Ask any dog owner and they will tell you at least a dozen reasons why these animals are the finest creatures on Earth. However, sometimes even the best have an off day. And when they do, they end up on the subreddit r/DogShaming!
It's a place where people share amusing pictures of their naughty pups after they have eaten all the donuts, covered the patio in pee, or committed some other unforgivable crime.
Continue scrolling to meet the suspects and don't miss the conversation I had about guilt in dogs with Kate Litaker, Dogtown Lifesaving and Care Supervisor for Best Friends Animal Society.
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Hamburglar
The Determined Doggo!
The really impressive part was that he screamed "OH, YEAH!" as he came through.
He Has No Regrets
In some of these pics, it appears that the pups are repenting for their "sins." However, even though dogs can learn what their owners consider appropriate and inappropriate behavior, we still aren't sure if they feel guilt.
"I personally don't think that dogs feel guilt, their reaction is just a response to environmental stimuli and human reactions," Kate Litaker, the staffer at Best Friends, told Bored Panda.
Scientists don't have a concrete answer as well. In a 2009 study, researchers observed dogs and their owners under several sets of circumstances and concluded that dogs tended to display "guilty" body language more frequently when their owners scolded them than when the owners remained neutral – regardless of whether the dogs had actually done anything wrong.
Dog cognition scientist and author Dr. Alexandra Horowitz, who was in charge of the research, said that "a better description of the so-called guilty look is that it is a response to owner cues, rather than that it shows an appreciation of a misdeed."
We’re Pretty Impressed By Our 7 Month Old German Shepherd/Great Pyrenees Mix
Doggo: hey uncle, do you know what my parents did? They left me home alone…. Can you believe this bull pucky? Hey, got any bacon?
Get An Australian Cattle Dog, It'll Be Fun They Said
Yep, I had a blue heeler. As the vet said, she was as tough as a box of broken glass and old pipes. Smart as hell, though. RIP Sherry.
My Old Dog...
What about you? What would you do if you came back home after a long day and your four-legged buddy greeted you with shreds of your favorite jacket?
Litaker said an appropriate reaction would be to act excited to see your dog, clean up the mess, and work on preventing it from happening in the future. For example, maybe put all of your clothes inside the wardrobe and toss a nice chew toy on the floor instead.
"One of my office dogs did destroy my window blinds and house plants trying to escape the room because she was left alone in the office," Litaker recalled. "She really preferred the company of another dog or humans, so I didn't leave her alone in the room anymore."
This Classic My Dad Posted To FB Several Years Ago
She's Basically An Addict
Supreme Leader Kylo Solo Ren Got Out While I Was Bringing In The Groceries. Luckily I Found Him Down The Street
According to the American Kennel Club, when we consider a dog looking guilty, we usually mean it displays some or all of the following behaviors or signs:
- Tucked tail;
- Visible whites of the eyes;
- Cowering, hunched posture;
- Yawning;
- Licking;
- Flattened ears;
- Avoiding eye contact.
These expressions are signs of fear and stress in dogs. But determining if they truly feel bad about breaking our rules is tricky. Guilt is a complex concept.
It requires an understanding of cause and effect in relation to time, which is difficult to prove. Plus, dogs can't use words to describe how they feel either, so we are really running out of options here!
There can be a number of reasons why dogs act out. "They can become destructive or have an accident because they are bored, because it's fun, or because they didn't like being alone," Kate Litaker added. "Providing interactive toys and food puzzles when you're not home, and plenty of playtime and exercise when you are home can help prevent these types of behaviors."
For more information on pets and their behavior, visit Best Friends.
My Co-Workers Keep Eating Office Supplies
Dog Shaming Shenanigans
Beatrix, Queen Of Poor Choices!
This One Took Teamwork
I’m Trying To Discipline My 8 Mo. Old Chinese Crested To Not Eat Her Sisters’ And Brother’s Poop. She Turns Into The Speed Of Light When I Tell Her No And Stop
Trust Us, This Looks Way Better
I’m Peanut And I Like To Steal Mom’s Shoes While She’s At Work
Now this is funny! Doggies do this to keep the smell of its owner beside him/her when the owner is out. Adorable gorgeous doggie! Lovely picture xx
Hi I'm Sebastian And I Took Every Box Of Cereal Outside And Destroyed Them
Guess I’m Not Leaving The Country Any Time Soon
Jail Break Then An Early Morning
Captain Snatched A Half Dozen Donuts From The Back Of The Counter
👮♂️ Nothing to see here folks, just training to be a Police Dog 🚔
This Woman Shamed Her Dog From A Distance!
Dog seems pretty smart to me. He orchestrated a hunger strike and had his demands met.
I’m Not Going To Name Names But Someone Didn’t Like Being Left In The Bedroom For A Couple Hours
I’m Not Even Sorry
Maybe It’s His Way Of Bringing Down The Aristocracy
Was Told That This Belongs Here. Briggs Just Loved His New Bed
Two Travel Sized Bars In 3 Days...
Blind Ambition
Sweet little thing needs a Seeing Eye Dog 😿 Some animals actually do this for others on their own, but it can be taught.
She’s Not Sorry
Butter Thief!
She Destroyed The Couch In The Emergency Trailer We Are Living In, Because She Set The House On Fire
I fostered a GSD for a year, he couldn’t stand to be left alone due to anxiety. On the few occasions when he was briefly left alone he managed to destroy a door, get on the work top and start the gas on the hob, ripped all the wiring out of the boiler, chewed plugs off various appliances, unlocked a cabinet and ate all the fat out the deep fat fryer giving himself diarrhoea and ate the face off the teddy bear I’d had since birth. I took him to a PDSA psychologist who said his behaviour was due to terrible anxiety. Worth bearing in mind if your dog is destructive.
These Dummies Ate Their Bed And Then Fell Asleep In The Mess
And He’s Yet To Show Any Remorse!
Untitled (2020) Urine On Concrete By Bad Boi
I Think This Might Fit Here
Congrats On The New Puppy!
She’s Only Sorry She Got Caught
Rip Box
All I Did Was Run Through A Bush, How Was I Supposed To Know It Would Make Mom Itchy
He’s Not Even Ashamed
She’s So Proud Of Herself, Too
Puppies Be Dumb
NOOOOO!!!! Puppies teeth just like human babies and must be PROTECTED from these things. Once is unexpected, twice is a neglectful owner 🙀🤬😤😾 (Please let it only be once 🙏).
This Is Why We Keep Bedroom Doors Closed When We’re Not In Them
I Am Kaiju. I Ate My Mom’s New Carpet. I Am Not Sorry
Don't get a dog, or any pet, without knowing that pets needs. Working dogs need lots of space (preferably outdoors) and attention to run off their high energy. Almost every one of this is the owner's fault!
My GSD is now 3y and very well behaved but she was a huge rascal as a puppy. I got a dog training book and dumb me left it in the coffee table while i went to get something. She completely destroyed it. I always found it amusing that she destriyed the book that was supposed to teach her to not destroy stuff
I worked in a library system and had to send out bills for damaged books. It was amazing how many dog training books were chewed up! The resistance is real! Ha ha.
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So many dogs with boredom or anxiety/separation anxiety. Do Americans not train that with their dogs? And what's up with all those cages??
There are a lot of posts like this that are funny, sure, but actually highlight very bad behaviour from the dog due to no training by the humans... For example destroying the owners' things - teach the dog not to touch them! From day 1. Every dog is different but every dog will learn.
Load More Replies...
Don't get a dog, or any pet, without knowing that pets needs. Working dogs need lots of space (preferably outdoors) and attention to run off their high energy. Almost every one of this is the owner's fault!
My GSD is now 3y and very well behaved but she was a huge rascal as a puppy. I got a dog training book and dumb me left it in the coffee table while i went to get something. She completely destroyed it. I always found it amusing that she destriyed the book that was supposed to teach her to not destroy stuff
I worked in a library system and had to send out bills for damaged books. It was amazing how many dog training books were chewed up! The resistance is real! Ha ha.
Load More Replies... So many dogs with boredom or anxiety/separation anxiety. Do Americans not train that with their dogs? And what's up with all those cages??
There are a lot of posts like this that are funny, sure, but actually highlight very bad behaviour from the dog due to no training by the humans... For example destroying the owners' things - teach the dog not to touch them! From day 1. Every dog is different but every dog will learn.
Load More Replies...
