Just how much are dogs affected when their owners aren’t happy?
I used to have a dog back named Puffy who would come running to me every time I was upset or crying.
I knew that she was trying to make me feel better by cuddling next to me, and it worked like a miracle every time.
In a matter of minutes, I would forget everything bad that had happened during the day.
You probably have the same kind of story to tell, haven’t you?
We, as pet owners, believe that our animal companions can feel our sadness and choose to comfort us.
But is there any truth in this statement?
How much are dogs affected when their owners are not happy?
Keep on reading to find out.
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Are dogs capable of emotions?
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One of the most common mistakes of pet owners is that they compare their dog’s behavior to a human one. They think that Puffy feels and acts the same way their child would.
That’s not entirely true.
Dogs are capable of emotions. They have similar brain structures to ours. As a matter of fact, they have the same hormones, which change in the same way as ours.
What’s more, studies have proven that the dog’s brain produces oxytocin – the hormone, which is responsible for feeling love and affection towards other people. So, your dog can love you, but the opposite is possible too – he might not like you.
However, all these similarities shouldn’t make you conclude that dogs have the same range of emotions as we do.
I want you to think about something. When you were a child, you probably didn’t understand emotions like guilt or shame.
That’s because human emotional development takes years.
Dogs develop emotionally much faster and reach emotional maturity between 4-6 months. However, they never get the full spectrum.
Experts estimate that their emotional development equals that of a 2.5-year old child. So, they are not capable of complex emotion that appears later in life like pride, contempt, or shame.
Remember that when you see Puffy next to the shredded pillows looking guilty to you. It’s only your imagination at work here and what you’re seeing is a variation of basic emotion.
What emotions do dogs experience?
We establish that dogs have basic emotions, but I’m sure that still unsure what it means. To make it easy to understand, here is a list of all dog emotions:
As you can see, dogs are not limited to one or two emotional responses, and I’m sure that you’ve witnessed these emotions on numerous occasions.
But another question remains. What about your emotions? Can your Puffy realize that you’re sad or happy?
Well, experts have been trying to answer these questions for a long time.
A study conducted in 2012 found out that dogs were more likely to approach a crying person instead of one humming or talking. 15 out of 18 dogs reacted stronger to crying and come running to check it out.
Another research was carried out in 2016 proved that dogs actually recognize human emotions and that it’s not a learned behavior.
The canines in the study were shown two pictures – a happy/angry person accompanied by a sound – a person talking cheerfully or angrily. The results showed that dogs looked at the picture corresponding to the tone of voice.
That makes scientist believe that dogs do feel empathy and that they are affected by their owners’ emotions. A previous study also showed that dogs could tell if you are happy or sad by looking you at the face.
How much are dogs affected when their owners are not happy?
You have to understand that for your dog you are the pack leader and as such Puffy will always keep a close eye on you and read you like an open book.
She will come running when you’re upset or distress because you are part of her pack and pack members take care of one another.
If you go online, you’ll find thousands of heart-warming stories about how a dog come running to comfort and console his crying owner. Some owners also point out that a pet which doesn’t like petting or attention would make an exception when they were in distress.
They even comfort crying babies, like in this video:
That beyond all should convince us that our pooches care about us and know when we are miserable.
The 2012 study I mentioned pointed out that dogs usually approach a crying person with submissive behavior.
That’s not surprising. Dogs come near other dogs submissively to show that they are not a threat. When they act the same way towards people, I think they want to tell us that they are coming to help and that they want to share the burden.
When you have the blues, a four-legged friend sometimes is the best cure because they don’t ask questions, demand answers or judge our actions.
Puffy is just there for you – a presence whose sole purpose is to convey that things will come right.
So, enjoy it when your pooch comes to keep you company during troubled times.
What do you think? How much is your dog affected when you’re not happy? How does he react? Share your unique story in the comments.
