We all know the feeling as a pet owner when we accidentally step on our pet’s tail, get frustrated, or other accidental behaviors and we see them give us those baby eyes that make us feel terrible about it. This feeling of guilt comes on when we think we’ve accidentally hurt our pet’s feelings. Yes, pets have been proven to have feelings in many cases. Dogs, cats, various rodents, and more all experience emotions, even if not to the same extent as how we as humans do. There are certain things that can cause emotional distress in your pet that you may not have realized play as large a role as they do, but veterinary medicine has been able to show the emotional responses and how they affect your pets.
When it comes to pets, dogs are the most expressive with their emotional states, making it easier to understand how they are feeling throughout the day. Dogs express their emotions with their eyes, body language, sounds, and behavior, all of which makes it easy to understand them. Some of their behavior, while you might not understand them to be a sign of it at first, can understand how it shows emotional distress after watching and comparing it to their regular behavior. One such behavior is if the owner pulls a dog away from a spot or rushes their walks. This puts unnecessary pressure on your dog, making them uncomfortable. Think for a second if you were only given a limited time in an environment you enjoyed and were constantly yanked from your relaxation time during it. This makes them feel less valued and as a result makes them more upset.
Another thing that makes your dog upset or anxious is one that makes many people the same. Putting your dog in uncomfortable situations such as around thunderstorms, constant loud noises or flashing lights, or other situations, can increase their anxiety, just as uncomfortable situations can do to people. Additional situations include dominant dogs when out playing, vacuum cleaners, and any other loud or crashing noises nearby. People are well-aware of these as anxiety triggers in dogs, and as a result often try to minimize the amount of contact these situations have with their dogs. Thankfully, there are even tools designed now to help your pooch, such as thunder coats that simulate pressure from holding them, which works in some cases but the best option is still you physically comforting them.
One more very straightforward and somewhat obvious way to hurt your pet’s feelings is simply ignoring them, their behaviors, and their pain. This would do the same for humans, too, as feeling like someone is ignoring them or doesn’t like them would obviously cause distress. When a pet is in pain, they show it through licking their hurt part of their body, seeking more attention, or simply even by making noises that are out of the ordinary. It is our job as owners to care for our pets in whatever ways we can to ensure that they are happy and healthy, and if we don’t pay attention to their pain or sadness, then it is safe to assume that our pets will feel like they aren’t loved. This will cause sadness, anxiety, and overall a poorer relationship with your pet.
