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At PeritoAnimal we have no doubt that dogs have emotions. From adopting them until their old age, they show us various feelings ranging from love to jealousy. When we arrive home, they are the first to receive us with great joy and express sadness when we leave. This is our subjective view, but what do experts say? For the past 25 years, neuroscientists have provided a wealth of data and studies on canine emotional learning and claim that dogs are perfectly capable of having complex emotions like those of humans.
Keep reading this article and find out what emotions do dogs feel, you will discover some thoughts about the science behind your pet's emotions.
Emotions in Dogs and Experts
Science has advanced a lot, especially in the animal field. We have come to understand that dogs have the same brain structures, hormones, and chemical changes that produce emotions in humans. Each time we discover how complex they can become. The dogs they even have the oxytocin hormone, the one we segregate when we are in love or feel affection for others. That said, you will imagine that yours has tons of this hormone, because what you like most is to give him affection and seek affection from you.
Studies show that when it comes to basic emotions, humans and other animal mammals are very identical and these emotions occur in deep areas of the brain. Although these parameters are similar, the animals are purer in terms of emotions than people.
What happens is that the feelings dogs feel are not connected with complex thoughts. Puppies don't question their own emotions, they are just dedicated to feeling. Your emotions are 100% honest, your dog could never lie to you, nor have any hidden motives about something he is feeling. But that doesn't make them any less sensitive, it doesn't mean they don't feel intensely, just as we do.
joy and love
Nobody can deny that dogs feel a deep love for their human companions, which translates to loyalty like none.If you build a good and solid relationship with your pet, your puppy will always want to receive and give love, will see him with a unique appreciation, will make him feel wanted and appreciated and will demonstrate this constantly. She will try to lick him, kiss him and, if he can, hug him too.
Likewise, this love mixes with joy. A healthy dog is a happy dog that enjoys life. Her way of expressing how happy she is is through playing, jumping and body language and very spontaneous sounds. Without a doubt, the dogs feel joy. Naturalist Charles Darwin mentioned that "on the expectation of any great pleasure, dogs leap extravagantly and bark with glee."
emotional pain
Dogs don't feel emotional pain the way people do, but they feel a sense of loss and sadness when, a member of your pack (family) leaves or dies. Although they do not cry, they express their loss and anguish in another way, such as through fear, depression, loss of appetite, anxiety, sleeping too much or too little or indifference. According to a study conducted, dogs can show several changes in behavior after losing a partner, entering a grieving process that can last weeks or even months.
Jealousy
Come home and go pet your dogs and one wants all your pampering and affection? Dogs are territorial creatures, even on emotional levels. you are part of it and he will try to get your full attention. If you have another dog or someone new comes to the family, your dog will feel jealous of this "invader" and, therefore, when asked "what emotions do dogs feel", this is one of the most common.
Puppies do not appreciate preferences when it comes to another creature, however when it comes to them they are very comfortable with the idea of not sharing it. This doesn't have to be the rule. If you raise your puppies with lots of love around you, a sense of confidence and independence, in addition to their proper moments of distraction, you won't have a jealous dog at home.
Shame
Your dog knows when he does something wrong, like peeing where he shouldn't, biting, breaking or eating something he shouldn't. The typical guilty face, accompanied by the tail tucked between the paws, curling up in a ball and going to his bed or to a corner, are clear signs that your dog is feeling ashamed. These are behaviors that dog owners are very familiar with. But for dogs, this emotion is less complex than human guilt or shame. Submissive postures are the clear result of anxious anticipation of a rebuke from you. Your dear and emotionally intelligent pet knows that his actions were not correct and that they led him to disciplinary action. However, this emotion that puppies feel is not usually lasting, so correcting the behavior after a while will not be successful, as the puppy will already have forgotten what he did wrong.
Fear
Dogs can also suffer from fears and phobias. They are creatures very sensitive to trauma and to strong emotions. How many times have you gone out for a walk with your dog and out of nowhere, he starts running to get between your legs? This is a clear fear-expressing behavior in which your dog will look to you for protection. Fireworks, vacuum cleaners, trucks, people in mysterious costumes and hats, and even darkness, may be just some of the factors that cause the fear emotion in dogs. Therefore, we, as their caregivers, must help them with love, patience, attention and emotional education.
Now that you know what emotions puppies feel, you've noticed that yours expresses something that isn't on this list! Don't hesitate to leave it in the comments!
