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Dogs Can Be Pessimistic

Not that it will change anything, but researchers at Bristol University say that your dog might be a gloom-monger. In addition to the downer dogs, the study also found a few that seemed happy no matter how uncaring the world around them was. "We know that people's emotional states affect their judgments and that happy people are more likely to judge an ambiguous situation positively. What our study has shown is that this applies similarly to dogs," said professor Mike Mendl, an author of the study and head of animal welfare and behavior at Bristol University.

2 of 99 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Being a dog owner ... by bhagwad · · Score: 2, Informative

    I don't know how much you interact with your dog if you think he/she just needs to hump, eat and sleep. Maybe your dog is very old...but if not, you're either lying about being a dog owner, or you're not in close contact with them for longish periods.

  2. Re:Being a dog owner ... by blackest_k · · Score: 5, Informative

    I'd like to follow up on the parent post and give some positive help.

    People tend not to understand dogs very well and often don't get what their role is in a dogs life.

    http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/

    Although the html isn't great on this site the advise and insights are excellent.

    Dogs need attention and a role in life, which means they look to you for leadership. Without that leadership they try to be the leader that causes lots of problems. It is pretty easy to see when this is occurring, to be honest you can get similar problems with children too.

    anyway the above link should help any dog owner get the best from their dog. If you can't provide what the dog needs, it may be best to rehome the dog.