# If one dog sees another punished for bad behavior do they understand that might apply to them? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 3, 2010, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-one-dog-sees-another-punished-for-bad-behavior-do-they-understand-that-might-apply-to-them/527522 "2010-02-03T15:22:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2010, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-one-dog-sees-another-punished-for-bad-behavior-do-they-understand-that-might-apply-to-them/527522/21 "2010-02-04T03:21:32Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > On the other hand I’ve often had the experience of entering a room and seeing one of my dogs slinking out with a guilty appearance, long before I noticed they’d been in the trash or committed some other crime and had a chance to yell at them. Even then, it’s not the action of getting into the trash that they’re “guilty” about. Did they slink away \*while \*they were messing in the trash? Of course not. The thought process, for want of a better phrase, in a dog’s head at that moment is roughly, “Uh oh, I always get yelled at when there’s trash on the floor.” Not the past action, but the present condition. It seems utterly rudimentary to connect the two actions, but it is in fact abstract thought beyond the capability of any dog that I have ever known. I’ve known dogs that could learn an entirely new command in ONE go. Instant recognition of command, and instantly stored in his memory. But I’ve never known a dog that could imagine a string of consequences, abstractly, as a mental exercise. ---
**Author:** ![Weedy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/weedy/32/301_2.png) [@Weedy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Weedy)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2010, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-one-dog-sees-another-punished-for-bad-behavior-do-they-understand-that-might-apply-to-them/527522/22 "2010-02-04T03:43:53Z")
I read a story in some kind of pet book, where the dog owner herself pulled all the trash out all over the floor, just to see the dog’s reaction When the dog came in and saw the trash on the floor, he slunk away, looking ‘guilty’, because he knew trash on floor = angry owner. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2010, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-one-dog-sees-another-punished-for-bad-behavior-do-they-understand-that-might-apply-to-them/527522/23 "2010-02-04T03:50:51Z")
> [@lissener](#): > > Even then, it’s not the action of getting into the trash that they’re “guilty” about. Did they slink away \*while \*they were messing in the trash? Of course not. Why do it then? They’re having a blast. ---
**Author:** ![kapri](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/4491bb/32.png) [@kapri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kapri)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2010, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-one-dog-sees-another-punished-for-bad-behavior-do-they-understand-that-might-apply-to-them/527522/24 "2010-02-04T04:45:27Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > On the other hand I’ve often had the experience of entering a room and seeing one of my dogs slinking out with a guilty appearance, long before I noticed they’d been in the trash or committed some other crime and had a chance to yell at them. > > They know guilt. They also know how to fake it. 😃 You call it guilt; I’d call it fear. The dog knows it did something wrong and is slinking away because he’s afraid of how you will react. I do think dogs can learn some behavior from one another. I’ve had up to three dogs at a time. First we had one, a year or two later we got another, then another year or so later, another. Each new dog was easier to housebreak because the other dogs sort of taught the new dog what to do, and the new dog was eager to please the more “alpha” dogs. Mind you, three dogs is sort of a pack, and since at the time there were two humans in the house and three dogs (and a cat), we were outnumbered, and the doggie dynamics were interesting to watch. The top dog, who was the first dog we got and the only female, would snap at the younger dog or dogs when they did something “wrong,” and often the “wrong” thing was something I also would have tried to correct or retrain them out of doing. I love dogs. ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2010, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-one-dog-sees-another-punished-for-bad-behavior-do-they-understand-that-might-apply-to-them/527522/25 "2010-02-04T05:04:37Z")
> [@Weedy](#): > > I read a story in some kind of pet book, where the dog owner herself pulled all the trash out all over the floor, just to see the dog’s reaction When the dog came in and saw the trash on the floor, he slunk away, looking ‘guilty’, because he knew trash on floor = angry owner. That. Is awesome. Next time this comes up, I’m totally gonna do that. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2010, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-one-dog-sees-another-punished-for-bad-behavior-do-they-understand-that-might-apply-to-them/527522/26 "2010-02-04T18:40:47Z")
> [@](#): > > Even then, it’s not the action of getting into the trash that they’re “guilty” about. Did they slink away while they were messing in the trash? Of course not. The thought process, for want of a better phrase, in a dog’s head at that moment is roughly, “Uh oh, I always get yelled at when there’s trash on the floor.” Not the past action, but the present condition. It seems utterly rudimentary to connect the two actions, but it is in fact abstract thought beyond the capability of any dog that I have ever known. Then why doesn’t my mom’s dog act guilty when the cats make a mess? His reaction to that is always to tattle on them. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2010, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-one-dog-sees-another-punished-for-bad-behavior-do-they-understand-that-might-apply-to-them/527522/27 "2010-02-04T21:17:45Z")
I’d be glad to answer that. First, you have to… _SQUIRREL!_ ---
**Author:** ![Contrapuntal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e274bd/32.png) [@Contrapuntal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contrapuntal)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2010, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-one-dog-sees-another-punished-for-bad-behavior-do-they-understand-that-might-apply-to-them/527522/28 "2010-02-04T22:31:35Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Then why doesn’t my mom’s dog act guilty when the cats make a mess? His reaction to that is always to tattle on them. Dogs don’t act guilty. They have no concept of guilt, which requires at least a rudimentary concept of a moral code, and an understanding of the difference between right and wrong. ---
**Author:** ![Savannah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b3f665/32.png) [@Savannah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Savannah)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2010, 5:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-one-dog-sees-another-punished-for-bad-behavior-do-they-understand-that-might-apply-to-them/527522/29 "2010-02-05T05:38:54Z")
> [@Markxxx](#): > > I read this thead went over to my neighbor’s house to try it on their two dogs. I took them out and yelled at a bush. Bwah! > [@Markxxx](#): > > We should try an experiment. Dog owners start yelling at other things when your dog is in earshot but make sure you’re not directing eye contact or in any way looking at him, and see how he/she reacts I can tell you. My husband gets all wound up playing games on the Wii (who knew Mario was so challenging?) and starts yelling and swearing at Mario. The dog quietly slinks out of the room, looking over her shoulder worriedly. We have tried and tried to communicate “daddy’s not mad at _you_” but she doesn’t seem to get it. Or else she just likes peace and quiet. But the way the dog leaves, it sure looks like she’s convinced that my husband is mad at her. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-one-dog-sees-another-punished-for-bad-behavior-do-they-understand-that-might-apply-to-them/527522.md?page=1)