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Post by Brooke on Mar 6, 2004 1:38:07 GMT -5
I have seen people say that dogs cannot be spiteful and do not have human emotion...while also saying that dogs are have the capability to be jealous. Where is the line drawn between dog emotion and human emotion, or is there one? Just interested on what the take here would be...
Come on people... bite. You know you want to ;D
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Post by Richard on Mar 6, 2004 8:03:03 GMT -5
Ok I'll bite....
I know dogs don't have emotions, well, maybe not in the sense as we know them...but I do think they know or feel something.
We've always talked about humans putting human emotions onto thier dogs....you know the "he hates it when you rub him there" or the "my baby hates it when I'm late, he goes pees in the corner"....I'm sure we could come up with a dozen other ones. I think when you have a dog living in close proximity to humans (ahhh, the pack) he or she become part of the pack and as such, start to be treated like another member of the family and thus given human emotions/reactions to things.
Does that make sense?
I think that my dog is very devoted to us (me as alpha)...seeing him go bonkers when I come home from work and being Mr. Lovey-Dovey (see I'm applying a human emotion there) wag his tail, big brown eyes, and twirling body shows there is something there saying he is happy to see me and glad to have me home...
One time we were out camping and one afternoon we were lying in the tent. Marian said Rocky was beside me. She said he looked up and over at me with a look of pure love in his eyes and just seemed really relaxed and content (he's a great camper)....he really enjoyed being there with us it seemed (well, heck, he always does).
So my thoughts overall are that, yes, they do have emotions and while we may, as humans give them one meaning, to a dog, it could be different but not much so. Most times, there is a difference between a dog pooping in the corner of the house, and someone believing its out of spite but it also could be that there is a underlying medical problem instead...which could be more the real problem (or not trained properly..it could be anything other than emotions playing out is what I am trying to say).
-Richard
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Post by Nicole on Mar 6, 2004 17:47:43 GMT -5
Yes I agee with Richard. If a dog has any emotions it is not how we define them. For example, a dog that goes wild when you come home. We want to think it is because the dog "loves" us so much. However, the dog is so excited because his pack instincts kick in. The dog is excited because the pack is now united. As to jealousy, that's a human emotion as well. When a dog intervenes between it's human and another dog, be it a pack mate or strange dog, or its human and another human or a doggie playmate and a strange dog, it is pack and/ or defense instincts at work. The dog is either sending the message that it will defend or the message that it is at a superior rank so is entitled to the affection, depending on the circumstance. It isn't jealousy as we know it. That is how I view it. Dogs aren't as petty as humans.
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Post by Aussienot on Mar 6, 2004 19:09:47 GMT -5
I believe humans and dogs share the lower level pure emotions: love, hate, fear, anger, sadness, joy. I believe dogs are much better at expressing the pure emotions - less constrained by negative thoughts and worry, less aware of human decorum and expectation. A dog's expression of emotion is pure and unencumbered by expectation of outcome.
I don’t believe we share spite; in fact, I don’t think spite is an emotion in itself.
Spite is an advanced abstract emotion-driven reaction. Spite the action of malevolent revenge for a perceived unjustice, which happend at some point earlier. Spite requires knowledge that your actions are hurtful, and planning to carry it out.
Spite requires action at cost to oneself. To be able to spite, dogs would have to have a perception of personal justice and retribution and be willing to sacrifice in order to exact revenge. I have seen a dog hold a grudge against against someone, but I think they are reacting to a memory of fear, not a evil desire for revenge . I have seen dogs retaliate for an action that angered them, but always in the present moment, and not at a cost to their own hedonistic pleasure. I have seen dogs react inappropriately when stressed, but the only things in their mind is relief of their own stress.
I just don't think dog's thinking is that sophisticated. I respect them for that.
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Post by Brooke on Mar 6, 2004 20:19:34 GMT -5
I love getting into debates...I guess I'm just not that good at starting them....
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Post by Laura on Mar 7, 2004 22:57:51 GMT -5
I forget who said it, but I love the line " dogs are unfailingly honest with us, they do not share the same petty emotions that we humans suffer from". I do think they can feel certain responses such as loyalty, depression, fear, and respect, all things that insure their survival as a species.
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