Can Dogs Feel What We Feel ?

 CAN DOGS FEEL WHAT WE FEEL?

Eye to eye contact is an interesting communication to reflect our feeling to one another. How about this between man and dog? Many times they are unmindful or playful and not keen in staring at you. You will love them very much if they do so. With dogs, even you can notice the kindness in their eyes when they beg at you. Especially the Labradors will mesmerize you. There is one great quality which puzzles me about my Labrador.   I have reared many dogs … GSD, Doberman … before HARRY, what we call my pet Lab. Somehow rather when threaten  they had shown their anger some times, but I have never come across at least one time with this guy. 

What is surprising me … 

He never tolerate and, get aggressive if we raise our hands or voice at each other among the family members, whether me, my wife or my daughter.  He loves everyone so much and he never wants us to fight with each other – the temperament that we notice from him during such times is not seen while we shout or scold at him when he is so mischievous . What a loveable being!

Many dog owners think that their pet can sense their mood and emotions. Although researchers now accept that dogs, and other non-human animals, can experience primary emotions such as anxiety, fear, and anger, they still do not accept that "animals" have a sense of self and are capable of sophisticated secondary emotions. Instead, the scientists believe that non-human animals are incapable of understanding the feelings of others around them. Without a sense of self, they say, secondary emotions, like jealousy or empathy are impossible.

Some naughty dogs do not appreciate their owners hugging or kissing each other. They seem to know that the people concerned are experiencing some pleasure and they want to be part of it. So, they try to leverage themselves into the situation by shoving, pushing, pawing, and jumping. This behavior sure looks like jealousy but many mainstream behaviorists disagree, preferring explanations like possessiveness or conflict-induced behavior. Because scientists consider that dogs cannot understand how we feel.

BUT, If dogs feel what we feel, they should be happy when we're happy, sad when we're sad, and on the lookout (or hiding) when we're angry. All of the above do occur, on an almost daily basis, in our homes.