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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The Determined Doggo!
The really impressive part was that he screamed "OH, YEAH!" as he came through.
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.
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."
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.
Beatrix, Queen Of Poor Choices!
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
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
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
Was Told That This Belongs Here. Briggs Just Loved His New Bed
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
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
Untitled (2020) Urine On Concrete By Bad Boi
I Think This Might Fit Here
All I Did Was Run Through A Bush, How Was I Supposed To Know It Would Make Mom Itchy
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 🙏).
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!
Working breeds really do need to be working
I don’t get the impression the owners really blame their pets. It is all a learning experience and, sadly, some times the pet pays the higher price.
There are very good reasons why many welfare organisations will not let people adopt their rescue dogs if they are going to be left on their own too often for too long. Dogs are social animals and they get bored and anxious.
I agree! Lots of these are behaviours indicating anxiety, stress or lack of attention. And the things the humans leave around for the dogs to eat are appalling. Most of these humans shouldn't be allowed non-humans :(
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Well I hope you forgive them for not playing with their dog while they are AT WORK. You can try to "tire" them out in the morning, but a quick nap often fixes that.
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.
Oh no. They are organized!
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.
Very good comment, except it's *Unwanted Behavior*, "very bad" anthropomorphizes it (not helpful). Dogs aren't "very bad", they are just dogs being dogs.
Dog crates; they are a great safe space for anxious dogs.
They seem to be used mostly by lazy owners to lock up their dogs.
They can be. They're a tool, and like any tool they can be misused. Our puppy has a crate for overnight, but during the day the door is open and he goes in and out by choice. He's fed in there, and if he gets a messy treat, it's in there. He's not anxious, but it does stop him rampaging overnight while folk are asleep. He will put himself inside if there's a big storm, though - it's covered and he seems to feel safest inside.
For my dog it was her safe space, we left the door open most the time, unless there was some reason we needed her to stay safe inside (like the front door was open for a long time while we unloaded the car). We took it when we went on long car journeys and she liked to stay in it. She was safe and happy and not a meatbomb in a crash. Like Ceredeyn said, some people misuse them :(
Thought the same thing. Dogs need walks, attention, training - at the very least. Usually destruction results from anxiety, fear. If you work during the day get a good crate and someone to walk your dog at least once a day..minimum. Training and praise goes a very long way in good dog behavior.
In previous decades we were "taught" some ridiculous things about our pets. I blame TV and movies that perpetuate myths like "cats love milk", "give the dog a bone", and rodents & cheese, monkeys & bananas, rabbits & lettuce/carrots, "turtles can live outside their shells", etc. Crates have been villainized by people who haven't educated themselves on the proper way to train animals with patience & desensitization techniques. Good owners only lock them up when necessary for safety reasons, otherwise they are open and used like a "den", a sanctuary.
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!
Working breeds really do need to be working
I don’t get the impression the owners really blame their pets. It is all a learning experience and, sadly, some times the pet pays the higher price.
There are very good reasons why many welfare organisations will not let people adopt their rescue dogs if they are going to be left on their own too often for too long. Dogs are social animals and they get bored and anxious.
I agree! Lots of these are behaviours indicating anxiety, stress or lack of attention. And the things the humans leave around for the dogs to eat are appalling. Most of these humans shouldn't be allowed non-humans :(
This comment is hidden. Click here to view.
Well I hope you forgive them for not playing with their dog while they are AT WORK. You can try to "tire" them out in the morning, but a quick nap often fixes that.
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.
Oh no. They are organized!
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.
Very good comment, except it's *Unwanted Behavior*, "very bad" anthropomorphizes it (not helpful). Dogs aren't "very bad", they are just dogs being dogs.
Dog crates; they are a great safe space for anxious dogs.
They seem to be used mostly by lazy owners to lock up their dogs.
They can be. They're a tool, and like any tool they can be misused. Our puppy has a crate for overnight, but during the day the door is open and he goes in and out by choice. He's fed in there, and if he gets a messy treat, it's in there. He's not anxious, but it does stop him rampaging overnight while folk are asleep. He will put himself inside if there's a big storm, though - it's covered and he seems to feel safest inside.