“Sentience” - Dogs Have Emotions…and More!

I am quite confident that everyone reading this article truly believes all animals have emotions, meaning not only do they feel physical pain and pleasure, but also feel “happiness” and “sadness,” and other emotions, such as fear, anxiety and excitement.

“Emotions” are the foundation of “sentience”. If you are thinking this sounds basic and even obvious, well, you have a point.

There are different schools of thought on “sentience.”

Let’s backtrack. For those who have listened to my podcast, you know how much I love diving deep into definitions - well the definition of “sentience” is a bit blurred.

There are those who

1) believe that any living being who experience pain or pleasure is a sentient being, deserved of respect and the freedom to thrive in their environment.

And, then, there are those who

2) believe that to be considered a sentient being, one must have the ability to reason, make decisions, and employ logic.

For those who align with the principles of Canine CBT, we absolutely agree with #1 .

As far as #2, we believe that these factors are not a criteria; however, if an animal possesses these qualities, they have the right to express and employ them, and the freedom to choose how to do that.

Think of this like a child who shares their crayons because we congratulate them versus a child who understands the larger concept - that sharing is a good thing to do. They do not want to share their crayons, but they share their cookies instead. Or, maybe they do not share anything, but they help a friend complete their art project by contributing, using their own crayons.

Can dogs do this? Yes! They possess the genetic make-up to make decisions. Decisions are different from “choices” or “options”. To reach of state of decision making, one must have choices or options, but one can make a choice without having processing and decision making skills. Making a decision in a moment of fear or anxiety requires practice. Providing choices, such as which way to go on a walk, does not reach the same level of cognition as creating opportunities that lead to decision making without providing choices.

As with humans, decisions are not always driven by trauma or negative past experiences. We can, and should, provide processing and decision making opportunities in times that are not stressful, but, rather, during times when the dog would not expect to have to make a decision!

The first, and most important step, is to let them know we respect how they feel - not because we feel empathy or sympathy for them, but because they are sentient beings and entitled to their own thoughts and perception.

Canine CBT exercises allow dogs to know we understand what is important to them, and are not focusing on what we think they should do or how we think they should feel about something or someone.

If their actions, or reactions, are not ones we approve of (based on social expectations, house rules, etc) we should not take the approach of conditioning them to change their perception, but, rather, provide them with the resources to chose to change their response - not their feelings.

For example, you walk into a dinner party and you see a person that you do not like, and this makes you highly uncomfortable. Your friend tries to convince you the person is nice, assures you that you that all will be ok, and even though you see other people you like talking with that person, you still do not trust or like that person. Normally, you would panic and leave, but you are able to think it through, and you decide to stay and simply ignore the person. You leave the party after having a very good time, but your perception of the person has not changed. And, that is ok!

How were you able to accomplish this life-changing feat? Cognitive Behavioral Therapy! CBT establishes cognitive exercises that practice resetting the brain and preventing unhealthy thought patterns during daily routines and activities. We build a bond based on dogs not only trusting us as their caregivers (positive reinforcement also does this), but advancing that bond by showing dogs we understand what is important to them. The exercises encourage processing, decision making and self-regulation. This leads to Intrinsic Motivation - and that, is a whole other level!

Canine CBT is an essential element in granting all dogs the ability to reach their full potential. Yes, they have emotions, but they also have the ability to reason, employ logic and problem solve. I would never imply that we, as humans, grant them that right - in fact, I believe it is an honor to have the relationship with them where dogs can express themselves and use these inherent skills.

And that is the essence of Sentience.