Do Dogs Hold Grudges?

As any animal lover knows, dogs exhibit a wide range of emotions, including complex ones. While common and baseline emotions, like happiness, sadness, anger, fear and others, are easy to detect, the more complicated ones can leave you wondering if you’re seeing what you think you’re seeing or if you’re just projecting onto your pet.

Below, we dig into the facts about dog emotions and behaviors and the ways they overlap with and differ from those of humans.

Defining a Grudge

Grudges go beyond simply being angry about a situation, as they involve resentment or bad feelings associated with previous experiences and stimuli. Due to this, they require long-term, associative memory and the capability to remember how specific instances made someone feel.

While it’s not believed that dogs can remember specific moments the way that humans do, they can form associations based on either positive or negative experiences. The Pavlov’s dog effect helps to illustrate this, and people regularly see it at work with their own pets or those of others. For instance, think of how a dog may get excited when you reach for a leash because they associate it with a walk, or how an animal who may have been abused by a previous owner might cower or flee when exposed to certain situations or stimuli.

So Dogs Can Hold Grudges?

In short, yes. Though dogs lack a short- and long-term memory capable of recalling specifics of previous events, they do harbor the cognitive abilities and emotional depth to recall important people, places, and experiences that have made an impact on them, allowing them to form both positive and negative associations.

When they express negative emotions around certain stimuli, we would likely consider that to be “holding a grudge,” which is a reasonable way to think of it.

In fact, one study focused on coyotes and wolves, close relatives of dogs, found that these animals would avoid members of their pack who did not “play fair” in their interactions. This supports the notion that such animals have a capacity to be hurt not just physically but emotionally, and they carry such feelings with them.

Is My Dog Holding a Grudge?

If you think your dog may be holding a grudge there are certain signs you can look for to see if they have formed negative associations with specific stimuli. These include:

What makes it difficult to be certain these are symptoms of a grudge, though, is that any of these could simply be associated with stress or anxiety brought on by any number of factors, including health issues. Along with this, more than 99% of American dogs have been known to exhibit signs of at least one moderate-to-severe behavioral issue.

While you’ll never be able to know for sure if your dog is “holding a grudge,” when you recognize their reactions to certain stimuli, people, places, or things you should be able to learn what their triggers are so you can eliminate or minimize them.

Can Dogs Hold Grudges Against Humans? What About Grudges Against Other Dogs?

Dogs can form negative associations with humans based on a variety of factors, including:

• The person’s treatment of the dog, past or present
• Stressful triggers a person may unknowingly display around a dog, including certain smells, volume level, body language and movements, and more
• A person’s sudden and frequent appearance in an owner’s life, such as a new family member or romantic partner, eliciting feelings of discomfort due to changes in routine or feelings of jealousy in the dog
• The person’s treatment of the dog’s owner, or how the dog interprets their actions

On this last point, Kyoto University actually conducted a study which showed that dogs were less likely to take food from a person who had behaved in a negative manner toward their owners. This was seen as evidence of dogs being “emotional guardians” for those they love.

Meanwhile, holding grudges against other dogs or animals of another species is also possible and common, and is all based on past experiences, just like with humans. A dog could form negative associations based on:

• Aggressive behavior or persistent barking
• Violent outbursts
• The animal’s actions toward their owner
• Lack of “fair play”
• Jealousy from their owner’s interactions with the animal

How Do I Stop My Dog from Holding a Grudge?

If you believe your dog may be holding a grudge against you, another person or animal, or a certain stimulus, there are certain steps you can take to mitigate the situation. We recommend:

• Identifying your dog’s triggers so you will know what needs to be addressed
• Attempting to reverse the negative experiences by connecting the stimuli to positive experiences, such as having a new partner give treats or come on walks, creating controlled interactions with other animals, or allowing the dog to investigate a “negative” object so that they may become more accustomed to it
• Creating consistent routines using positive reinforcement, and avoiding negative reinforcement, to improve your dog’s state of mind
• Working with a professional trainer if behavior problems persist

We Can Help with Training!

On this last point, if your new puppy or older dog has been exhibiting behavior issues and could use a few pointers, let the experienced trainers at Pet Palace help! We offer three different training options for owners, which include:

• Polite Puppy Program – This 10-day course designed for puppies eight months and younger gives your dog the opportunity to learn basic obedience skills while also learning to socialize in a day care setting.
• 10-Day Basic Adult Program – This 10-day course designed for dogs eight months and older offers longer, one-on-one training sessions so we can arrive at the best results.
• 20-Day Advanced Adult Program – This 4-week course designed for pets over eight months is a results-driven program and gives dogs the most consistent, customizable training.

We offer our training in Columbus, Ohio, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and Cary, North Carolina, with more options on the way, so if you’re in any of these areas, be sure to reach out to our team for effective training sessions!

Contact Us at Pet Palace!

Looking to help your dog be their best and curb behavioral issues? Contact the team at Pet Palace today!

Along with this, we’re also available for dog boarding, doggy day care, and pet grooming services at our many locations in Ohio, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, and Indiana! We’re your one-stop shop for everything your furry friend needs!

Categories: Dog Training, Dogs, Tips for Your Pets