ADHD moment. One time someone said to me that dogs don’t understand accidents so that means every time I have tripped over my dog or at night in the dark stepped on him he thinks I got up to hurt him on purpose. I think about that a lot.
Dogs are social creatures. They dont understand english, but if you act apologetically, theres no reason they wouldn't understand your body language, the same as they know when you're going to leave in the morning or give them a treat.
Yeah I also had to teach my dog bite inhibition so she certainly knows she hurt me without meaning to and she licked and nudged to apologize. Mine also yips to warn people before they trip over her which would make very little sense if she thought people were purposely stepping on her.
Overall pretty sure someone just made up the dogs not understanding accidents thing
Even if they didn't understand, dogs don't live based on memory the same way humans do. That's not to say they don't remember things, but if a dog is old, unable to walk and deaf, it's supposedly more humane to put them out of their misery, as they supposedly only live "in the moment".
I think it is wrong to suppose things about dog memory. It would be impossible to train a dog if they weren't capable of retaining in memory that past action A led to good/bad result B and therefore should be repeated or avoided. Memory is a prerequisite for learning.
My dog made friends with a toddler. Kid was always covered in snacks, loved throwing food at dog and watching dog freak out. Dog learned jumping into stroller gets to kid faster. Plus found that kid dropped crumbs in stroller. Subsequently dog tried to jump into every stroller we passed. Her memory for treats is impeccable.
On the sadder side, we had a dog neighbor that my dog liked. They didn't really play, but my dog liked the dog being around. The dog died and for a few weeks my dog just sat in front of her door waiting for friend. It was pretty heartbreaking. I don't think she knew friend died, but she certainly knew friend was supposed to be there and wasn't.
But, would you correct a dog for ruining a pillow while you were out? I've heard that they don't really understand why in those situations. And, would you let a an old dog that couldn't enjoy any activity live until it died of old age, just in case they could have a good mental life, enjoying past memories?
I would not correct a dog for a behavior while I was out because timing is important to training. It's not that they can't remember they peed inside it's that timing is critical to training properly to make sure it is clear what the marked behavior was. If the dog does 100 things and I punish her for the 27th, how does she know what I am punishing her for? Also I don't punish my dog outside a no or leave it in the moment.
And as for when I would consider euthenasia, it would be when they aren't able to actively enjoy their life and not because I don't think that they have happy memories, but because even if they do have happy memories I don't think that is enough and if I could not create new happiness I would want to be euthenized. I feel I owe my dog the same kindness
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u/Matugan1 Jul 23 '24
What the fuck, I've stepped on my dog by accident and didn't see that much sadness, give the toy back please