# Do dogs have emotions



## tracey schneider (May 7, 2008)

This was posted on another board, but most of the responses, including mine, were the same with the exception of one.... I like the topic, but Id like to hear more from the "other" side.... hoping I can do that here...

do dogs have emotions?

Please explain why you answer either yes or no.


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## Don Turnipseed (Oct 8, 2006)

I notice you didn't put which way the responses leaned. LOL Of course dogs have emotions. Jealousy is an emotion. They have strong tendencies to show jealousy. Grief is another. When a companion dog dies the other dog often goes through a grieving period. They may not display the full gamut of screwed up emotions people have but, many times we haven't ot a clue as to what they are feeling anyway as the don't express it like we do. They show joy and excitement when we arrive home....at least they do if the dogs are happy to see us.


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## Edward Egan (Mar 4, 2009)

Sure do. Whines when I don't go out to train on schedule. Happy as can be when we arrive at the field. Excited when we get ready to go tracking.


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## Amy Swaby (Jul 16, 2008)

Excited, happy, pissed off, if no one has ever seen their dogs show these emotions I'd wonder what robot they picked up. No the aren't going to display the range of emotions a human can but I'd love to see what people who say no, call it.


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## tracey schneider (May 7, 2008)

Don Turnipseed said:


> I notice you didn't put which way the responses leaned. LOL


=D>=D>=D> VERY OBSERVANT OF YOU DON  AND VERY DELIBERATE OF ME :-D

PS. HEY HOW COME I CANT SEE WHO POSTED WHICH WAY, DID I MISS THAT CHECKBOX? IF SO CAN AN ADMIN CHANGE IT SO VOTERS ARE VISIBLE?


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## Adam Swilling (Feb 12, 2009)

Absolutely they have emotions. I'm sure one of the scientific gurus on here will give some academic response along the lines of "they dont' have emotions per se, blah blah blah.., but yeah, they have emotions. Even if it's just happy, sad, and mad.


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## georgia estes (Nov 3, 2009)

Very much so, like sad when I beat her ass for tearing up my Halloween decorations.


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## Adi Ibrahimbegovic (Nov 21, 2008)

I believe they do, yes. Not on complex human level, but yes, I think they do.


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## maggie fraser (May 30, 2008)

Yes, I believe they do, joy, grief, jealousy, depression...

This Austrian researcher I think has published a couple of (maybe recent) papers on this very subject.

Dr Friederike Range University of Vienna, if you want to give it a search.


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## David Frost (Mar 29, 2006)

I don't believe they have emotions like humans. Mostly what they have are finely honed learned behaviors from differing stimuli. I believe a dogs world revolves around the very basics of life; breathing, eating, drinking, procreating and survival. They do learn tricks through life to survive, regardless of the environmental influences. 

DFrost


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## Guest (Dec 1, 2008)

tracey delin said:


> =D>=D>=D> VERY OBSERVANT OF YOU DON  AND VERY DELIBERATE OF ME :-D
> 
> PS. HEY HOW COME I CANT SEE WHO POSTED WHICH WAY, DID I MISS THAT CHECKBOX? IF SO CAN AN ADMIN CHANGE IT SO VOTERS ARE VISIBLE?


I was one who posted No, and along the same lines as what David said.


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## Charles Guyer (Nov 6, 2009)

Seeing as a dog's survival would depend upon social aptitude, I don't see why emotions such as love, joy, grief, and anger wouldn't be present. As a matter of fact, they would seem to be basic social necessities. I imagine that they probably don't experience them in the exact same fashion as humans, but it would make me pretty sad to think that the emotions I've perceived from my dogs (especially those now gone) were completely non-existent.


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## Don Turnipseed (Oct 8, 2006)

David Frost said:


> I don't believe they have emotions like humans. Mostly what they have are finely honed learned behaviors from differing stimuli. I believe a dogs world revolves around the very basics of life; breathing, eating, drinking, procreating and survival. They do learn tricks through life to survive, regardless of the environmental influences.
> 
> DFrost


It may come as a surprise but, peoples worlds revolve around the same basic needs of survival, procreation, eating, drinking, breathing. They are kind of a prerequisite to living. With Davids assumption we can't have emotions either. So if we do, dogs can.


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## David Frost (Mar 29, 2006)

"With Davids assumption we can't have emotions either. So if we do, dogs can."

Perhaps. I feel opposable thumbs are not the only difference between canines and humans. 

DFrost


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## Don Turnipseed (Oct 8, 2006)

David Frost said:


> "With Davids assumption we can't have emotions either. So if we do, dogs can."
> 
> Perhaps. I feel opposable thumbs are not the only difference between canines and humans.
> 
> DFrost


Not only do we have opposable thumbs.....I noticed we have hands and fingers to go with those thumbs . LOL


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## maggie fraser (May 30, 2008)

David Frost said:


> > I believe a dogs world revolves around the very basics of life; breathing, eating, drinking, procreating and survival. They do learn tricks through life to survive, regardless of the environmental influences.
> 
> 
> DFrost


I don't know how life is in the USA right now, but for many here right now that is exactly how it is. My opinion is, for those who think dogs have no emotions, have never really known a dog no matter how many years they've had them.

That's quite incomprehensible to me.


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## David Frost (Mar 29, 2006)

So if I send my dog into a situation that he may well be severely injured or killed, he's going to hold that against me. Is he going to think less of me? Will he look for a different handler/department to work for? Learned behaviors and certain instincts can easily be, in my opinion, incorrectly translated as emotion.

DFrost


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## Ashley Campbell (Jun 21, 2009)

I think dogs have emotions for sure. Maybe not as complex as a humans, but they definitely feel loss, depression, happiness, love, and jealousy.


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## Maureen A Osborn (Feb 12, 2010)

Most definately....a few good examples are on the mornings that I am getting ready for work(days and times always vary) and Toro sees me in my scrubs, he lays and sulks and does not want to interact with me. On the days I put on my clothes for training, he gets all excited and happy and cant stay still.


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## maggie fraser (May 30, 2008)

David Frost said:


> So if I send my dog into a situation that he may well be severely injured or killed, he's going to hold that against me. Is he going to think less of me? Will he look for a different handler/department to work for? Learned behaviors and certain instincts can easily be, in my opinion, incorrectly translated as emotion.
> 
> DFrost


You're anthromonopolising now . Translation is an academic process.


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## David Frost (Mar 29, 2006)

You misunderstand, the human is the one doing the translating, not the dog. Perhaps translating is the wrong word. We mistake those behavoirs for emotion. 

I honestly don't feel I've ever had a dog hate me because of what I've trained them to do. I'm assuming they communicate in the kennel. I've seen several die, the remaining don't seem to grieve their neighbors passing. 

DFrost


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## Don Turnipseed (Oct 8, 2006)

David Frost said:


> So if I send my dog into a situation that he may well be severely injured or killed, he's going to hold that against me. Is he going to think less of me? Will he look for a different handler/department to work for? Learned behaviors and certain instincts can easily be, in my opinion, incorrectly translated as emotion.
> 
> DFrost


That example, coming from a professional, just leaves me shaking my head David. You wouldn't give him the option to look for another dept and handler any way. LOL
And yes, if you turned him into a situation and hid in the car he would probably hold it against you.


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## maggie fraser (May 30, 2008)

David Frost said:


> You misunderstand, the human is the one doing the translating, not the dog. Perhaps translating is the wrong word. We mistake those behavoirs for emotion.
> 
> I honestly don't feel I've ever had a dog hate me because of what I've trained them to do. I'm assuming they communicate in the kennel. I've seen several die, the remaining don't seem to grieve their neighbors passing.
> 
> DFrost


I didn't mention hate in my list of possible emotions as I don't attribute that emotion to them. Have you kept several/few in the home or close quarters where there is a strong bond between them?


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## Connie Sutherland (Mar 27, 2006)

Yes, I do think dogs have emotions.

I also think these emotions are very different from human emotions. If the question was "Do dogs have emotions that are like our own?" I'd probably answer no.

JMO!


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## Gerry Grimwood (Apr 2, 2007)

I watch alot of nature type of shows and consider myself an expert on this subject :lol:

For example, shows about chimps often lead you to believe they are very similar to people in behaviours and gestures and you feel all enlightened...until they trap a bunch of smaller monkeys in the trees, knock them to the ground and rip them apart and eat them.


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## Don Turnipseed (Oct 8, 2006)

That was a good way of putting it Connie. Dogs originally, as David said, hjave other priorities like survival and these survival instincts do not wait for emotional meltdowns that you see in people. They had to get on with surviving. While many of the emotions are "at the moment type emotions" such as happyness and jealousy, the grieving is interesting in todays dogs. I have seen it go on for some time when a dogs lifelong companion dies whether it is a human or another dog. I suspect this happens because the passing of the companion disrupts the daily routine for the surviving dog so it is very noticeable the companion is no longer there. Most emotions I would say are "at the moment type" and in no way control dogs the way emotions can control people.


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## Jeff Threadgill (Jun 9, 2010)

Im kinda on the fence. Dogs are reactive. I believe they do to a certain extent, however humans tend to play the baby game with there dogs. Like David said, a lot of it is learned instinct. Dog pisses on floor, I get mad yell. Dog pisses again, He reads my body language and knows im mad. Some people would say oh he knows he done wrong. Really? or is he reading my body language and reacting. Hmm.


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## Ashley Campbell (Jun 21, 2009)

Jeff Threadgill said:


> Im kinda on the fence. Dogs are reactive. I believe they do to a certain extent, however humans tend to play the baby game with there dogs. Like David said, a lot of it is learned instinct. Dog pisses on floor, I get mad yell. Dog pisses again, He reads my body language and knows im mad. Some people would say oh he knows he done wrong. Really? or is he reading my body language and reacting. Hmm.


So you don't think when you come home and your dog is happy to see you that it's an emotional response? It's not like people train their dogs to be happy to see them, and I'm not always happy when I come home so how can that one be a learned response? There's no consistency on my attitude when I get home, in fact, I'd say 90% of the time I"m in a bad mood after being out because I hate traffic and shopping. 

Now, I do think you're right with when they do "bad" things like peeing on the floor. They gather from us from body language and tone that we aren't happy with them.


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## Jeff Threadgill (Jun 9, 2010)

Ashley Campbell said:


> So you don't think when you come home and your dog is happy to see you that it's an emotional response? It's not like people train their dogs to be happy to see them, and I'm not always happy when I come home so how can that one be a learned response? There's no consistency on my attitude when I get home, in fact, I'd say 90% of the time I"m in a bad mood after being out because I hate traffic and shopping.
> 
> Now, I do think you're right with when they do "bad" things like peeing on the floor. They gather from us from body language and tone that we aren't happy with them.


 
Well good point. You are their food/water provider, and you do play with them. Maybe when they see you they thinking she is fun, and a "pack member/leader"


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## Bob Scott (Mar 30, 2006)

Jeff Threadgill said:


> Im kinda on the fence. Dogs are reactive. I believe they do to a certain extent, however humans tend to play the baby game with there dogs. Like David said, a lot of it is learned instinct. Dog pisses on floor, I get mad yell. Dog pisses again, He reads my body language and knows I'm mad. Some people would say oh he knows he done wrong. Really? or is he reading my body language and reacting. Hmm.


That covered my thoughts. 
As for a dog showing happiness when we come home, we are their providers. Puppys do the same thing when mamma gets in the box to feed them. 
No matter how much I may try and hide it I can't train when I'm in a bad mood. I can sweet talk all I want but the dogs read me. 
We've made perennial puppies out of dogs and they show us all the puppy behaviour/emotions.


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## Don Turnipseed (Oct 8, 2006)

So, Jeff, Bob, let me ask you....if dogs are merely reacting to body language and such.....just what is it that elicits an emotional responce for people or do you just fabricate anh emotion out of thin air because it makes you feel Good? Bad? Scared? You get fired from a needed job. We could say your emotional response is learned because you know it is a bad thing. Just what the heck do y'all think causes an emotional response that is so much different than what you are describing??


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## Adam Swilling (Feb 12, 2009)

Gerry Grimwood said:


> I watch alot of nature type of shows and consider myself an expert on this subject :lol:
> 
> For example, shows about chimps often lead you to believe they are very similar to people in behaviours and gestures and you feel all enlightened...until they trap a bunch of smaller monkeys in the trees, knock them to the ground and rip them apart and eat them.


 I knew chimps were nothing like me the first time I saw one fastball a hand full of shit at the kid in front of me at the zoo.


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## Jeff Threadgill (Jun 9, 2010)

Don, there are some instances that make me believe that a dog does have emotions. However go screw his gf in front of him, he won't be mad hahaha. Its just that most things dogs do are what the owner has proven to them. There is always a reactive response, where humans have proactive and reasoning.


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## Bob Scott (Mar 30, 2006)

Don, I would have to say it's more instinct, or response to a stimulus.
Connie may have said it better. Emotions but not the same as humans.

Adam.....you've never done that? :-D


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## Don Turnipseed (Oct 8, 2006)

Fear is an emotion. Three big guys confront you and you have no weapon. You feel fear. It is natural to fell this emotion. Three or four dogs confront a single dog. Why does he flee? Fear. You felt fear instinctually. You didn't have to stop and think I am going to be fearfull. Neither did the dog, it was instinctual in both cases but...it is still an emotion. Dogs are not the only creatures with insticts....we operate daily on instinct.


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## Adam Swilling (Feb 12, 2009)

Bob Scott said:


> Adam.....you've never done that? :-D


Well, there was this one time...but in my defense, the monkey fired first.


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## Sandi Akers (Sep 20, 2009)

here is a link to the other board that this question was posted on and Im the OP because of a debate I was having with a pet owner. I also put this up in FB and got about the same ratio of responses to it there. I am with the minority in believing that dogs do not have emtions just conditioned responses to stimuli.

thanks for all the responses here I look forward to reading more as well.

Sandi



http://true-grit.org/smf/performanc...t_owner_about_what_they_believe-t20566.0.html


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## Ashley Campbell (Jun 21, 2009)

Adam Swilling said:


> I knew chimps were nothing like me the first time I saw one fastball a hand full of shit at the kid in front of me at the zoo.


I guess you don't have kids in diapers then - All of mine have made some pretty grotesque "wall murals" out of fecal matter from an unchanged morning diaper...that being said, they're hardly above primates at that stage either.

As for the analogy of puppies being happy to see their mom...what makes it any different from you seeing your parents? I'm always happy to go visit my parents (at least for the first 24 hours) it's a natural response of emotion for me, the same as a dog has with a person or a puppy with it's mother. Maybe the way I feel is more complex but it's the same feeling - excited, happy, love.


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## Adam Swilling (Feb 12, 2009)

Ashley Campbell said:


> I guess you don't have kids in diapers then - All of mine have made some pretty grotesque "wall murals" out of fecal matter from an unchanged morning diaper...that being said, they're hardly above primates at that stage either.


 Both of mine have been out of diapers for a while, thank God. Luckily I never woke up to one of them playing Picasso with their poo. But the oldest one did feather paint my mother's antique quilt once.


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## Anna Kasho (Jan 16, 2008)

Do they have emotions, yes, I believe so. 

Do they think/reason like us, no, absolutely not. 

Instincts and emotions are almost the same thing, anyway. It's a very basic response and reasoning is not involved. 

David gives examples of more complex reasoning, rather than emotion. Like or dislike, is an emotion. Anticipation, of either good or bad, is an emotion. "I am going to hate him because he gave me a command and when I acted upon it he hid in the car and that turned into a really bad experience for me, so I am not going to work for him anymore and I want a new trainer" is a line of reasoning that dogs are not capable of.

And by the way I've heard from a couple different people working in the prison system that the inmates are entirely capable of throwing shit at somebody... Humans are really not that much more evolved than monkeys, we just don't like to admit it. LOL


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## susan tuck (Mar 28, 2006)

Bob Scott said:


> That covered my thoughts.
> As for a dog showing happiness when we come home, we are their providers. Puppys do the same thing when mamma gets in the box to feed them.
> No matter how much I may try and hide it I can't train when I'm in a bad mood. I can sweet talk all I want but the dogs read me.
> We've made perennial puppies out of dogs and they show us all the puppy behaviour/emotions.


Exactly. My dog knows what behaviours will elicit something he likes from me. They are the grand manipulators! And I love them for it! 

I also agree that dogs may have emotions, but if they do, they could be entirely different from ours. At this point there is no way to scientifically know one way or the other so it's a moot point.

For me the most important thing is something I learned from dogs: It really doesn't matter whether or not they have emotions, I like the way they just are, I like what they be, it makes me happy, so that's enough for me.


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## tracey schneider (May 7, 2008)

Adam Swilling said:


> I knew chimps were nothing like me the first time I saw one fastball a hand full of shit at the kid in front of me at the zoo.


Oh man, good for you... the only thing stopping me is "society rules". :-$


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## tracey schneider (May 7, 2008)

Since I started the thread and responses are in and basically the same as the OT.... Figured Id share my response over there....

"Wow this is a pretty “deep” and complex question. I think it starts with the definition of emotion. How do you define it? I think there are several definitions for it, but for me is an ingrained response…usually if not always manifesting itself in a physical (however slight) manner which can later be emphasized through experience/ learned.

I definitely think dogs have emotions…… they may not be 100% equivalent to “human” emotions or have as many as humans have but I don’t see how that disregards the fact that they have them. I believe the idea of emotions really depends on the root definition you have for them. What exactly is an emotion? Is it something innate or learned? Do babies show emotions ? I don’t think I would classify “respect” as an emotion myself. Regardless even if they don’t have the same emotions or types of emotions does that mean they don’t have any emotions? I personally don’t think so. If an emotion is a “feeling” that has a physical manifestation…. It would make sense that dogs and humans would not manifest their emotions the same. However dogs do have very distinct body language that is legible and is probably more honest in its manifestations then that of humans. Can you tell when a dog is pissed off? Happy? Sad?, can you say the same for all people or better yet fish? I really don’t know…. But I know its not as easy.

I think to relate SOME emotions of humans to canines we could look at the root cause of what we call emotions and find similarities. Again, I think dogs are more pure and true in their emotions.
I believe in my own dogs Ive seen anger, happy, sorrow and if you want to call territorial/ possessiveness jealousy then I guess that too lol. 

Anyway just my thought/ opinion/ beliefs.... 

T"


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## Mike Lauer (Jul 26, 2009)

http://www.thedogdaily.com/doggiewoggie/Conduct/dogs_jealousy/index.html



> Paul Morris, Ph.D., a psychologist and animal behavior expert at the University of Portsmouth in England, determined that certain animals, including dogs, experience a wide array of emotions.


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## Don Turnipseed (Oct 8, 2006)

Well after giving this some more thought, I really don't think people have genuine emotions either. Like dogs, they use emotion to play on others feelings to get an exact response. This goes the the extreme that some peo-ple are called over emotional. Emotions are learned responses in humans so why not in dogs. People use emotional situations to get a couple of days off work, so people treat them with kid gloves, they use emotions for all kinds of reasons.....just like dogs do.
When such discussions are going, learned responses get the nod....most everything humans respnd to are learned as well. It is instinct is an0other one....but people operate on instinct also. Evertything excuse given as the reason dogs don't have emotion would also negate humans having them as well.


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## Adam Swilling (Feb 12, 2009)

tracey delin said:


> Oh man, good for you... the only thing stopping me is "society rules". :-$


 LOL! Damn rules and regulations.


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## Adam Swilling (Feb 12, 2009)

Anna Kasho said:


> And by the way I've heard from a couple different people working in the prison system that the inmates are entirely capable of throwing shit at somebody... Humans are really not that much more evolved than monkeys, we just don't like to admit it. LOL


Touche'


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