47 Times Pets Were Publicly Shamed For Their Hilariously ‘Horrible Crimes’

Our pets bring us so much joy but they also have the ability to drive us up the pole. Whether it's chewing our favorite pair of shoes, digging up the garden, making a mess of the kitchen, or eating the meal we'd just spent hours preparing for ourselves, there's no shortage of mischief for them to get up to.

Many of us laugh off the little sins our furkids commit, but the bigger ones might bring us to angry tears. Even then, experts say losing your temper is not the way to discipline an animal, and there are several reasons why...

Firstly, our pets often don't even realize they're being "naughty." Even if they might look guilty.

"That tucked tail, lowered head, or avoiding eye contact usually isn’t guilt. It’s a response to our tone of voice, body language, or previous experiences of being scolded. The dog is reacting to the human’s reaction, not reflecting on their past decision," explains Nicole Ellis, a certified Professional Dog Trainer and Pet Lifestyle Expert with Rover.

Ellis tells Bored Panda during an interview that her own rescue dog Maggie is a perfect example of this.

"If you ask her, 'who did this?', even when nothing occurred, she will go and hide under a table when she clearly actually did nothing at all," says the expert. "So from the dog’s perspective, they weren’t being 'naughty.' They were being opportunistic." 

Ellis adds that dogs and cats learn through  consequences and reinforcement. "If something is rewarding — like chewing a shoe that smells like their favorite person or stealing a roast turkey that tastes amazing the brain notes that as a successful behavior worth repeating."

According to Ellis, shouting at your pet when they do something you deem as 'naughty,' is counter-productive.

"First, it often happens too late," she says. "If you find a shredded shoe minutes or hours after the event, the pet can’t connect the yelling with the earlier behavior."

Put yourself in your dog or cat's paws. How do you feel when someone yells at you? Perhaps stressed, nervous, scared or angry?

According to U.K.-based dog behavior specialists, Gooddoggie shouting at your pet can trigger the release of stress hormones, and in the case of canines, this causes the animal to be even more reactive to scary and/or stressful situations.

"Our dogs don’t know how to count to 10, or take deep breaths, they can only react to how they are feeling at that moment," explains the Gooddoggie site. "This means your dog is likely to become more defensive, display avoidance behaviors (such as that guilty look they sometimes do), or they might become more anxious."

Ellis agrees. "Shouting can simply scare or stress out your pet, which doesn’t teach them what to do instead," she tells us. "Some pets may become anxious, hide, or avoid their owner — but the original behavior often continues when no one is around."

Ellis says that clear training, prevention and rewards are far more effective than punishment after the fact.

"The most effective approach is management and teaching and rewarding an alternative behavior, rather than punishment," Ellis says. For example, if a dog chews shoes, they may need more enrichment or better chew options.

"Putting away your shoes could also help," suggests the expert. "Reward your dog for choosing their toy instead of your shoe."

You can use a similar approach with cats. "Cats climbing counters may need higher cat trees or more vertical spaces," Ellis tells us. "Reward a cat for relaxing on a designated perch instead of the counter."

She explains that animals repeat behaviors that work for them, so if we make the right choices more rewarding, those often become the habits. According to Ellis, most “naughty” behavior is actually normal behavior that hasn’t been guided yet — things like chewing, stealing food, barking, or scratching furniture.

"We should be concerned if there’s aggression towards other animals or family members, the pet is injuring himself or seems stressed or anxious. Or if training and management aren’t improving the situation," Ellis tells us, adding that at that point, it’s best to consult a qualified trainer or veterinary behaviorist.

The expert notes that behavior issues can be linked to stress, unmet needs, or even medical conditions. "The earlier owners seek help, the easier these issues usually are to resolve and manage," she advises.