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Location: Montreal -> CT -> MA -> Montreal -> Ottawa
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I know that there are some schools of thought that argue that dogs do not have human emotions such as sadness, but some argue that they do.
I have a strange situation that seems (SEEMS) to indicate that they DO have emotions, aside from the apparent glee that they show when playing with their favorite toy, getting a treat, etc...
Artie is a puller on the leash. He needs to sniff everything out NOW, even if it's four houses down. We need to get there NOW, and sniff everything in between as well.
Well, my neighbor who lives down the block and around the corner recently got two Lab puppies. (Need I tell you how adorable they are???). Anyway, Artie -- who is the most unsocialized dog ever, I think -- loves them too, and is always eager to "play" with them.
Every walk that we go on, we pass their house. The start of the walk is normal -- lots of pulling and eager excitement to being outside. As we approach the neighbor's house, this escalates into huge tugs. When the puppies are outside, Artie is in his glory. They all "play" (I put the word play in quotes because Artie really is a bit rough) and everyone has a grand old time.
When it's time to go continue on our walk, to go home:
If the puppies were out and they played with Artie, the rest of the walk home is slow. I thought maybe Artie was tired out but...
If the puppies were NOT out, the rest of the walk home is even slower, to the point where I have to lure Artie home with treats. Honestly, it's as if he's depressed that he didn't get his play time with the pups.
If that happened once, I wouldn't have given it a second thought. But it's happened every single time since the puppies got here, well over two months. So, we're looking at like 100 walks like this. All excitement on the way. Tired (?) on the second leg of the walk if they were out. Sad (?) on the second leg of the walk if they were not out.
I truly believe they have the ability to feel emotions. Just ask anyone of them: "Do you want a cookie", "Do you want to go out"? In our house, tail wags...no...I take that back...the entire body wags and huge happy smile comes upon the face!
Taking it a step further....Mia, Dylan's Mom passed on about a month ago now....He had never been apart from her for more than 30 minutes to a hr.....Since her passing, he has been in a deep funk...I mean walks around the house and whines...I am sure he is looking for her. The other day, I was on the phone talking with my sister and explaining to her about Mia and I said "Mia". Dylan came running into the kitchen where I was...I guess he thought she had come back. I am sure he is grieving, just as we are.
I do believe that animals feel emotions in a very similar way to humans. And, yeah, especially dogs. Very intelligent! You can see what they're feeling on their faces!
I believe dogs DO have emotions, but whether they are similar to those we experience as humans is difficult for me to believe. By far the best discussion of this subject that I've found is in a book by Patricia McConnell called "For the Love of a Dog".
As to whether Artie is sad that he couldn't play with the pups, who knows? I think Artie feels a reluctance to walk away from a situation that he knows he would enjoy. I see something similar when my heart dog is playing and I call him in. He obeys, but there's a grudging reluctance in his eyes and in his demeanor. Is it sadness? Perhaps, but the emotion seems to be quickly forgotten or easily over-ridden by another stimulus, so I'm don't think it's the same feeling that humans have. I doubt we'll ever know for sure, though.
Location: Montreal -> CT -> MA -> Montreal -> Ottawa
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Thanks for those confirmations, ShelbyGirl1 and David_N. I really have to agree.
Artie is totally in tune with my emotions -- when I'm upset, it's clear that he "gets it," and decides whether to snuggle up to me (if he thinks I need it) or give me space (if he thinks I need that). But I've seen his OWN emotions -- happiness, fear, and now sadness -- and it's amazing to me. And how he "gets" my emotions, it makes me sad when I think that he's sad.
ShelbyGirl1 -- That Mia story breaks my heart. Poor Dylan. I wish that we could explain things to them, just like we could to a child or adult. That part is so frustrating to me.
David_N -- My husband thinks I'm crazy when I tell him, "Look at Artie smiling!!!!" But it's so clear to me, that big goofy grin. Just like the slow walks home make it clear to me that he's sad. I guess some people see it and some people refuse to see it.
Location: Montreal -> CT -> MA -> Montreal -> Ottawa
17,330 posts, read 33,044,161 times
Reputation: 28903
Leorah -- I read another of Patricia McConnell's books but I'll have to get this one too. They're so interesting, these dogs. Thank God they can "get over things" so quickly, though. You're right about that "out of sight, out of mind, onto the next good thing" mentality.
I think dogs - and cats - do smile! There's a lot going on in their minds and sometimes I believe they see and feel things that are off limits to us humans!
Artie is totally in tune with my emotions -- when I'm upset, it's clear that he "gets it," and decides whether to snuggle up to me (if he thinks I need it) or give me space (if he thinks I need that). But I've seen his OWN emotions -- happiness, fear, and now sadness -- and it's amazing to me. And how he "gets" my emotions, it makes me sad when I think that he's sad.
A trainer told me once that dogs repeat behavior that is affirmed by their owners. They said that dogs are as alert to our body language as they are to that of other dogs. When we are sad, they snuggle with us because in the past we have rewarded that behavior in a way that they like. When they leave us alone they can tell from our body language that their presence isn't welcomed because we didn't reward them with tactile or verbal reinforcement in a similar situation in the past.
I'm still not sure what to believe, but thinking of a dog's behavior in that way is interesting. It's consistent with how dogs learn, and how dogs are most successfully trained, so it does make a certain amount of sense. It kind of takes the joy out of thinking that you are the center of your dog's emotional world, though.
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I am sure he is grieving, just as we are.
