It’s definitely a subject that many pet owners have
wondered about. With that inseparable bond between man and
man’s best friend, there seems to be a huge amount
of emotional attachment and sharing of thought processes.
After spending so much time with this creature, and getting
used to its mannerisms, it’s natural to feel able
to understand what’s he’s thinking and feeling
when he looks at you with those big puppy eyes!
There have been studies and speculation since the 1600s
on the possibility of thought in animals, specifically dogs.
We all tend to lapse into a “theory of mind”
during which we attribute human psychiatry to the dog. For
example, if a dog starts tearing up the house after you
start spending more hours at work, the most logical explanation
to you would be that he’s jealous and misses you,
and trying to let you know in his own way.
But, if you think about it, this seems rather strange that
dogs can be affected by such complex emotions. Dogs have
different instincts and different goals, have developed
in an entirely different environment than humans, have totally
dissimilar physiology and anatomy, smaller brains, can recognize
a few words but have none of their own, and have a completely
different sense of time, are hunters and carnivores unlike
us, live a life that’s 1/5th to 1/6th the length of
an average human life, and reach maturity within the first
couple years of their life! Taking such differences into
consideration, it’s hard to believe that humans and
canines can exist on the same mental and emotional level.
Today many behavioral problems in canine pets can be solved
by taking a step back from “theory of mind.”
Rather than placing yourself in the dog’s situation
(if I was left home alone more often by the person I love
and trust, I would probably retaliate in the same way!)
it’s well worth it to remember the basics of the canine
race. Because dogs are pack animals, they aren’t meant
to spend a lot of time alone. Also, dogs are not capable
of planning out their “time” and figuring out
activities to fill their empty schedule while you’re
at work. The anxiety probably stems from their not knowing
how to behave and what to do when there’s no one to
tell them what to do, or to do it with them! Thus, a helpful
solution is to crate train your animal, or hire someone
to take your dog on walks periodically during the times
you cannot be at home.
Unfortunately, there’s no way to crawl inside the
mind of a dog. We won’t ever really know what they
are “thinking” or what’s motivating them
to do certain things, but we can take logically infer certain
things by keeping in mind their history and development.
Whatever the case, we do know that our dogs need love and
attention from responsible pet owners; that they do better
when firmly and patiently trained; and that the whole family
can benefit from the relationship between canines and their
“pack”!
