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Do Dogs Feel Emotions Like Us?

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Do Dogs feel the emotions that we do?

Anyone who has loved a dog knows that they must have souls; they clearly exhibit personalities and emotions.

Is this an example of humans anthropomorphizing animals because they love them, or is this actually true? The answer may surprise you!

What Emotions Are Dogs Capable of Experiencing, If Any?

Dedicated dog moms and dads, you will be happy to know that what you have always known has been validated.

According to Dr. Stanley Coren, dogs are capable of experiencing emotion and intelligence comparable to two year old humans. The emotions that our two year old friends experience are as follows:

  • Affection or Love
  • Excitement
  • Joy
  • Contentment
  • Distress
  • Disgust
  • Suspicion or Shyness
  • Fear
  • Anger

The aforementioned emotions are considered basic emotions.

Emotions such as shame, guilt, contempt, and pride, are considered complex emotions which are learned through older ages and life experiences.

Research has not proven that dogs or two year old humans are capable of experiencing these complex emotions.

Personally, I do have a little story that somewhat refutes this.

I always heard that dogs intellect and emotional maturity was on par with a human child from ages 2 to 5.

A dog like Lassie would be on the level of a 5 year old child. and a 5 year old child can feel guilt and dread and the other complex emotions we feel.

Years ago when I came home from work, my 3 dogs that I had at the time would excitedly greet me at the door when I came home as most dogs do.

Well one day I came home and not one of my dogs greeted me. As I walked further into the house, I saw that the kitchen trashcan had been knocked over and their was garbage all over the place.

Now I knew why my dogs hadn’t greeted me. They knew they did something wrong.

I found 2 dogs upstairs hiding under a bed and my smallest dog was on the bed, hiding under the pillows. I could see his tail peeking out.

I couldn’t help but start laughing and then my dogs came out of hiding and greeted me as usual when they realized they weren’t in trouble.

That proved to me that at least one of those 3 was smart enough to feel guilt and remember it. The other 2 may have just picked up the cues  and followed along. Who knows.

How Do We Know That Dogs Are Capable Of Experiencing These Emotions? 

Dr. Gregory Berns, a neuroscientist at Emory University, performed tests on dogs who were trained to submit to MRI scans to read their brain waves.

Training dogs to participate in an MRI scan is no small project! After months of training dogs with MRI stimulators, and buying hot dogs in bulk, Dr. Berns and his team were able to perform MRI scans on multiple dogs. The subjects included dogs of many different breeds and backgrounds; shelter dogs, service dogs, family dogs, etc.

Dr. Berns’ testing revealed interesting results, which may be viewed in detail by watching this video:

One of the findings in Dr. Berns’ study included a similarity in the structure of brains of humans and dogs.

Both of us have a caudate nucleus, which contains dopamine receptors, which are associated with pleasure. This area of the brain becomes active when we are experiencing positive things or in a state of anticipation.

When Dr. Berns observed this area of the dog’s brain, it reacted the same way ours does when they experienced something they valued or liked.

Dr. Stanley Coren states that dogs and humans also share the hormone oxytocin, which is associated with love or affection.

This gives us some common ground in how we experience life and basic emotions, validating what we have always known; dogs are our best friends.

Do Our Dogs Love Us?

chihuahua kissing bearded young man

In one of Dr. Berns’ experiments, he tested dogs to see their reactions to praise from their owners or food.

Of course, some of his subjects preferred food, however, some of them preferred praise from their owners.

Luckily for us, most of the subjects tested had equal responses to food and praise from their owners. Being on par with hot dogs is better than losing to them.

Dr. Berns also conducted an experiment with the scent of a dog’s owner and scents of other individuals.

The caudate nucleus showed a activation in the MRI scans when the dogs smelled their owner’s scent.

This means that they associate our smell with something positive and our scent is something that they value.

So when your dog looks up at you with sweet soulful eyes, know that you are not imagining that she loves you just as much as you love her.

Do Dogs Feel Guilty When They Are Bad?

Dr. Stanley Coren says that no, dogs cannot feel guilt. This is a complex emotion that two year old humans are not capable of experiencing.

Although, your dog is able to understand when you are upset and there may be consequences.

So when you discover a mess, your dog understands that you are upset and becomes fearful of the outcome, but not guilty about their actions. 

Of course my experience that I describe above, refutes this as I was not upset when I walked in the door so they couldn’t read my emotions.

Canine Brain Power
Chihuahua dog with glasses working on computer

Even though our brains share some structure and processes, dogs’ brains are smaller than ours, which means that they cannot have the same capabilities that ours do.

Humans have a 1:50 brain to body ratio, while dogs have a 1:125 ratio (across all breeds from giant to toy). Hence their ability to experience basic emotions but not complex emotions.

The brains of small dogs are comparable in size to a plum, and the brains of large breeds are comparable to a lemon. The majority of a dog’s skull is muscle regardless of breed.

Anthropomorphizing Dogs

Most of us may anthropomorphize dogs, or treat them as furry humans. I know I do.

We must take the brain power and emotional experiences of dogs into consideration because while it is exciting that dogs can share some basic emotions with us and love us back, we have to remember that they are still dogs.

Saying that a dog is a dog does NOT diminish their place in your family or your love for them; it means that your respect that they have different needs than we do.

Your dog can still be your baby even if you actively recognize that he has different needs than a human baby would.

For example, while human babies love to be held, some dogs do not enjoy hugs, and dogs have different nutritional needs than we do.

What Does This Mean For Dog Owners?
young woman huffing fawn chihuahua puppy

Knowing that your dog is capable of experiencing basic emotions comparable to two year old humans is great news for dog owners!

This insight into their minds validates what we have known: dogs truly are our best friends. These insights can also help us be the best dog parents we can be.

Knowing that dogs are happy to be with us confirms that the feeling of love and affection is mutual. The belly rubs, cuddles, and play time mean just as much to them as it does to you.

In some of the research that has been conducted, scientists observed dogs anticipating their owner’s arriving home. This means that we should be cognizant how much time we leave our dogs home alone.

By understanding that our scent brings our dogs happiness and is something they value, we can use that to ease the pain of separation.

By sleeping on a blanket, then putting it in your dog’s bed or kennel, leaves your scent with her when you have to be gone, giving her a small comfort.

Animal Welfare

As a dog parent and animal lover, knowing that dogs experience emotions places a burden on your heart: the welfare of animals who are not as fortunate to have a loving home as our dogs are.

Sadly, the thought that animals were conscious and experience emotions was considered far fetched at best until recently.

Although recent research is over turning the myth that animals do not have feelings, the scientific community still continues to conduct tests on animals.

Animals have no voice and are not able to give consent to participate or to report if they are treated badly or abused.

Thankfully there are organizations like the Beagle Freedom Project who help the dogs who were subject to laboratory tests to find loving homes. By donating to their mission and advocating for animals with your local and federal government, you can make a difference.

Not only should animal testing be a concern, but animal abuse and homeless animals should also warrant concern.

Help animals in need by reporting animal abuse, and donating to or volunteering with animal rescues that you trust.

By understanding that dogs are comparable to two year old (or older) humans, the thought of dogs spending significant time, or even the majority of their lives, in shelter or kennel environments becomes more heart breaking. You can help the quality of life of shelter animals by visiting them weekly.

I’m curious. Have you ever had an experience with your dog that was similar to mine? What human age level do you think your dog is?

Sharon

Tuesday 22nd of March 2022

I have a Rat Terrier named Max that is so in tune to my feelings. If I'm really sad and cry, he will put his head on my lap and whine. If I'm happy, he is such a silly dog. He will bring me one of his toys to play with him. We play and he gets lots of hugs. He is so kind to my little chi, named Pixel. He lets her snuggle with him and even leaves his warm bed to let her lay in it. My dogs mean the world to me and are very spoiled yet they listen and mind.

Cathy

Tuesday 22nd of March 2022

They really are empathetic and intuitive.

Laura

Wednesday 29th of January 2020

My first Chi DEFINITELY picks up on my emotions...and it is crazy! When I first got him, I used to take him to work with me. I'd heard a lot about how Chis are more susceptible to sugar problems when little, and just couldn't leave him home alone all day. So, I had the green light from my boss to take him to work. I was in HR and worked in hiring, training, firing employees. Let me tell you...if I did not like someone or someone had been giving me problems, Niko was VERY vocal about it. He would bark at those people in question. Obviously I had to shush him but he was like: "If you're not gonna say something about it, I AM!" There was one employee who loved to pick him up and say hi (problem employee) and I got really cracked up when he kept saying things like "Give me a kiss!" Niko promptly turned his head away. At home, for a while my husband and I shared an apartment with my brother in law. My b-i-l is not a horrible person, but sometimes (as with all family) I got ticked with him. Niko has never been a fan of my b-i-l lol.

Cathy

Wednesday 29th of January 2020

I love it! What an intuitive little guy Niko is.

Deborah Gove

Monday 27th of January 2020

I have two little babies a boy and girl born a month apart and i give them so love and receive so much more in return. They are the most adorable loyal breed. Thats why we all love them so much!!

Cathy

Monday 27th of January 2020

So true Deborah! That's a cute photo of your chi.

Val McCready

Sunday 26th of January 2020

Cathy, My chi Darla is not a cuddley dog. She's more like a cat! You know the ones that look at you like they're saying "I'll show you some loving when I'm good and ready and not one minute before" type. She certainly isn't the lap dog type. However, I suffer with bouts of depression and Darla knows before I do and gets on my lap which is usually Chico's spot but he gives it up for her. As soon as my tears start, she immediately gets up and washes them away with her tongue and then she snuggles her head in my neck and licks me there too. She doesn't stop until I'm settled and stable, then she jumps down and brings me her toys as if she's telling me "play you'll feel better! I'll play with you!" She is an incredible comfort to me and she's not had any training for this. Nobody will EVER convince me that my dog does not show empathy! Empathy in my opinion is one of the emotions that more people need to show to their family, friends, co-workers and most importantly to your pets wether they are dogs, cats or guinea pigs.

Cathy

Sunday 26th of January 2020

I'd have a hard time staying sad with Darla doing all of that to make me feel better. They definitely have empathy and can read humans better than we can.

Judy

Saturday 25th of January 2020

Having had numerous chihuahuas over a 20 year plus period, I avidly follow these topics. What I’ve noticed is that if you seriously piss off a chihuahua, it WILL remember the incident, regardless of its age, for the rest of his life. One of my grandparents’ chihuahuas seriously disliked my father’s brother and would pee on his shoes and pant leg every time he came into the house. My first chihuahua of my own was taken from her mother too early (no laws then) and she completely bonded with me as if she was MY puppy! Another chi, upon delivering her first litter (right in the middle of my bed no less!), brought her puppies to ME to soothe them. One was the runt and from day 1 I was syringe feeding her to help her survive. There was an imprinting there too. They have always seemed to know that something they did was not correct even if they didn’t understand why, they knew what. My current chi is an 8 y.o. Rescue who’d been abused and abandoned. It took nearly a full year before she would voluntarily snuggle up next to me in bed and is still terrified of leashes (I suspect was beaten with one). They are just the most amazing little things!

Cathy

Saturday 25th of January 2020

They do seem to remember how they have been treated for sure. Such smart little dogs to be so tiny.