Dogsey

Whatever we decide the dog is thinking at any given time usually. Don't really need scientists to tell us if we have had dogs for awhile in our lives.

Hi Brenda it is I think a good thing to have scientists confirming that which many of us already know.

Just one example , how many times do we get people on here saying 'My dog knows it has done wrong it looks guilty' when the dog is just reacting to the person's body language not to the 'wrong deed' ...

Sometimes scientists exploit or botch studies to support their own theories. This is part of the reasons that studies often conflict so badly. As for the guilty pet thing.

Sometimes, my cat likes to use the fireplace instead of the litter box to poo. I might not have seen it yet and have no idea she did it, but if she runs from me for no apparent reason, sure enough, it's there. She's never punished for it, but I of course I'm not happy it's there.

Sorry, but that is a cat that knows she's done something we don't like. She's not reacting to anything because I had no idea it was there and couldn't possibly have shown her I was angry yet.

A very interesting topic ... I think our dogs certainly are capable of the feeling of guilt, and this can show often on their faces just as it does on our's ... shifty, not wanting to look you in the eye!

Lizzie, my German Shorthaired Pointer, was ACE at this! She was left home alone all day (I knew no better in those days) and she would dig up the garden and rip up plants in protest. I always knew the minute I got home if she had, or had not, done anything naughty purely by her body language. She would hang her head, wiggle her bottom like mad at the same time as tucking her docked tail as far down as she could get it. She was the picture of guilt! If however she had done nothing, she would still wiggle her bottom like mad but her little stump would be erect and wagging furiously and she would be jumping up and down on the spot with excitement, and no hung head.

Just like us, they think, they have emotions ... the one thing they cannot do is shed tears.

Myra you are free to deduce and believe whatever you wish from the article. I know what I believe and that is something I have believed for years and which concurs with the recent findings by scientists..

I didn't make any statements based on a deduction from any article. My statements were made from observation. I didn't even refute the article. It's true that oftentimes, dogs guilty looks are just because an owner is furious, I never said that was untrue.

I'm waiting for a scientist to explain the phenomena I just mentioned. Scientists who put their foot down on subjects without covering all possible angles do not appeal to me. Like you said, everyone is entitled to believe whatever they want... this goes towards religion, superstitions etc. etc. but it doesn't make it true.

Even if MANY people believe it... such as religion, it doesn't make it true. Even if MANY people claim they have proof of it's existence, it doesn't make it true. But yes, believe what you like for whatever reason you like. Who am I to tell you not to?

Answering the question at hand. I think that dog is thinking, trying to understand especially if you add a head tilt. My dogs make that face with the wrinkles when they're trying really hard to figure out what I'm saying.

In studies made in 2014 at the University of Budapest, when dogs were placed in an MRI scanner, researchers found that the canine brain reacts to voices and emotionally charged sounds such as crying and laughter in the same way as the human brain. In other words dogs are physically wired to pick up on subtle mood changes.