Should we apologize to our dog?
It is improper to confuse human and canine emotions. Although dogs are beautiful, courageous, loyal and loving creatures, they do not see the world in the same way as we do. For example, some people think that dogs look around when they poop out of embarrassment. However, dogs cannot feel shame the same way as we do. In these cases, they are only looking around to see if there are any threats in their environment.
Similarly, when we do something bad to our dog, they may not understand it in the same way. This is especially the case if it happens after the fact. For example, if we did something to our dog earlier in the day, but we apologize for it later, it is unlikely they will be able to connect the apology with the specific action.
The same thing happens when we tell a dog off. If we do it after the fact, the dog cannot associate the scolding with the action which prompted it. It can cause the dog to think their normal behavior is bad, which can be very stressful. When we apologize and say sorry if we have behaved badly towards the dog, they similarly wont know why you are doing so.
Can a dog understand an apology?
Although we may not necessarily need to apologize, our attitude toward the dog means everything. If we do something harmful to our dog, then showing them that we didnt mean to hurt them is very important. If we hurt them and then dont care, the dog will start to feel as neglected. Our dog may not be able to understand an apology, but they can feel love and affection.
This means we dont need to apologize as much as we need to provide positive reinforcement and a caring influence. This can be seen when we scold our dog. Scolding our dog is most often counterproductive. Better is to find positive ways to educate the dog into behaving properly in the future..
Dogs walk below us and it can be very easy to injure them accidentally. Similarly, although a healthy dog should be tolerant of young children, roughhousing can lead to a pulled tail or other unintentional harm. The first thing we need to do is make sure they are not hurt. If they are able to move and dont cry after the initial fight, they should be OK. If you notice a cut, limping, bruising or other signs of pain in dogs, then we should call a veterinarian.
Although we shouldnt shout or physically reprimand our dog, we do need to educate them. Many guardians make the same mistakes when scolding a dog. The result, over time, is that they become scared of you and can develop behavioral problems. If your dog behaves badly, it is better to redirect their attention to something positive or to ignore them. You can then offer a reward when they behave correctly.
Dogs can understand humans. They may not understand our language, but they create positive and negative associations with words. Your dog knows perfectly well that ‘good boy’ is a nice thing to hear – and especially when we use the right tone. Studies have found that dogs respond better to women trainers because they have higher-pitched voices, which they find more comprehensible and pleasing.
If you want to apologize to your dog, talk to them calmly and soothingly with a slightly high-pitched voice, the one we tend to use when talking to babies or puppies. You dont have to say “sorry”, but the words that you usually use to reward your dog when they behave correctly, such as “well done” or “good boy”. This way, the dog will understand they have done nothing wrong. Pet them and maybe play a short game together.
When you have lived with a dog for a while, you notice how they are able to pick up your moods: dogs are playful when you are active and cheerful, and they notice and comfort you when you are sad, because they see you as a member of their pack. Your dog doesnt understand the word sorry, but they do know when you are angry or happy.
Do dogs understand when you apologize?
The example he gives is when an owner steps on a dog’s tail, and then say sorry over and over again. You will often then see the dog come over and give the human a lick on the hand which is the dogs way of accepting the apology.
For a more scientific perspective I found some commentary from a certified applied animal behaviourist called Emma Griffin. She’s a post-doctoral research associate at the University of California, Davis, School of Veterinary Medicine and was quoted as saying the following:
So, we’re still no closer to really knowing whether dogs can understand when you apologise, but there definitely some kind of emotion… whether they forgive you or not is another matter!
From my own personal experience, I would say that dogs do always forgive you. We own a cat and a dog, and our cat really doesn’t care much about us as long as she gets fed. Our dog on the other hand is an entirely different emotional species.
For example, if my dog is upset with me, within seconds it’s all forgiven. Or at least, that’s how it seems.
You only need to look at people who badly treat their dogs to understand how forgiving dogs are. From reading horrific stories online, and see people badly treat their dog in public, we all see how the dog quickly forgives the human.
Whether dogs process forgiveness like humans do is unlikely as canines don’t have the emotional intelligence of a human. That means they are probably unable to hold grunges or even go into a sulk all day.
All pet owners are very aware that the emotional response of a dog is completely in the moment. Meaning they are scared for a few moments, react badly out of fear briefly and so on… regularly forgetting as time moves on.
To conclude on this aspect, I would say that it appears dogs do forgive you, but this is very much based on how we as humans perceive things – in other words, us projecting our emotions onto animals.