Guilty Face Of The Dog: What Is It Due To?
When your dog does something wrong, on purpose or unintentionally, when you call him he will present himself with the typical guilty face.
The question arises: can dogs distinguish good from evil? If they know they are doing something wrong, why don’t they control themselves?
In this article we will show you that your four-legged friend is smarter than you think. Also, very often the guilty face of the dog hides a lot more.
The guilty face of the dog: a sign of calm
The guilty face appears on your pooch’s face whenever he does something bad. It is very easy to distinguish: the ears are moved backwards, the eyes are distressed and, at times, the tail moves nervously.
Other dogs, with those same eyes of pain, turn around as if trying to hide from a possible punishment, or lie on the ground with their stomach up, showing all their vulnerability.
In reality, these expressions do not indicate remorse or guilt. On the contrary, they must be deciphered as signs of calm.
It is a canine language practice that is used to communicate that they do not want to cause problems. That is, their eyes and muzzle do not want to convey their ‘sense of guilt’.
They simply ask the master not to punish them. The goal of the animal, therefore, is not to acknowledge having made a mistake but to calm you masters.
Other signs of calm
Most of the canine tongue is made up of cues of calm. All dog owners should know that the most common are these:
- Licking your nose. Your dog doesn’t do it because the food is delicious, but to curb the excitement whenever you bring him the dish with his favorite food in it.
- Turn your head. When you take out your mobile phone with the idea of taking a picture of your four-legged friend, you will notice that, right at the moment of the click , the animal turns its gaze elsewhere. They don’t like photos and are often afraid of smartphones .
- Smell the ground. It often happens that when you are in the park, and you call your dog in an angry tone, he slowly approaches, stopping several times to smell the ground. He’s taking his time: just wait for you to calm down so you can get closer. In fact, he fears punishment.
The ability to distinguish good from evil
Dogs cannot distinguish good from evil, as these are two philosophical concepts of the human being. However, dogs know whether their behaviors produce positive or negative consequences.
That’s why they show all those signs of calm: they know what they’ve done will make their owner angry or argue.
The risk of being punished is the only concern of the animal which, of course, will play all its cards on the level of emotion. Whenever he is aware that he has let his master down, he will use all the most obvious signs of calm to calm you down. Who is so cold as to scold a sweet little dog intimidated, trembling and who throws himself on the ground with the expression “do me whatever you want “?
In addition to knowing how to manipulate their masters, they are excellent observers. From the position of your body, from how you move your hands, your head and, of course, by distinguishing a higher tone of voice, I am able to understand that there is something wrong. And here is the guilty face immediately.
Why do dogs misbehave?
A priori, dogs never do anything wrong on purpose. The pets you have at home are the result of a genetic selection that spanned thousands of years.
The man’s best friend will never do anything to hurt his master voluntarily. Simply because it is “programmed” to do just the opposite. Protect him, love him and please him.
So, the dog’s guilty face isn’t due to what he did – it’s the ploy to avoid any consequences.
When you notice your friend’s negative behavior, it often comes down to situations in which he or she would need your help.
Dogs that destroy things when left alone at home do not seek revenge, like those who climb up the garbage, they just want more attention.
Normally, these dogs are victims of anxiety or neglect and the only way they have, to vent and discharge the accumulated energy and stress is through claws and teeth.
If you come home after ten hours of absence and your puppy has torn pieces of your favorite slippers, the problem is related to the type of life you are offering him.
Before punishing the animal, analyze the situations objectively. The dog cannot do yoga or play with the PC to relax!
Have patience and forgive them. Your four-legged friend has misbehaved because he has lost control and not because he hates you.
Prevent your dog from misbehaving
At this point, it is evident that any destructive behaviors at home are mostly the result of some deficiency that you masters will have to remedy.
Preventing the dog from doing something wrong falls into your hands. The important thing is never to push the animal to lose control, letting it play, let off steam and have fun in the most correct times and ways.
Situations can never be generalized and every dog, as well as every behavior, has different characteristics, causes and solutions.
Many times, there are dogs that destroy pillows or tear their owners’ clothes because they don’t have toys or objects of their own to play with.
Biting and chewing are two basic instincts of the canine species. If you don’t have any at home, go and buy some immediately: rubber bones, noisy puppets, sticks for dental hygiene, balls.
In short, always try to foresee and avoid situations that may push your dog to do things that, otherwise, he would not do.
Another example is that of someone who has an unsociable dog. If you know that, in the park or on the street, he will always attack everyone, plan walks at times when you are less likely to meet someone or choose less frequented places.
Dogs that engage in destructive behaviors when alone at home, and who are unable to calm down even with chew toys, should be taken to a professional trainer.
Separation anxiety is a complicated psychological condition. It must be treated seriously to protect the health of your favorite pet.
Dogs can’t tell the difference between good and bad. But they know you and know how to interpret your moods. Behind the guilty face of the dog hides the desire to calm down and receive affection and attention. Indispensable factors that, alone, can prevent any kind of wrong behavior.
