Emotions drive behavior, so understanding dogs’ emotions is key to our relationship with furry friends.
But can dogs cry? Are dogs in the mood? Modern studies show that dogs lead emotional lives. By investing in our dogs’ emotional health, we can dramatically improve their quality of life. Regulate your dog’s emotions and emotional cues. Adjustment helps you understand their behavior, better support their needs, and help them cope when needed.
What emotions do dogs feel?
Recent research in canine cognitive science confirms what most dog lovers already know: dogs have emotions. But how closely are dog emotions related to us? Dogs’ brains are structurally similar, share the same hormones, and undergo the same chemical changes when experiencing emotions. But a dog’s cerebral cortex is five times smaller. So, although dogs have remarkable cognitive abilities, their emotions are still more raw, unaffected by the same analysis as humans. The emotional life of a dog is often compared to that of a two-and-a-half year old child.
Dog emotions include:
- Attachment / love
- Guess
- Worry
- Fear
- Joyous
- Sadness
- Calm
- Loneliness
- Jealousy
- Anger / Aggression
What about emotions like guilt, shame, revenge, and pride? No. The more complex emotions of dogs require context and synthesis, and current evidence does not suggest that canine emotions reach this extent. A good example is soiling the floor and shredding the couch pillows while you’re away. You may think your dog is coming back to you for leaving him alone. However, the emotions are more likely to be loneliness, fear or anxiety – not revenge.
But do dogs experience more intense emotional reactions like trauma? Certified dog behaviorist Andrew Hale says, Yes, and it can pose long-term challenges for them, as well as us. Simply put, trauma is when a negative experience overwhelms an individual’s ability to cope. And given how often we put dogs in situations where they can’t cope or escape, Andrew says it’s more than likely that many dogs will suffer some degree of trauma. Furthermore, he says that most experts in the behavioral sciences now agree that dogs suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD. Dr.
Lori Teller, from Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, says dogs can have PTSD and symptoms in dogs parallel the symptoms in humans: chronic anxiety, hyperactivity, avoidance of some certain people, places or situations, sleep disturbances, fear of being alone, decreased interest in favorite or aggressive activities.
Emotional signs of dogs
Dogs live in the moment, and they tend to wear their hearts on their sleeves; Usually what you see is what you get. And since dogs are nonverbal communicators, decoding a dog’s emotions requires observation and context. In general, tight body parts mean a stressed, stressed (or even angry) dog. Loose body parts tend to signify ease and calm. Always consider the entire dog, not just one body part.
Some emotional cues are:
- Fear: Folded ears; tail between the legs; cower; look away; whale eye
- Worried: Lip licking, shaking, panting, walking, drooling; look away; destructive behavior; jitter; whale eye
- Delight: Soft eyes; open mouth (a doggy smile), possibly to the side of the tongue; Low to medium wagging tail loosely
- Joy / playfulness: Lift your butt in the air and bend over to the ground (playing with your head down); full body wag
- Anger / Aggression: Ears protruding forward; tail high and stiff/wagging; closed mouth; growl; stare
- Calm: The body is relaxed, the feet can be crossed; soft eyes; ear in neutral position
Check out this popular dog emotion chart by renowned illustrator and canine body language expert, Lili Chin.
Also factor in context. Identify the role of circumstances and environment in the dog’s behavior. Andrew says that we don’t need to know exactly what a dog is thinking or feeling to know if a dog is feeling something that drives behavior and the ability to process what’s going on around him.
Can dogs cry?
A new Japanese research The dogs were found to shed tears when reunited with their primary guardians, in contrast to other familiar humans. Although the findings in the small study are inconclusive, it does provide avenues for more interesting research such as examining the social function of dogs’ tears and whether dogs’ responses are the same when exposed to tears. reunite with friends or not.
And eyes have it – research shows that eye contact between dogs and humans produces a comparable and reciprocal hormonal response in levels of oxytocin, aka the mother and child’s “love hormone,” . So eye contact is closely tied to our relationship with dogs, and since dog domestication involves their ability to make eye contact, the study hypothesizes that dog tears can can play a role in attracting attention from humans, just like a child.
Are dogs in the mood?
Emotions arise from feelings, and moods are the result of combinations of feelings. While dogs can become what people might label as moody during their teenage years, dogs are not usually “mood” by definition. This is because dogs are often unpredictable or prone to sudden gloom. If you suspect a moody mood, pay attention to key indicators of his feelings or check if he is upset or in pain. And we could label a dog as “mood swings,” but that is more likely the result of dogs living in the present and being more prone to triggers than moodiness.
Research has found that dogs tend to take on the personalities and attitudes of their primary caregivers. A big research in Michigan State showed that dogs adjust to our changes in attitudes and emotions and tend to reflect our characteristics. For example, a tall person may have an excitable dog or an anxious person may have a more fearful dog. One key takeaway from the study is that dogs respond to us. The way we live our lives affects the way our dogs experience and live theirs.
The danger of ignoring the emotions of dogs
We popularized the term “Velcro dog,” but what if we re-evaluated behaviors like pointing our noses at us, following us around, or sit on our feet like connection-seeking behavior instead of attention-seeking? Or is our dog trying to tell us something? Suddenly the context becomes much more meaningful and worth investigating. Ignoring a dog’s feelings, or worse, punishing them, not only erodes the dog-human relationship, but can also create or exacerbate behavioral problems.
Andrew says the higher the nervous system, the harder it is to process what’s going on, which can leave your dog feeling overwhelmed. Often, the environment, especially the social one, moves too quickly for the dog to process information safely, so a stress response can occur. Take things slow and allow the dog time to process what is happening and space to feel safe, so your dog is more able to cope. Find out how your dog needs to use space to feel safe, says Andrew, and always provide that, especially when attached to you on a leash.
Labels like stubborn, diva or dramatic are not helpful. For example, dogs are usually not stubborn but are more likely to be trying to show emotions such as:
- I feel sick
- I am tired
- I don’t understand what is being asked about me
- I need better motivation
- I’m not comfortable with this
- I’m stress
- I don’t like this
- I’m scared.
Instead of labeling it, try to uncover what’s really behind the behavior.
Andrew says to really help a dog and identify their individual care and support needs, you need to learn more about their emotional experience. An important principle in assisting others is understanding the need for relief. Stress is the root cause of many behavioral challenges, so having a deeper understanding of what your dog is feeling will help them feel more relieved, rather than just causing the dog to change his behavior accordingly. you want or find more appropriate.
Emotional support for dogs
The next time Fido embars you by barking and lunging at another dog in public, upsets you by ripping off your couch cushions while you’re away, or pissing you off by jumping on guests, stop Take a moment and think about your response. Emotions motivate your whole behavior. Instead of reacting, try to support Fido in his efforts to communicate his emotions. See how you can relieve their fear of other dogs, their loneliness or anxiety when you are away, and their joy or anxiety at seeing other people.
In the end, dogs want to feel safe, and Andrew says that time and space are everything when assisting a more sensitive or stressed dog. Give your dog time to process the information, absorb all of it, and allow space or movement in their environment and time to socialize. When we allow them a chance to think and process, dogs tend to self-regulate.
Finding ways to understand your dog’s emotions forces you to let go of behavioral expectations and regulations, focusing instead on compassion first and training second. And when you value your dog’s needs rather than focusing on what they “should do,” you may be surprised to find that positive behavior comes naturally. Recognizing your dog’s emotions helps you help them feel safe. And when dogs feel good, they can live their best lives.
