Do Dogs Get Embarrassed?

Our dogs’ feelings go way beyond a waggy tail and dancing paws.  

There’s a well of emotions within our pups, from the glee we love, to grief and even jealousy. (Ask any pet parent in a multi-dog household and they’ll corroborate the findings of a study on inter-dog jealousy!)  

But do dogs get embarrassed? 

Based on the way your dog reacts in some scenarios—like when you catch them nosing through the bathroom trash—it’s perfectly reasonable to wonder if your dog feels embarrassment in the way we do. If we know that our dogs have nuanced emotional responses, is it possible that they can feel ashamed in their own doggy way? 

Can Dogs Get Embarrassed?

Some dogs may inherit or learn “appeasement” signals, like yawning and head-turning, and this may be interpreted by pet parents as being embarrassed. But we can’t definitively say dogs experience embarrassment in the same way we do. 

We all understand what being embarrassed is like—that cringey, red-faced sensation when we’ve said or done something mortifying in front of other people. Whether it’s forgetting an acquaintance’s name after meeting them a bunch of times or walking out of the restroom with tissue stuck to your shoe, the echoes of the misstep follow us long after the moment has passed.  

But why is that? 

The roots of our embarrassment lie in the social norms we follow—but our dogs are oblivious to them. The reasons why a person might feel mortified in a scenario are nuanced and bound by societal norms, so it makes sense that our dogs have no clue when they’re in situations that could be categorized as embarrassing.  

Dogs experience a range of emotions, but assuming they feel complex ones like shame or regret can be misleading. To suggest that a dog’s behavior means that they’re feeling regret about tipping the garbage can because they “know better” sets the stage for pet parents to punish “willful disobedience”—when foraging is actually just a natural, opportunistic behavior for dogs. 

Possible Signs of Embarrassment

Because it’s unlikely that a dog can feel the type of shame we feel when we misstep, let’s dive into the behaviors that pet parents often misidentify as a dog feeling embarrassment, such as: 

• Ears pinned down 

• Bowed head 

• “Sad” eyes 

• A tucked tail 

• Hunched posture 

• Hiding 

• Pacing 

• Avoiding eye contact 

• Yawning 

While it’s easy to assume that a dog exhibiting any of those behaviors in conjunction with a moment that we’d consider embarrassing means that the dog is feeling shame, the responses are likely due to a typical dog response called appeasement. 

When dogs are unsure or uncomfortable in a situation, they often offer what’s known as “calming signals” to deescalate tension. Dogs use these subtle signals with other dogs as well as with us. Some of them are as subtle as a quick snout lick or eye flick—so catching them can be challenging! 

A dog’s reliance on communicating through calming signals means that when your pup is hunched down and won’t look at you after you caught them eating underwear, it has nothing to do with shame and is more likely because they don’t want you to get upset at them. 

What To Do if My Dog Gets Embarrassed

Pet parents can get into trouble when they make assumptions about the way their dog is feeling. For example, a behavior that might come across as excitement to us, like zooming around and whining, might actually be stress in dog-speak.  

Rather than ascribing our viewpoint to a dog’s emotional state, instead try analyzing the entire situation, as well as the dog’s responses to it.  

You might assume that your dog is embarrassed to poop in front of you and that’s why they prefer to find a tree or shrub and go behind it. But what if your dog selects those same spots when you’re not outside with them? Perhaps they developed a preference for eliminating on leaves and not grass, and they still seek out that type of substrate. 

The best way to truly understand what your dog is feeling is to learn more about canine body language. Our dogs have plenty to say to us, but it’s up to us to decipher their side of the conversation. We tend to layer human emotions on top of dog behavior, like saying a dog is feeling guilty about stealing a sandwich from your plate, instead of acknowledging that the tucked tail and sad eyes are an attempt to prevent you from getting angry. 

If you sense that your dog is feeling distressed:  

• Look at the context of what’s happening,  

• Watch your dog’s body language, and  

• Report on exactly what you’re seeing your dog do instead of making assumptions about the way they’re feeling.  

Take the preconceived ideas out of the scenario and let your dog’s body language do the talking—your furry best friend will thank you!