CHENNAI : Many pet parents would swear that their dogs feel guilty when they get reprimanded for doing something naughty or when they destroy stuff around the house. Though it seems like he is repenting and is genuinely sorry for his act, this is not true. No, he is not acting. It does not mean that he is pretending to be sorry like us humans. He actually has no clue why you are angry.
This might be hard to believe especially if you have witnessed the guilty face, hiding in the closet and avoiding eye contact gestures of your dog. What your dog is reacting to in such scenarios is your body language, your tone and your expression of anger, frustration or disappointment.
So when your dog actually senses your anger, which he can easily detect, he is immediately going to put his best efforts to appease you. In response to your stressful body language, he is going to act as submissive as possible. This is why you see him with his tail tucked battering his sad eyes that can melt away all your stress.
The important take away from this though is not whether your dog is capable of complex feelings like guilt but about what it means to correct his destructive or unwanted behaviour. Say for example, if your dog is destructive and has been ripping apart your pillows, yelling at him when you come back to the scene of crime has no impact. He has no idea why you are angry, and will simply try his best to appease you.
Therefore when correcting bad behaviour, it is important to catch him in the act. In this case, every time you see him lingering around the pillow attempting to mouth it, you correct him. He will begin to then understand what he is not supposed to do.