How Do I Tell My Dog I’m Sorry?
If you accidentally harmed your dog, first forgive yourself. Tell your mind a different story than the one it is currently reading.
Start by writing down all the awesome things you do for and with your dog. This can include everything from going on walks to taking a trip together, to making sure he is well-fed, loved, etc. Make that list. Refer to it every time you feel guilty. Every single time.
You need to let it go because otherwise, it will eat you up and take time away from the bond you share with your dog. Here’s a quote you can tell yourself: “To forgive is to set a prisoner free and realize that prisoner was you.” ~Lewis B. Smedes
Do something good with your dog that makes you (and your pup) feel wonderful! Go for ice cream, play at the park, give him a tummy rub, get a new toy and play a game. Whatever it takes, re-program your brain.
Does My Dog Hold A Grudge If I Yell At Him For Peeing In The House?
Of all the emotions dogs have, holding a grudge because you yelled at them is not one of them. They get sad, scared, and don’t understand why you are screaming and yelling in many cases. Here’s a prime example.
You go to work or out to a store, return home and realize your well-trained dog peed in the house. You yell, ask ‘what did you do,’ raise your voice and point your finger at the dog. The dog will likely cower, run around, act ‘guilty,’ and sulk. Your dog has no idea why you are angry. He peed a while ago and you are freaking out in the moment.
For a dog to pee in the house, plan ahead to do so, not know when you will find it, and then know you will get angry and start yelling or scolding them takes a whole lot of thought and planning. Of all the things a dog thinks about, getting even with you is not one of them.
Will your dog hold a grudge for yelling at him? Probably not, but he will start to learn you get mad when you come home and he may stop greeting you at the door. This doesn’t mean he is showing guilt. It means you taught him that you yell and shout shortly after coming home.
A better plan is to clean up the accident and revert back to potty training tips. Dogs often pee indoors for emotional or marking reasons. Dogs don’t pee indoors out of spite.
Here’s how to potty train an adult dog.
Do Dogs Forgive You When You Accidentally Hurt Them?
They absolutely do. Dogs know the difference between a painful occurrence that happened by accident and something that was done purposefully to hurt them.
So if you show remorse straight after the accident occurred, your dog will know that you didn’t mean to hurt them and forgive you.
Dogs actually do this for each other as well. When dogs play, they never mean to hurt each other but it does happen quite frequently, so they understand that accidents happen.
If you don’t see them holding a grudge with each other then they definitely won’t hold a grudge with their parent!
Do dogs forgive you when you accidentally hurt them?
It’s something that has happened to almost every dog owner. You’re not watching where you are going, and you accidentally step on your dog’s paw or trip over them in the kitchen. They yelp and then give you a look as if to say, “But why?”
You wish you could explain that it was just a mistake, and you may even wonder if your dog knows it was an accident?
Despite not being able to say you are sorry, your dog will probably know the difference between being intentionally hurt and accidentally hurt. As highly intelligent and intuitive animals, dogs can pick up on several emotional cues and read a human’s body language. If you remain calm and don’t make a habit of it, they are likely to assume there was no ill will behind it if you accidentally hurt them.
After hurting your dog, you may be tempted to shower your pooch with affection to show them you are sorry, but whether this is the right reaction is debatable. We can further explore this idea by looking at several factors that affect how we respond to our dog after accidentally hurting them.