Your Dog Isn’t Guilty, But It Knows You’re Mad
- Barking Mad Co
- Oct 17, 2020
- 2 min read
Most dog owners have seen it — the lowered head, the side-eye, the slow walk of shame after you find a chewed shoe or missing sandwich. We call it the guilty look.But what if it’s not guilt at all?
Research show that, dogs don’t show guilt because they know they’ve done something wrong. They show body language that looks like guilt, but is caused because of the owners reaction once discovering the misbehaviour. When a dog senses tension, disappointment, or anger, they respond instinctively — using appeasement signals like lowering their body, avoiding eye contact, or licking — to calm the situation.
In experiments where dogs ate “forbidden” food but weren’t scolded, researchers found no sign of guilt. The same dogs only displayed that classic “guilty” behaviour when their owners returned upset. So, it’s not guilt. It’s a response to the owners emotional energy.
Dogs Don’t Do Morality — They Do Energy
Dogs don’t think in right or wrong. They think in safe or unsafe, calm or tense.Their focus is always on how to keep harmony within the pack. When we read guilt into their body language, we’re humanising behaviour that’s purely instinctual.
To a dog, your facial expression, tone, and body posture matter far more than your words.
When you yell, your energy shifts — and that’s what they’re responding to.
So when your dog looks “guilty,” what they’re actually saying is:
“I can feel your energy’s off — and I’m hoping it does not escalate.
What This Means for Training
Understanding this changes everything.If you correct your dog while you’re frustrated or emotional, they’ll only focus on your energy, not your message. Dog's live in the moment so the correction has to be given while they are chewing your belongings, so your dog can clearly understand what’s expected. Correct them 5 seconds after they finished chewing at this will cause fear or confusion.
Remember:
Catch them in the act not after.
They respond to energy, not explanations.
They ignore or dismiss directions from unstable humans
When we stop projecting human emotions onto dogs, we start to see them for what they are — Not aware of our words but sensitive to how we feel.
The Takeaway
Your dog isn’t feeling guilty. They’re reading you.The next time you come home to a tipped-over bin, take a breath before reacting. Show calm leadership. Correct the behaviour, but don’t inject emotion into it.
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