floor! They experience fear when they see the feces, knowing you will be angry when you see the pile. Your pet will not understand that they should not have defecated, but they may have a look of appeasement (a “guilty” look) when you enter the room because they know, from their last experience, that you get angry when you see feces.
What is a guilty look, and why does it occur?
What we perceive as a “guilty” look includes the following physical signs:
- Head down
- Eyes averted
- Shoulders hunched
- Tail thumping the floor
- Body retreating
From a human perspective, these signs make your pet look guilty, and maybe even apologetic. However, they do not indicate guilt or remorse but represent a response to your body posture and attitude.
When you discover your favorite slippers have been destroyed or your new sofa has been scratched, you naturally respond with a scowl, a sigh, or maybe even a shriek. Your dog or cat immediately responds with a posture that you interpret as guilt, but is actually an appeasement or submissive posture and does not reflect the emotion of guilt.
Appeasement postures communicate a desire to avoid confrontation. This posture suggests that your pet is uncomfortable with your communication — perhaps you do not appear to be your usual friendly self. Whether you are sad, angry, or frustrated, your pet recognizes there is a problem and tries to avoid escalation at all costs.
Submissive and appeasement postures are nearly universally recognized by social animals and are routinely used to prevent physical conflict. Humans notice these signals and are apt to feel compassion for an animal that has demonstrated postures misinterpreted as “remorse.”
Are guilty looks significant?
Guilty looks signify the pet’s fear, concern, or anxiety in response to a potential confrontation. Research suggests that dogs with a guilty look are not aware of having engaged in misbehavior, and they cannot experience guilt if they are unaware that a crime has been committed. The look your pet gives you when it is reprimanded is just your pet’s effort at communicating concern about a potential confrontation.
"Guilty looks signify the pet’s fear, concern, or anxiety in response to a potential confrontation."
In an experiment to determine a dog’s ability to feel guilty after doing something wrong, a treat was positioned in front of a dog. The owner instructed the dog not to eat the treat and left the room. Some dogs ate the treat while others refrained. When the owners returned, the researchers told some of them that their dog had eaten the treat when the dog hadn’t eaten it. When these ill-informed owners scolded their dogs, the innocent dogs appeared “guilty” nonetheless. The experiment concluded that the dogs looked guilty not because of what they did (they did nothing wrong), but rather as a reaction to what the owners did.
Submissive dogs lower their heads, hunch down, and avert their eyes when trying to diffuse a situation or appease their owners. In multi-dog households, the guilty-looking dog may be the innocent pooch. For example, if two dogs are home and Dog A chews the newspaper, Dog B may look guilty because he is the peacemaker of the pair.
Another experiment further validated the appeasement theory. Owners left dogs alone with food on the table. When the owners returned, they were not told whether their dog ate the food, so they responded positively to their pups. Clinical observers assessed the dogs’ behavior and noted that the guilty and innocent dogs greeted their owners in the same way. The owners looked happy, so the dogs did, too. The conclusion is that dogs look guilty for reasons unrelated to their actions and closely related to their owners’ actions.
If pets don’t experience guilt, how can they learn right and wrong?
Our pets can and do learn to understand household rules through consistent communication of rules and reward-based training. If your pet consistently exhibits undesirable behaviors, do not hesitate to consult a behavior professional. Be assured that pets do not have to feel guilty to be well-behaved! Focus on love and consistency, and your pet will know what you want them to do.
