The Emotional Lives of Dogs
by Casey Hampf
By: Judy Lore, AVHS Volunteer columnist
Science has been looking into the emotions felt by dogs. To us, we have always seemed to know they express love, sometimes pout when left out, often demand attention, and frequently show jealousy. My two are constantly expressing one of these at any given time. When one is being petted, the other one pushes in to want equal attention. If dinner is late, Willow finds me and stares at me until I realize it’s past their eating time. Each of them expresses love in many ways – usually when I’m trying to read in bed at night. Apparently, it is required that each takes a turn trying to push the book away and snuggle up as close as possible. It’s really an endearing trait.
While it is impossible to know exactly what a dog “feels” in human terms, behavioral science, neuroscience, and animal cognition studies show some compelling insights. The core emotions of joy, fear, anger, disgust, and love are rooted in the limbic system. That’s the part of the brain in all mammals that dictate emotional life. MRI studies and behavioral observations demonstrate the basic emotions displayed by dogs:
JOY: Some indicators such as dogs wagging their tails, barking excitedly, spinning with excitement, and doing “zoomies” can be a reaction to seeing a favorite person or perhaps a toy they especially like or, in the case of my dogs, a dog cookie.
FEAR: Some indicators can be cowering, retreating, tucked tail, or submissive postures.
LOVE: During interactions, oxytocin – the feel-good hormone – surges in both humans and their dogs.
EMPATHY: The ability to respond to another’s emotional state. Brain scans show that dogs may distinguish between happy and angry vocalizations and can prefer happy faces. Therapy dogs are trained, but often can be innately sensitive and provide emotional support to humans.
JEALOUSY: Your dog might muscle his way between you and another dog when you are giving affection to another dog. A published study found dogs reacting in a jealous manner to a stuffed toy dog that had a wagging tail, but no reaction when the owner interacted with a book or other inanimate object. (Except for my two who dislike my focus on reading.)
MEMORY: Dogs do form expectations and memories. It seems like some know your daily schedule down to the minute. They may excitedly anticipate your arrival when they hear the sound of your specific car. (Except my two. They don’t even bother to get up to greet me anymore, although I think they are pleased I am finally home.) It was once thought emotional foresight was only found in humans, but new research points to dogs exhibiting long-term memory.
DEPRESSION: My dogs showed indicators of depression when my husband died. They were quieter than normal and less active and less focused on playing or eating. A change in behavior may indicate depression, but a veterinarian visit can be helpful to determine if anything else needs attention.
For a dog’s mental health, it is recommended to use positive-reinforcement training, acknowledging loss, trauma or change with empathy and understanding that dogs do express emotions of a psychological as well as physical nature. So now my two are “telling” me it’s time for dinner and a snack. They have positively trained me!
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