Is the dog offended

Many owners, telling stories from the life of their pets, say that in one situation or another the dog was “offended” by them. Are dogs offended, and what to do if you offended a pet?

Do dogs get offended?

People are prone to anthropomorphism, that is, to humanization, attributing their thoughts and emotions to dogs. And sometimes this is bad for animals, such as in the case of attributing guilt to a dog. Which she does not experience, and which we have already written about.

Only science can unequivocally answer the question of whether a dog experiences certain emotions. Today it is known that dogs can experience many emotions, including joy, sadness, anger, disgust, fear … But can they be offended? Unfortunately, there is no definitive answer to this question yet.

What does a person see when he talks about the offense of a dog?

For example, he scolded the dog, and she went to her place and turned away from the owner. Offended? It looks like yes. But in fact, most likely, the dog is just trying to hide from the manifestations of the master’s anger. Until he gets cold.

Or you petted another dog and your pet rushed at him. Is it an insult? Rather, it is a competition for a valuable resource in the form of you (or what is in your pocket). And the desire to get rid of a competitor.

But people know the feeling of resentment. And, seeing a similar reaction of a pet, they may feel guilty. Offended!

What to do if you hurt a dog?

If you offended a four-legged friend and feel uncomfortable about this, the matter is easy to fix.

You can give the dog what he wants at this moment. For example, a ball or a tasty treat. Or play draw. And the pet immediately thaws. The main thing is to do it sincerely, because the dog reads your emotions instantly and very accurately.

If you accidentally stepped on the dog or accidentally pushed it, and it shrank and “offended” (after all, it did nothing wrong, and you suddenly showed “aggression”), you can apologize to it. Pet, say that everything is fine and you did not want to. If you have a good relationship, the dog will understand this too and will not be “offended”.