So, when I zig left and he zigs right and we collide… I invariably say ‘Oops, I’m sorry!’ Or if I realise his water bowl is almost dry I’ll let him know, in words I’m sure he understands, that I am aware it’s a poor show on my part. Recently a close friend commented that it was weird… What say you?
If your particular non-human companion is a snake, llama or civet cat I am of course also interested, but it’s primarily dogs I am thinking of. Is this silliness of the highest order? Common politeness? A sign of a worrying brain lesion?
I speak more to my dogs in any given week than to any humans. Yes, I apologise to them if I accidentally bump into them, or have the gall to give them their morning kibble without their breakfast bacon (treats).
Yes, I apologize to my dog if I step on her paw or other accidental bump. I think dogs are very perceptive to our facial expressions and mannerisms, and can see that an apology for something like that followed by a quick hug or scritch lets them know it was not intended or anger/annoyance-related.
Not weird at all, extremely civil, and – I mean this seriously – the dog very likely understands your meaning, especially if it’s about something like the water bowl.
In general, dogs infer far more about the things we say to them than most of us imagine. It’s not always about understanding the actual words, although even there, dogs often have a larger vocabulary than we think. Some dogs know the names of many of their toys, for example, and can be asked to go into another room and fetch a specific one. And what dog doesn’t know the meaning of “go for a walk”?
Absolutely I do. As a matter of fact, my wife effusively apologized after opening the armoire door to hastily last night, and smacking our poor pup squarely in the beezer. I made a point of fussing over him, too - as @snowthx says, it helps him know that the action was inadvertent and not his fault in any way. (Yes, I know it’s never the dog’s fault if a human hits him, that’s just abuse; but I want to make sure he knows that, as well.)
If I had a dog, I would certainly apologize and make a fuss over them in the event I did something that caused them distress. We have cats and I’m always talking to them about one thing or another. Though they don’t know what I’m saying, they know my tone of voice as comforting, just as your dog knows yours. Our cats are quite the talkers.
And if I had a snake I would probably talk to them too.
Of course. I don’t expect him to understand individual words, but it makes sense he could understand the intent. Though I often include pleasurable things, too.
If you watch dog behaviors, it definitely seems like something they do with themselves. A dog who, say, bites another one too hard in play will immediately pull back and then seeming to try and console them.
It actually seems to be common in any animal that engages in play, at the very least. But it would seem useful for any social animal.
It’s not even the actual words, but the tone of voice, the facial expression & what you do during/after apology, like give them a skritch &/or a treat & generally fawn over them after accidentally bopping or scaring them.
Agreed that they definitely get the intent. I’ve played with dogs before and when they get a little too rough I yelp and turn my back…they themselves often adopt a range of very conciliatory behaviors when they think they’ve hurt or upset you. From the classic “puppy dog eyes” to another that would get super affectionate and force herself under my arm for a hug.
So yeah, go ahead and apologize…they do it too and definitely understand*.
I apologize to the dog if I screwed up about him. Also to the cats, most often for stepping on one (which one in particular makes it very hard to avoid.) Also sometimes to plants, or to insects even if I’m killing them.
But then, I occasionally apologize to the tractor. And I have never claimed not to be weird; only that I like me that way.
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– apologizing to the dog and cats makes sense, though; they may or may not be paying attention to the words, but they definitely pick up on the sense of the difference between ‘my human kicked me by accident, still safe to approach’ and ‘that human kicked me on purpose! stay the hell away from them!’ The tone of voice and gestures of apology probably help make it clear what’s happening.
I don’t have dogs anymore, but I definitely apologize to my cats. Even when they’re at fault. Like when they run in front of me and almost trip me and then yelp when I inadvertently kick them to keep from falling and breaking my neck… yeah, I apologize.
