Do Dogs Know When They Hurt You? (Guilt)

All dog parents know that sometimes when their dogs get boisterous, it can HURT! Although the bond between you and your dog might be solid, there’s always the chance that you’ll get hurt when they start playing rough. 

Most dog parents are familiar with playfully tussling with their dogs and suddenly getting hurt. Whether it is an over-enthusiastic bite, an energetic paw right in your eye, or a konk on the head as your dog leaps on you, getting hurt is more common than you think.

And while you’re shaking your hand in pain or wiping tears from your eyes, what does your dog do? Prance around as if nothing happened!  

Although they are excellent at reading body language, dogs tend to be terrible at sensing immediate pain. After all, they were having a blast of a time playing with you, and they expect you to feel the same! 

Some accidents during rough play are bound to happen, but this is still an issue that you need to communicate and resolve with your dog. That way, your relationship with them will not be affected and you know how to handle any incidents that happen. 

In this blog post, we’ll look at whether your dog is aware if they hurt you, and how you can train them to prevent serious injuries. 

How Your Dog Can Hurt You?

There are plenty of ways your dog can hurt you accidentally, and most of them are harmless. Before you decide on what to do to your dog, one of the most important things is to find out why and how they hurt you in the first place. When you understand the pattern, you can create an action plan and tackle the root cause as well.

For example, most excitable dogs jump up on you and they can cause many scratches. Larger dogs can even tip you over! They might also bite or mouth you in play.

These behaviors, although annoying, are not harmful, unlike some other bites that are out of fear or aggression. 

Playful biting is very normal in puppies because it is one of the most common interactions dogs have with each other. You may be an unwilling participant in your puppies’ chase and bite when they’re still young. This is because they’re still figuring out the way the world works, and it’s all out of curiosity. 

Another way they can hurt you is by jumping on you. When they’re excited, they tend to jump on you to communicate their happiness. They can accidentally scratch you with their nails or shove you down if they’re a bigger breed.

This can be an issue in the future since they might hurt others when they’re excited. You’ll need to communicate with your dog and show them that this is not the right way to express their excitement.

Do Dogs Know When They Hurt You?

When your dog hurts you, it will not realize it on its own and will need verbal or body language cues to realize that they have hurt others. 

The good news is that dogs are awesome at detecting our emotions. Although they don’t know their strengths, dogs are excellent at picking up social cues. 

Scientists have predicted that this is what makes our bonds with dogs strong because they can read us like a book. Some claim that they can smell our emotions and know when we’re nervous, scared, hurt, or happy. 

You’ll need to be careful and control your emotions when you’re around your dogs as they can pick up your nervousness and take on the emotions themselves. The same thing when you’re scared. They can pick up on your fear, think that there is something to be scared about, and react accordingly. 

When you get accidentally hurt by your dogs, you can practice some acting skills! Exaggerate all your reactions and make it seems that it is a HUGE deal to you! Here’s how! 

How Can We Let Dogs Know They Hurt Us?

At the very moment you are hurt, your dog is unlikely to pick up on it and is more likely to be jumping and prancing around, still wanting to play. To let them know they have hurt you, you can react verbally or physically. 

Yell “OW!” in the loudest, most high-pitched way possible which is a similar sound to a yelp. When dogs play with each other, a yelp usually communicates that play has gone too far and one dog is hurt. 

Make a sharp sound in pain as dramatically as you can and then cease play immediately to communicate that whatever happened was NOT okay. 

Whatever you do, do NOT retaliate. Your dog had no intention of hurting you and accidents happen if you’re playing rough. Yelling, growling back, or hitting your dog might hurt and frighten your dog.

They can get frustrated or fearful of you, which diminishes your bond with your dogs.

Research has also found that your dogs can hold grudges against you. They have the emotional and cognitive abilities to remember abusive events from the past, and may not react positively toward you if they think you have been unfair. 

Do Dogs Feel Sorry or Guilty After Hurting You?

Now that your dog knows that he or she accidentally hurt you, you might be wondering if they feel guilty. Dogs, as a general rule, do not feel guilt the way humans do. They react more to your reaction and body language, and if you look and sound hurt, they might know that they hurt you and store that information for future reference. 

You will know that they are reacting to your hurt when they are acting submissively. Your dogs will try to make themselves look smaller and non-threatening. Some cues of submissiveness include: 

• Tucking their tail

• Lowering their head

• Avoiding any form of eye contact with you

• Lying down

• Pinning their ears down

• They roll over and expose their stomach to you

• Licking their lips

• They remove themselves from you or try to hide from you 

If they exhibit any of these behaviors, they might have realized that they upset you and are trying to appease you. 

What To Do After Your Dog Hurts You?

As we’ve mentioned, never resort to yelling or hitting your dogs, or they might get scared of you and be reluctant to do anything with you in the future. 

One way to handle the situation when they hurt you is by verbally reacting, such as “ouch”, “no”, or “stop”. If your dog is already of an adult age, it will understand and soften its actions. But you might need to be much more patient when it comes to puppies that don’t know their boundaries yet. 

After you get hurt, calm the situation down and stop the playtime. Ignore them until they are calm, and then if you like it, you can resume play.

Dogs are always eager to spend their time with their owners, and if you’re taking away your quality time with them they will realize that they have done something wrong and adjust their behavior to get a more favorable reaction. 

For example, ignore them when they’re too excitable and ask them to sit. When they listen to your command, give them more attention by petting them. You can also give them some treats when they listen to you.

In time, they will learn from this pattern and avoid hurting you in the future. 

On the other hand, if your verbal cues and gentle reminder are not enough, you might want to consider contacting a professional. Reputable dog trainers can instill more discipline in your dog through constructive methods. 

Another reason that you might require a dog trainer is if their hurtful behavior is not due to simply playfulness. If your dog bites or reacts due to being fearful, stressed, or aggressive, it’s time for you to contact a professional. They will find out the underlying issue and design a specific training plan for your dog. 

If you do hire a dog trainer, remember to always be present during their session. This is to grow the bond between you and your dog and to let them know that you’re there for them. 

Final Thoughts

If you choose to play rough with your dog, it is very common to be hurt. If your dog is a small one, it could still break your skin with a playful nip. And if your dog is a large one, you could be bowled over or hurt when you are wrestling or roughhousing on the ground. 

There are plenty of ways for you to let your dog know that they have hurt you, by using verbal cues, body language, or by simply ignoring them. Don’t lose your cool if your annoying dog keeps jumping up on you and tearing up your skin and clothes.

Instead, try to condition them to a desired behavior instead of punishing bad behavior. When in doubt, always consult a doggy professional!