You know that dogs can experience a range of emotions, including happiness, sadness, anger, and guilt. But have you ever wondered if dogs can feel embarrassed? While they may not experience social humiliation like humans do, dogs can feel self-conscious and display behaviors similar to embarrassment. Since we can’t ask our pets directly, we have to rely on subtle behavior cues to determine their emotions. In this guide, we will explore the signs that indicate your dog might be feeling embarrassed or something similar.
Signs Your Dog is Embarrassed
Similar to humans, dogs display obvious signs when they feel sheepish or ashamed. After doing something goofy, your dog might have difficulty making eye contact, exhibit submissive behavior, or act shy and sheepish. They may also tuck their tails, walk oddly, pin their ears down, furrow their brows, cower, or even hide. Dogs can also become jealous, angry, or show signs of distress when feeling embarrassed, just like humans.
Body Language
If your dog is embarrassed or humiliated, you might notice them cowering, dropping their ears, averting their eyes, or tucking their tail. Other signs to watch out for include hiding, rolling around, exhibiting submissive behavior, changing their posture, and displaying anxiousness.
The History of Embarrassed Dogs
Scientists and researchers have differing opinions on whether dogs can feel embarrassment and the extent to which it affects them. Some experts, like canine behavior specialist Dr. Marc Bekoff, believe that dogs do experience feelings of embarrassment and even humiliation. However, other scientists disagree, asserting that the concept of embarrassment is a complicated, secondary human emotion that may not apply to dogs.
The Science Behind Dog Embarrassment
Embarrassment is often considered a uniquely human emotion. It can be challenging to determine if dogs can experience embarrassment because we cannot ask them directly. Some researchers believe that dogs, as instant-reaction creatures, may not have the capacity for such complex emotions. Doggy brains are still not fully understood, but the closest answer we can provide to whether dogs can get embarrassed is “maybe.”
Training Your Dog to Deal With Their Embarrassment
Each dog has a unique personality, and some may be more prone to embarrassment than others. If your dog feels embarrassed, they might exhibit signs of distress or anger. To help your dog cope with these emotions, it is essential to train them to control their negative behaviors. For example, if your dog becomes distressed when embarrassed, train them to retreat to their crate until they feel better. If your dog tends to hide when embarrassed, teach them to seek refuge in their crate. By doing so, you can ensure their safety and prevent long searches for them when they hide. Additionally, using commands like “no” and “stop” can help manage their behavior, even when they are angry due to embarrassment.
“Helping your dog navigate their embarrassment: signs to look for and how to train them to cope.”
Tips & Things to Know
1️⃣ Look for subtle behavior cues: Since we can’t ask our dogs if they’re embarrassed, we have to rely on their behavior to determine how they feel. Signs to look for include avoiding eye contact, submissive behavior, and hiding.
2️⃣ Pay attention to body language: Dogs exhibit certain body language when they’re embarrassed, such as cowering, dropping their ears, averting their eyes, and tucking their tail. These physical cues can indicate their feelings of embarrassment.
3️⃣ Train your dog to cope with embarrassment: If your dog shows signs of distress or anger when they’re embarrassed, it’s important to train them to manage their negative behaviors. Teaching them to retreat to their crate or respond to commands like “no” and “stop” can help them cope with their embarrassment in a healthy way.
Frequently Asked Questions, Answered ✅
1. Can dogs feel embarrassment?
Yes, dogs can feel something similar to embarrassment, although it may not be the same as the social humiliation humans experience.
2. What are some signs that indicate a dog is embarrassed?
Signs of embarrassment in dogs include avoiding eye contact, displaying submissive behavior, tucking their tail, walking funny, pinning their ears down, furrowing their brows, cowering, and sometimes hiding.
3. What other behaviors might dogs exhibit when they are embarrassed?
Dogs may also hide, roll around, exhibit submissive behavior, change their posture, and show signs of anxiousness when they are embarrassed.
4. Do all scientists agree on whether dogs can feel embarrassment?
No, there is disagreement among scientists on whether dogs can experience embarrassment. Some researchers believe that dogs can feel embarrassment and even humiliation, while others think that dogs are only capable of instant-reaction emotions.
5. Can dogs be trained to cope with their embarrassment?
Yes, dogs can be trained to deal with their embarrassment by training them to resort to their safe crate until they feel better or to run to their crate if they are inclined to hide. Commands like “no” and “stop” are also important in managing their behavior when they are angry from being embarrassed.
