We gonna see two perceptions of mischief : the one according to the human beings, and, the one according to the dog.
If I consider peeing on a carpet for instance :
🙎🏻♀️ according to the human being : it is a mischief for peeing must not be here, the dog has to pee on other places.
🐶 according to the dog : the carpet may be comfortable, it looks like the puppy pad, he was in a urge.
If I consider the food on the table for instance :
🙎🏻♀️ according to the human being : it is a mischief for if it is on the table, it is reserved for humans, the dog must not help himself, it is stealing.
🐶 according to the dog : it is available and accessible, it smells good, it is an opportunity.
Dogs do not perceive the world according to human morality. There are learnings that reinforce certain behaviors (which make their appearance more likely) and others that punish them (which make their appearance unlikely). Situations also depend on their perception of the context : whether the dog feels safe or in danger.
Very often, what is called "mischief" is a dog's need or a normal behavior expressed in an inappropriate context, which makes it undesirable for the beings around.
Intentionality
"If I come to your house and tell you (perhaps subtly because we don't know each other well) that I need to pee, and you tell me not to do on your couch. I'll go to your sink, then your table, then your bed, then…I'll do where I am because at some point my bladder won't be able to hold it back in anymore ! You’ll get annoyed, you’ll scold me. After all, it is possible that I made on your bag containing your computer on the floor.
I will be shocked when you scold me because I needed and you just said “no, not there ; no, not here". You did show me the toilet, but too late.
Later on, you take me straight to the bathroom ; however, I do it somewhere else again after. You only showed it to me once, that's not enough for me to remember. Plus, it doesn't look like the ones I usually use. »
Doggy may find many of the rules we impose on him confusing. Moreover, they sometimes change depending on our mood. For him to break your rule, on purpose, he needs : to know it, to have it in memory, to have experienced it several times, to be aware that deviating from it will upset you, to want to upset you.
The guilty look
"But he knows he did a mischief because when I scold him he looks sheepish."
What do you observe in Doggy ? Head down, body low, curled up, ears lowered and backwards, the white of the eyes is visible, he is hiding, looking elsewhere, having the tail low or even as close as possible to his stomach... All these signs express discomfort, a refusal to the confrontation. This is not an admission of guilt.
We don't know (yet) if dogs have the ability to feel guilt and express it. We are sure nevertheless that when he expresses that body language, it is to avoid a conflict.
Several studies have actually tested dogs : when they were scolded once for eating a sausage, even if they didn't commit the "mischief" the next time, the fact the human is frowning, and the object of the offense is no longer there, cause them to exhibit confrontational avoidance behavior.
Comments