But I can't help but to wonder if the old lab has been punished upon his owner's return many times in his life. Like if the owner may be the drag the dog to a mess and rub his nose in it type. That body language is not good.
Maybe, maybe not. I once knew a Golden that would so this same thing, when they asked the dog to 'smile' the dog would bare her teeth like that and she wagged her tail too.
I sure hope that isn't the case, that would be awful.
Its the cowering and tail twitching that I'm seeing.
Plus, when the owner first approaches her there is a second where she gives a quick little flash of teeth, with the head down, eyes closed, ears back. That's what tells the story for me. The nose licking, too.
It doesn't mean that the dog was extremely abused, it could be that she's really soft and was yelled at a lot. But from what I see there is extreme submission bordering on fear all over her body language.
Id love to know what other people think. Dog language is really interesting.
Kristel Smart Webboard User Reg: 10-03-2006
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I've had 'smiling' dogs so that doesn't concern me, but the lip licking and averted gave of the Golden and the blinking, nose licking and averted gaze, plus the hunched posture and twitchy wag of the Lab tells me the dogs may not have been entirely comfortable with the situation.
Fearful...don't know. But I do think uncomfortable.
At first, I just thought the dog looked guilty, because I used to have a dog that loved to visit the cat box for "treats"
and when she came upstairs, and had kitty litter on her nose, she would slink down in a guilty pose because she knew that I didn't want her eating cat poop.
I never did anything to her ever, but she knew this was wrong and acted like she knew she had done something bad.
But all the things that you are mentioning Lauren, has me thinking twice. I too am curious what others will say about this dogs body language.
I had a dog that would give the guilty look, too. But it was always when he was immediately caught.
I do know that Tasha will wait for a minute to see if I'm coming before she does something bad!
My roommate told me that she will come into the room and stand perfectly still for a minute to see if I know what she is up to. Then she will climb up on the bed or start shredding tissues from the wastebasket. If she hears me coming she goes back to being perfectly still.
Like a kid that says "I wasn't doing anything, she did it!"
Kristel Smart Webboard User Reg: 10-03-2006
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Loc: Vermont
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I'm not convinced that dogs feel guilt. It's more of a human/value thing. I think they absolutely respond to the way we look at them and the energy we direct at them though.
A dog averting his/her eyes and turning away can be perceived as guilt, but I think it's much more likely that they are sensing that we are irked and so are offering us normal-doggie appeasement gestures.
I'm not convinced that dogs feel guilt. It's more of a human/value thing. I think they absolutely respond to the way we look at them and the energy we direct at them though.
A dog averting his/her eyes and turning away can be perceived as guilt, but I think it's much more likely that they are sensing that we are irked and so are offering us normal-doggie appeasement gestures.
There is that one look they give sometimes that looks like genuine guilt. For some dogs it is super cute to where its easy to forget that they don't have the same emotions we do.
I do believe that they are capable of being a little sneaky sometimes.
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Guilty!
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Re: Guilty!
I too am curious what others will say about this dogs body language.
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