Is Your Dog’s “Guilty Look” Truly a Sign of Shame? Some Scientists Think So

  Most people who live with a dog are familiar with their “guilty look”. Maybe they show it after they have ransacked the garbage, chewed up your shoe, or peed indoors. To our human minds, this look expresses shame and embarrassment about their actions. However, scientists have asserted that rather than signifying guilt, this look is a show of submission. Yet Dr. Marc Bekoff, author of “The Emotional Lives of Animals” and “Dogs Demystified: An A to Z Guide to All Things Canine” disagrees. Instead, he argues that, as social animals, there is no reason to believe that dogs do not feel ashamed, guilty, or embarrassed. Bekoff also believes that other animals may be able to feel these emotions as well.

  Dr. Bekoff works at the University of Colorado where he is a professor of ecology and evolutionary biology. As an evolutionary biologist, he believes that it would be foolish to close the door on the possibility that animals can experience guilt. 

  Bekoff cites a 2014 study that shows rats have the capability to feel remorse for not taking an action. These remorseful rats are one example of science proving the similarities between human and non-human animals’ cognition. Although it is important to remember that animals perceive the world differently, and have both similar and different drives and needs, it is equally important to remember that non-human animals are also sentient beings capable of feeling complex emotions such as love and fear. If they can feel these emotions, why not guilt, embarrassment, or shame. 

  So, while a dog may not understand WHY exactly it was wrong of them to ransack the delicious garbage, it is entirely likely that they feel guilty about doing something that upsets you. Based on our current, limited understanding of animal cognition, it is simply impossible for us to say whether or not an animal feels guilty for an action. However, according to Bekoff it is very likely that animals who live in social groups have developed these emotions. 

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