A dog will never feel guilty. Or will it?
Many people believe that dogs feel guilty, as their gaze, flattened ears, and guilty gait all suggest it. While this seems indisputable, animal psychologists have a very different opinion and offer compelling evidence.
Garbage Experiment
An interesting experiment was conducted on a dog that has a penchant for litter, especially when left home alone. After returning from work, its owner often began his downtime by cleaning up litter scattered around the kitchen, and it was decided to seriously break the pet of this bad habit—let's call it training. Every time the owner saw the mess, he called the dog over and sternly forbade it from repeating the behavior. Afterward, the dog would leave, looking "guilty."
If, upon returning home, the owner found the trash untouched, the pet received praise and a treat. But occasionally, the animal still continued to misbehave, and upon seeing the owner, who had managed to peek into the kitchen, the happy greeting immediately gave way to that look, and the owners concluded that the dog understood it had done something wrong and felt guilty. Logical, but the experiment didn't end there. One day, the dog's owner scattered the trash himself and then called the pet from the next room to admire the spectacle. The dog's reaction was a guilty look and a furtive retreat under the sofa.
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Any dog behavior can evoke either negative or positive emotions. In the former case, the dog will avoid such behavior, while in the latter, even good training won't produce lasting results. A dog may indeed behave well, but only in the presence of its owner; without supervision, the animal will continue to engage in its favorite activities without any remorse.
An experiment by scientists from Hungary
Another experiment was conducted by a group of scientists from Budapest. Its goal was to answer two questions: will dogs who commit crimes feel guilty? And will owners be able to tell by their gaze alone whether their pet has behaved well or badly in their absence? Volunteers with well-trained dogs were invited to the experiment. They were instructed to leave a plate of tasty food in a room and forbid their charges from touching it. Afterward, the owners left the room, and the dog remained.
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Some animals ate the "forbidden fruit," while others weren't even given the chance, as the plate was cleared immediately after the owner left, unbeknownst to them, and then returned clean. After some time, the owners were invited, and all the dogs greeted them joyfully. Seeing the plate empty, the owners realized their pet had succumbed to the temptation and became upset. Some tried to reassure the dog, others told it that it wasn't right, but in either case, the dog followed its owner's reaction and became despondent, despite no fault of its own.
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