Hi-Phi Nation: Living in a Zoopolis
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The Future of Animal Welfare
The scientists who've studied dog guilt say that there's no evidence that dogs feel guilt. What I think is more interesting is when you look at multiple dogs in the household and if there's a rule like don't poop on the rug or don't jump on the sofa, one of the dogs engages in the behavior but another nips him for it. Those sorts of scenarios are more promising for the idea that there might be social norms in households with humans and dogs. These norms that are created in a cross-species community of the human who says don't poop and the dogs who internalize this and then punish the other dog in the house when they poop on the carpet.
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