You come home from work or a trip to the store to find that your (normally) well behaved dog has chewed your new shoes or had an accident on the rug. She hangs her head, tucks her tail between her legs, and lays her ears flat against her head — you figure she’s feeling guilty for what she’s done while you were out. Right? But do dogs really feel guilt the way humans do?
The simple answer is no. Dogs do not experience remorse for their actions the way people do.
What your dog is really expressing with the lowered tail and the slinking around is a response to your body language and tone of voice. When you found the remains of your shoes, or the puddle on the floor, did you shout? Did you reprimand your dog? As soon as you saw the mess, your stance and emotional state changed, and dogs are sensitive to that. They’re not so much guilty and ashamed as they are responding to your sharp tone and awaiting your anger or punishment.
When a dog chews or shreds or claws something, remember this: dogs don’t generally value material possessions. They don’t know the difference between your expensive, special occasion shoes and the stinky sneakers you’ve been wearing for years. Everything that is yours is theirs… until you teach them differently. If you don’t want your dog to make your pillows into her pillows, don’t allow her to jump on the bed. She’ll learn that anything on the bed is off-limits because it belongs to you.
Lilly Biscuits is an American Staffordshire Terrier.
My brother’s dogs, Kuma and Lilly Biscuits, are power chewers that have reduced recliners, mattresses, and even carpets into nothing but fluff. They don’t know that what they’re doing is wrong until someone catches them at it and starts yelling. Over the years, they have learned to find a toy or beg for a rawhide when the need to chew is strong. With something appropriate to chew, everyone is happy!