02/09/2024
A great post about feelings in dogs and their significance for our doggy companions.
ANTHROPOMORPHISM
THE GOOD / THE BAD AND WHERE TO DRAW THE LINE
This hard to pronounce and complicated sounding word – (anth-ro-po-morph-ism), means assigning human qualities, characteristics, emotions, feelings or motivations to our dogs (a non-human entity).
Advancements in canine neuroscience have revealed remarkable similarities between human and canine brain function, particularly in areas related to emotional processing.
This has given us far more understanding of canine cognition and emotion.
Although this is a great thing, it’s so important not to take anthropomorphism too far by assuming that our dogs experience emotions in exactly the same way that we do.
Dogs experience a similar range of emotions that would be seen in a 2 to 2 ½ year old child but are currently not thought to feel more complex emotions like guilt, shame, remorse, spite, pride or contempt.
Here is a link to a graphic that shows where a dog’s emotions are thought to stop in relation to the age of a child - bit.ly/canineemotions
Here are some examples of taking anthropomorphism too far:
“My dog knows exactly what he’s done – look how guilty he looks! No, your dog is reacting to your body language, tone of voice or remembers your previous reaction – this is fear, he is trying to appease you, calm you down, diffuse the situation.
“My dog chewed the couch just to get back at me for not taking him for a walk “ - No, your dog was probably bored, frustrated, lonely, had separation distress and was looking for a way to self-sooth or entertain himself.
“My dog pees inside just to spite me” – No, there could be a host of reasons, but spite is not one of them.
“My dog is just so stubborn” – No, find what is motivating, rewarding for your dog, are there too many distractions?
“Look at how proud my dog looks for winning the competition, graduating from a class, after being groomed etc” - No, your dog is reacting to your emotional state.
Instead of assuming that your dog is feeling “adult human emotions”, learn about body language and notice the context of the behaviour. This will provide a far more accurate idea of how dogs are really feeling.
Anthropomorphism is an essential tool in recognising a dog’s emotional state and allows us to have compassion, empathy, understanding and connection, but taking it too far is detrimental and undermines relationship.
