What is Digg?200 Comments
- MrTito, on 08/21/2008, -0/+108That dog found the dog biscuit after you left. And he thinks you're an ***** now.
- oblivion666, on 08/20/2008, -8/+114any dog owner could have told you this. who hasn't walked in on a dog who has stolen some food from a table, then when it's realized you've seen it ran off. Obviously this shows that the dog knows what it has done is wrong.
- gandhii, on 08/20/2008, -0/+89Once when visiting some new friends and their very friendly dog, I pet the dog and so forth and it became obvious that the dog really like my company. He would hang around and lay against my leg and such. Later in the evening, the dog's owner gave him a treat. The dog picked it up, walked over, and dropped it in my lap. Then sat and looked at me seeming waiting for me to enjoy it. It got a little awkward after that since I wasn't about to start eating a dog biscuit just to keep from insulting this dog and the dog kept giving it back. I eventually ended up keeping it and then leaving it behind when I left. I've also seen other dogs share toys, treats and food with other dogs in a similar way.
- Lonecow, on 08/20/2008, -0/+71Now I know why my dog gives me dirty looks when I'm participating in certain activities.
- diulei, on 08/21/2008, -0/+68Ah yes, the ears pressed against the head "I ***** up" look.
- jakeshdaddy, on 08/21/2008, -6/+64My dog subscribes to an obscure version of evangelical christian morality, and keeps trying to convert me.
- CityzenInsane, on 08/21/2008, -9/+42Agh!!!!! Dogs are going to take over and rule the world!!!
Actually, on second thought, that would be huge improvement over the Bush administration. - Azerael, on 08/21/2008, -5/+33Science is about finding concrete evidence of these things, not taking hearsay for fact.
- frobot, on 08/21/2008, -3/+27Clearly you're a cat person.
- newl, on 08/21/2008, -0/+24If he keeps eating chocolate, he won't be around for much longer.
- Berkana, on 08/21/2008, -0/+22Look at any dog that you find having torn up a room while you're gone, and you'll know they know that you know.
See this example of Otto, the guilty Boston Terrier:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EqDZVJ6nZjU
Youtube is full of guilty dog videos. - Nikole, on 08/21/2008, -6/+26dogs > cats
- blaze03, on 08/21/2008, -2/+22Could have sworn this was gonna be a bel-air.
- urbandistrict, on 08/21/2008, -2/+21Is it cuz he's wise to you, or he just doesn't like peanut butter? ...the world may never know
- blaze03, on 08/21/2008, -0/+18Do they REALLY know right from wrong, or are they just aware of things that will get them punished? Or is there a difference between the two? I can see arguments for both sides.
- slurba, on 08/21/2008, -1/+19You mean the same way parents tell there kids to not do something that they may not understand and the kids see it as "right and wrong"? I'm pretty sure if you punished a kid for being loud in a room they would never be loud in the room again, whether or not they think it's right or wrong. What's right and wrong is decided by the people around you. This is why some things are acceptable in some places and taboo in others.
- zacbro, on 08/21/2008, -2/+19Yours too!? I've got two german shepherds, a male and a female, one day the girl shows up in a ankle length skirt and bit me when I tried to take it off, and now the male only humps me through sheet with a hole in it. Weird.
- mizzrym, on 08/21/2008, -3/+20Classical conditioning is NOT the same as right from wrong.
- iamsmooth, on 08/21/2008, -1/+17Next they're going to release a study that says dogs like to bark at strangers.
- Berkana, on 08/21/2008, -0/+15Reminds me of that old bumper sticker, "Lord, please make me the person my dog thinks I am."
- Rudegar, on 08/21/2008, -0/+15all pack animals have a sense of "right" or "wrong" because if they don't they get excluded by the pack and have only small chances to make it
it's only us humans who speak of "right and wrong" as some big spiritual abstract concept as we in general with this that makes us ever so special compared to other animals - RMoore08, on 08/21/2008, -1/+15TMI.
- riptor666, on 08/21/2008, -2/+14Whether this is true or not dogs are just way more interesting and more enjoyable than cats. As for having to walk them being a drawback it's a great way to get up early and get to work on time.
- treas, on 08/21/2008, -2/+14That could easily be a Pavlovian reflex. Most dogs get punished if they steal food from the table, so if they steal food from the table, make eye contact with you, their reflexes key up and they run away before any serious discipline can occur.
that's why we have science! - hoist0that0rag, on 08/21/2008, -1/+12Words cannot express how much of an idiot you are.
- cnot3, on 08/21/2008, -2/+13So how come my dog spends half the day licking his balls? Does he know it's wrong, but it just feels so right?
- asus2000, on 08/21/2008, -0/+11I can say for sure they know the difference between right and wrong.
I had a black lab that would pick a CD off the rack and chew it to pieces when she was mad at me. I then would put the bits on her bed so she would have to sleep in another place for a night. She knew it was wrong to do that and showed her regret long before the punishment arrived. And sometimes my gf would talk me out of punishing her, so she'd go free. But the next morning, she still acted funny and would steer clear of the bits of CD that may have been left behind on the floor. So even though she averted the usual punishment, she still was deflated. No doubt in my mind that if I pulled a piece of CD out a week or month later, she would give me that face of regret.. lol
God I miss her. - norman619, on 08/21/2008, -0/+10It's called training.
- 2bitkubrick, on 08/21/2008, -0/+9how is that wrong? hey man, just 'cause you can't do it . . . don't be hatin!
- WoollyMittens, on 08/21/2008, -3/+12Exactly Azerael... we have religion and politics for that.
- 0dnj0, on 08/20/2008, -7/+16no kidding! i cant believe there was a study...
- jessehadden, on 08/21/2008, -1/+9Interesting. Could you not make the same argument about humans? Regret and remorse may very well be conditioned responses.
- mizzrym, on 08/21/2008, -2/+10How's that fence post feel?
- cruzlee, on 08/21/2008, -0/+8Exactly. But what you try to say here is that the dog doesn't have a moral compass, but instead it feels what is expected of him. This is pretty much the same way a human feels guilty. After all, we no longer have a bible as a moral compass. Guilt is something done that does not conform to the standards of society.
In other words, the problem you point out with the moral compass of such a dogg is also seen in humans. That's why we have philosophy. ;-) - championchap, on 08/21/2008, -0/+7Forget the stolen some food look.
My one shat in the living room.. then tried to lead me away from the living room.. tried to make me take him for a walk so that i didnt go in there!
Bad luck for him, my shoes were in the living room.
He ran off and hid in the kitchen.
He knew exactly what he did, and he knew i wouldnt like it.
Bad dog, yes you was. - jamesdew, on 08/21/2008, -1/+8You could say the same thing about people
- articroll, on 08/21/2008, -0/+7do you think if politicians and corporate big wigs spent more time around human beings, they could pick up this skill too?? ok I'll get my coat.
- FreddieD, on 08/21/2008, -1/+8So, what events did you go watch while at the Olympics?
- Berkana, on 08/21/2008, -1/+8...a.k.a. guilty. For many, the fear of being punished is as close as they ever get to guilt.
- inactive, on 08/21/2008, -0/+7awww... nice story
- cheez124, on 08/21/2008, -0/+7when ever my dog has done something he knows is bad (like eating my king size candy bar(he can live through chocolate)) ill walk in on him eating it and whe will roll on his back and look sad at me.
- wolferz, on 08/21/2008, -3/+10Incorrect... all animals have a sense of right and wrong... theirs just doesn't often agree with ours.
To an ant queen it is not only right but in fact a DUTY to become a slave to the hive and work tirelessly to replenish it's numbers until it's day of death. To a Wolf it is not only right and in fact a DUTY to challenge and possibly kill the pack leader if he becomes to weak to lead. To a bird is not only right but in fact a DUTY to abandon any nest that has been tampered with by potential predators... regardless of the chicks' potential for survival.
Different societal requirements and circumstances breed different concepts of right and wrong. If we one day meet an alien race we might find that instead of ending war they seek to teach us how to engage in more wars because war to them might be "right" and peace might be "wrong."
Saying that dogs have learned a sense of right and wrongs is simply human arrogance. They always had one... it has simply come to be aligned with ours as our society and circumstances has BECOME their society and circumstances. It's the same egotism that leave Christians and other religious fanatics to refuse any evidence that contradicts their viewpoint. After all, their way is the right way and any other way is simply wrong.
Humans only value justices because for social creatures to thrive they much be able to work together. Humans only value their children because without the parents most human children can not survive on their own. Humans only feel love because they need to form bonds between them to prevent them from turning on their own children, parents, and mates.
That's not to say that these aren't amazing things or that a parent who kills their children is forgivable. In fact quite the contrary. It explains and proves why they exist and are needed... for us. - MikiMac, on 08/21/2008, -0/+6Dogs learning right or wrong from humans?! what a joke, we should learn from them, human morality is at an all time low.
- terminal157, on 08/21/2008, -0/+6You really need to make sure he doesn't have access to chocolate. It's not amusing, it's toxic. At best it'll make him sick, and as he gets older there's more of a chance it could be life threatening.
- EmerilLIVE, on 08/21/2008, -15/+21No, the dogs are simply conditioned. This was proven with Pavlov's Dogs. They don't feel guilt for their actions, they know that you are going to punish them. They are fearful for themselves, and this is the most basic animal instinct, a desire to survive. There is no regret or remorse, left long enough to their own devices they will forget their conditioning to a certain extent. Wolves don't show guilt or remorse, they also don't show fear if they have done something "wrong" because they have not been conditioned that way. Considering the source it's fairly obvious that the story is bogus, it's the telegraph for crying out loud.
- NorinRadd, on 08/21/2008, -1/+7This might sound oversimplified, but for the most part, I believe many animals exhibit all the same emotions as humans do. To name a few: guilt, envy, love, hate, depression, anxiety, happiness, sadness and compassion.
I think many cultures have forgotten this, and now we (as a collective culture) are rediscovering this.
Maybe the only thing that separates "us" from "them" is our ability to be more creative? - embryodb, on 08/21/2008, -0/+6Scolding wouldn't do anything to an animal's genes.
- hellahyphy, on 08/21/2008, -0/+6Humans don't even know the sense of right and wrong. What the hell is right anyways. Dogs learn just like we do CONDITIONALLY.
- ChuyMX, on 08/21/2008, -1/+7not if your dog is addicted to weed
- jedinate, on 08/21/2008, -0/+5Most people don't give dogs enough credit.
Non dog owners claim that dogs don't communicate or understand what we are saying "It's just the tone of your voice. " they say. How does that explain that my dog can walk up to me and do a certain "whine" that I now understand to mean "My tennis ball is under something", at which point I say "Show me" and she will run to what ever it is under and stare at it so I know where it is. If that is not communication, I don't know what is. Admittedly, that is not exactly what this story is about, but it's in the area of study. -
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