Do dogs get embarrassed when they poop?
The simple, straightforward answer is no. No, dogs do not get embarrassed when they poop. We will now proceed to explain your dog’s strange or embarrassed behaviour when it is doing its business.
A lot of dog parents have noticed that their dogs exhibit strange behaviour when they are answering the relieving call of nature. For some people, their dogs finds a private place to hide when he wants to do his business. For some others, their dog looks away with absolute guilt etched on their faces. For other people, their dog looks sad or shy. Some people say that their dog even stares at them, focusing so intently that it gets so uncomfortable and freaks them out (because to be honest, only policemen and people with a distinct lack of understanding about human social behaviours look at people in that manner).
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Some people’s pooches even perform all of these behaviours at different times.
So what do all these strange behaviours mean? Does it mean nothing at all? Does this all mean that the dog is embarrassed, the way we imagine we will get when someone is watching us poop?
Well, the answer is that dogs are capable of feeling the basic emotions we feel, such as joy or fear or sadness or anger. These are all basic emotions. Embarrassment or humiliation is far more complex, because it requires that some sort of rules about what behaviour is acceptable have been ingrained into one’s consciousness. It is most likely that dogs do not feel embarrassed. Or maybe they may feel embarrassment on some more basic, animal level.
But it is more likely that they do not feel the emotion that is embarrassment in any way, including when they poop. I mean, think about it, these animals think that it is okay and even fun and acceptable to sniff other butts and they gleefully lick down there, and these are not the kind of behaviours that a creature that can ordinarily feel embarrassment will do, so your dog does not get embarrassed when it poops.
And so, that your dog is pooping does not mean you should look away. In fact, it does not matter whether you look away or not. Dogs do not care whether you look at them or you look away.
The fact that dogs do not get embarrassed when they poop, however, does not mean that all the behaviour your dog exhibits when it poops (such as hiding away, staring at you or whimpering and so on) does not mean something. So let us deeply dive into the specifics of dog defecation behaviour – Dog No. 2 101 – shall we?
Why Do Dogs Look Ashamed When They Poop? Can Dogs Be Poop Shy?
There may be many reasons why your dog has an ashamed look when he poops. Firstly, it could be because he is anticipating punishment because of past punishment he might have have gotten from pooping in the past.
You know how it is. You first bring a dog home and you are all excited. The thing is so cute with its big, helpless eyes. Your new pooch seems excited too, jumping around and playing and being all adorable. And then the pooch squats and drops one on the new carpet you bought and love so damn much because it makes your living room look classy.
The most predictable reaction you will have is usually to get upset. You may stomp your feet or clap or yell “Bad dog! Very bad dog!” The dog sees pooping as just a biological thing it needs to do and it does not get what the whole fuss is all about. So the dog gets all flustered due to your angry reaction, and it then comes to associate pooping with punishment and sees it as a bad thing if this plays out often enough.
You may not even get physical. Dogs read our body language pretty well and it may sense your frustration and the anger that results when it poops in the wrong place, even though you do not scream or stomp.
So your dog associates pooping with bad things, and it may look ashamed when it is going Number 2 because of it.
To some of you, you might think that your dog is poop shy because it tries to get alone when it wants to do its business, and so you wonder if your dog is poop shy. Well, dogs are not poop shy per se. That behaviour is an explanation for something else. Pooping is one of the times where an animal is at its most vulnerable or most exposed, so when your dog stares at you while it poops, it is because it instinctively knows that it is vulnerable and is looking at you to protect it. Since you are part of its ‘pack’, it wants to be sure you have its back.
Seriously, try it one time. Sprint away when your dog is pooping and staring at you. We can almost guarantee that it will take off too, mid-poop. It.may even run faster than you.
Your dog may do the opposite and hide away to poop. Even this does not mean that your dog is shy. Your dog is not shy. It is hiding because it is looking for a safe place with a low chance of danger to do its business because, again, it knows it is vulnerable.
So there’s your answer. Your dog is not shy, it just wants to poop safely.
Why Do Dogs Look Sad When They Poop?
Dogs are very peculiar creatures. Have you ever seen, say, a cat or a goat look sad while they do their business? Even you as a human. Does pooping make you sad? I think most of all just feel relief. But dogs? They look like they have lost a loved one or like they’re committing a mortal sin.
So, does your dog really get sad when it poops? Is your dog sad? Well, it is not like your dog is sad. Their sad expression may be due to reasons like the anticipating punishment thing we explained above, or it may be that they know you will be unhappy with them pooping in that particular area, and so they are trying to placate you with their otherworldly cuteness and adorable puppy dog eyes. Your dog may even be having some digestive problems that is causing some pain for it as it poops, so that may be an issue.
Bottom line: Pooping is a necessary biological activity and it makes your dog feel better, so they are almost never sad when pooping. If you notice some consistent worrying signs though, you may have to consult the vet.
Do Dogs Like Privacy When They Poop?
This all depends on your dog. Your dog may want privacy when it poops because that it what makes it feel safe. Your dog could be avoiding your displeasure and the punishment that may usually result when it poops all over the carpet because it has come to associate pooping in front of you with something bad. Hence, it may hide from you when it is trying to poop in order to avoid this reaction. Your dog may be trying to hide when it poops because it already has a designated poop spot in a place that is ordinarily hidden from you, so it goes there when it poops.
Your dog may not even move away when it wants to poop because it is seeking privacy. It may just be that moving to a private area is what a dog is used to.
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So.the privacy thing depends on your dog really. Some dogs like privacy, some do not even remotely register the concept of privacy, and some others do not care and will stare at you haughtily while they poop. What can we say? Pooches come in different flavours.
Should I Look At My Dog When He Poops?
As we have explained earlier, a lot of dogs look at you directly when they poop and the eye contact may even become uncomfortable and creepy, but this is because they are relying on you to give them clues about their surroundings while they are vulnerable.
You may choose not to look at your dog when he poops, but know that he is looking at you for cues, and he will do what he will do based on how you react to your environment.
So you don’t have to look at your dog, it is your choice really. You can look away, or stare all you like. You do you, we will not judge here. To be honest, we look sometimes too.
What Do Dogs Think When We Pick Up Their Poop?
As with many other things like this when it comes to pets, there is no single answer. Pets, especially dogs, are simple creatures, but this does not mean that they are all the same. Different dogs have different reactions to different things, and this picking up their poop situation is not an exception.
Your dog may think you are submissive when you pick up his poop because in the wild, submissive dogs sometimes clean up after dominant dogs by eating their poop. Your dog might still think along these lines, and so it may view you as a submissive member of its ‘pack’. This might be one answer.
It may be that your dog may think that you are upsetting the order of things. We often hear that some dogs get upset when their owners pick up after them and this might be maybe because the dog is marking its territory when it poops around a place, and you picking up the poop erases that message.
Your dog may even think nothing of it and consider it to be something normal, like walking. They might see it as just something uniquely peculiar to humans. They may think we find poop valuable and that we consider their reward to us, just like we reward them with treats whenever they do something good.
They may even think that they are of royal blood and that you are their mindless blood slave and that you serve them and them alone.
These things do not have a definite answer because just as human thoughts are never universal, dog thoughts are also not.
Finally…
The behaviour and actions of your precious pooch when it is going number two is important and may give you pointers about what exactly is going on with your dog. Notice these signs by observing your dog when it is about to poop, so you can act appropriately. Your dog will be better for it.
RELATED QUESTIONS
1. Do Dogs Get Embarrassed When They Fart?
Many a dog parent have noticed their dog, all peaceful and relaxing and calm, suddenly fart and then seemingly get all flustered and embarrassed. The dog then scuttles off with his tail between his legs. It is really a very hilarious thing to witness. In fact, as I write now, I am chuckling at the reaction of my pooch to his fart (the thing also smells unimaginably bad, so I am also covering my nose very tightly and I might need to open a window).
That your dog acts embarrassed when he farts does not mean your dog is embarrassed. The whole idea of embarrassment comes from a set of people possessing morals and social norms. Essentially, it is the feeling that one is doing something that is against general acceptable behaviour or doing something that is weird and off the ball which people will find a bit crazy and confusing. Dogs, while they do have social norms, do not have any social norms that may cause any kind of embarrassment from farting.
The likely explanation is that your dog was probably startled or surprised by the sound (and maybe even the smell) of its fart, and that is why it reacted in whatever manner it reacted. But your pooch is definitely not embarrassed by the fart it has so suddenly released into the tranquility of your house. Your dog considers farting a normal bodily function, just like eating or peeing.
2. Why Do Dogs Look At You When They Pee?
It is for the same reason they look at you when they poop, and this has been explained in very great, slightly embarrassing detail above. A dog is at its most vulnerable when doing its business, whether number one or number two, so it is looking at you to protect it and have its back, and for signs of any dangers that may be around the surrounding area.
So, in essence, your dog is staring at you for protection. It is trusting you to keep it safe. It is definitely not planning anything devious, *wink, wink
3. Do Dogs Get Embarrassed After Their Haircuts?
A comedy staple on TV and on the internet is that of the dog that gets a bad haircut that makes it look all cartoony and scared. People laugh at dogs with bad haircuts (which you should not even do you bad, bad human). But do dogs themselves get embarrassed by those frankly hilarious hairdos?
Well, dogs do not perceive themselves and their physical appearance the way we humans do. Dogs do not have any particular norm about how they should appear and how beautiful or handsome they are. That would require a dog to have an emotional concept of beauty and pride, and dogs are not capable of that level of complexity in their emotions. The cognitive and emotional peak of a dog is around that of a three-year old toddler, so dogs do not really put any thoughts into what haircuts you give them. Dogs care more about how they smell or where they play.
So, no. A dog does not get embarrassed by a haircut.
4. Do Dogs Feel Embarrassed When You Laugh At Them?
Dogs are funny animals, and they do things that make us laugh at them. I mean, it is probably a bit unfair to the dog to laugh at it, but they are just so funny, the little things. So, do they feel embarrassed or bullied when we laugh at them, the way we feel when people laugh at us?
Well, it all comes down to social norms again. Dogs do not really have the social concept we have that if someone laughs at you, you probably did something humiliating and so you should immediately feel embarrassed.
We are probably just projecting on the dog when we are assuming that they are getting embarrassed as we laugh at them because that is probably how we would feel in the same situation.
You dog showing signs of embarrassment when you laugh at it is probably just coincidence or something. They do not get embarrassed when you laugh at them.