Are Your Pets Really Guilty?

I was watching a video from HooplaHa. It's a compilation of dogs, puppies and kittens allegedly looking "guilty."  The owner has caught the pet having done something inappropriate such as getting into the trash or unrolling a roll of toilet paper. 

Frankly, these pets found something to do when they were unsupervised and hadn't been given something appropriate to occupy them.  The "look" is not guilt. Dogs and cats, puppies and kittens are very sensitive to us. They're masters at reading body language and if that weren't enough, the owner's tone of voice is a dead giveaway. They know the owner is displeased and the expression is an expression of fear. They want to please us and know that they haven't. They can't predict what the result will be. They were only doing something to amuse themselves, something they were led to out of curiosity and/or boredom. They are not to blame, the owner is.

Now that you have a proper frame of reference, look at the videos, listen to the voices. I hope it will help you have a better understanding of your own pets and your responsibility in the equation. There is so much we can do for our pets to teach them other behaviors, to keep them busy, and not to leave puppies or kittens unsupervised with run of the house.