Dog Sense of Guilt

Dog's sense of guilt:Anybody that has a dog knows that when a dog has done something they know that they are not supposed to they get a guilty look and appear to understand that they have in fact done something wrong. But do dogs actually feel guilty or are they just reacting to the reaction of their masters (or feared reaction)? Does Bad Dog Behavior cause Guilt? The apparent results of some studies seem to suggest that dogs are only aware of what they are doing at the moment and immediately forget (or cease to think about) what they did once they have stopped doing it. But can we really believe that dogs only think about what they are doing while they are doing it or that they only do something while they are thinking about it? While it is possible that dogs do in fact feel guilt or feelings of guilt for things that they have done wrong, mostly likely and in most instances they are simply reacting to our attitude or expression to what our dog has done. When our dog chews on the leg of a wooden dinning room chair and we say, "What have you done?!" our faces automatically reflect our anger and displeasure, at the same time the tone of our voice changes and becomes one of severity. Well the dog sees and hears and senses our attitude and becomes uncomfortable, unhappy and submissive and expects to receive a reprimand. Even if you didn't say a single word the dog would immediately be able to sense your anger and displeasure by your facial expression, body posture and would react in a submissive manner. Dogs do not understand the specific words that we are saying to them while we are talking, but rather listen to the tone and inflections in our voices as we pronounce the sounds. This is why you could say, "I love you, you wonderful dog" in an angry and severe tone of voice and the dog would cower or you could say, "I hate you, stupid canine" in a happy and upbeat tone of voice and have your dog wiggling around with joy.