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Honesty and Jealousy: A Canine Soap Opera
Posted by Steve Martindale at 5:19 AM | Permalink | Comments (5)
Is my dog Tipsy always honest? Well, no. Honesty implies a refusal to lie, cheat, or steal in any way. She’s quite good at lying and stealing, even cheating. She employs a wide variety of plots and ploys to swipe toys from my other dog, Buster, who is gullible to a fault. For example, Tipsy will go to the door, growling and barking at a non-existent intruder. Buster will soon jump up to help defend our home, leaving the toy behind, and Tipsy circles back to snatch up the prize. Is that not deceit? Of course it is, and it’s remarkable how quickly Tipsy can take possession of whatever Buster has, by guile rather than force.
The New York Times recently summed up ploys in the animal kingdom this way: “Deceitful behavior has a long and storied history in the evolution of social life, and the more sophisticated the animal, it seems, the more commonplace the con games, the more cunning their contours.” How true! Chimps and dolphins are brilliant con artists. The New York Times article recounts the story of a trained dolphin who would hide trash in a handy place to deliver for food rewards rather than having to search for more trash to clean up. Clever, for sure–and deceitful.
And how about jealousy and other emotions? These human traits turn out to be widespread in animals, and certainly in dogs. If I show affection toward one of my dogs, or give one a biscuit, I have to be sure to treat the other equally. Otherwise, some sort of reprisal may be meted out by the aggrieved dog–perhaps hours later. It’s as if the dog who feels slighted is simmering and fuming inside, waiting for a chance to get even. Canine behavior sounds like a soap opera, doesn’t it?
But while lying, deceit, and jealousy may be part of our evolutionary heritage, so, too, are cooperation and compassion. Elephants show kindness and care for injured herd members even when it slows them down and entails no benefit. Mice help one another to safety. Llamas, magpies, and many other animals mourn their dead companions. Empathy and grief also have a long history in the animal kingdom. And it is not too big a step from there to morality.
Animals have a well-developed sense of ethics when they play with each other. They learn to follow the rules of the game or soon lose their friends (see Marc Bekoff’s wonderful book for children on this topic). Tipsy loves tug of war, for example, and we both handicap ourselves to make it an even contest (in truth, I let her win most of the time). She knows that anything I say is part of the game and not to be taken seriously. I can growl and scold or coo and sweet-talk, but she won’t relinquish the stick for such ruses. She is wise to my devious ways and wags her tail to show that she knows it’s all in fun. Tipsy also play-fights with me, baring her teeth, grabbing my hand or arm in her mouth. But her mouth is soft, tail wagging, and she stops frequently to lick me instead. Dogs and many other animals learn restraint and compassion if they have a sensitive upbringing–the normal case in nature.
Parents, siblings, and other members of the pack or herd are forgiving and tender toward developing youngsters, and such kindness is a model for behavior later in life. Stronger peers don’t kill their friends–they play with them. As Jonathan Balcombe puts it, “When individuals roughhouse, they form social bonds and learn what is acceptable: how hard they may bite, how roughly they can interact, and how to resolve conflicts” (page 71). I must add that fair play is not a functional concept for abused, desperate or starving animals, so don’t offer your face to a fighting pit bull.
Bekoff surmises that the rules of animal play represent the foundations for human morality. Empathy and compassion are an extension of fairness learned in the context of playing. They were part of animal life long before people used them as the underpinnings for peaceful societies.
What do you think? Do animals have a sense of ethics?
Posted to Family & Friends | Posted to Tags: dog, ethics, morality, Steve Martindale
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Gary says...
January 23rd, 2009, 5:31 pm
Excellent Bloggie…!
I have also experienced the behaviors you describe, and it makes play so much more fun when you know the “rules”.
Many people interrupt Critter play, particularly between Cats and Dogs, as they fear for injury, however I have found that if left alone even those two species play very well, if they already have a relationship of trust and live in the same home.
Thank You,
Gary
Cynthia Gilabert says...
January 23rd, 2009, 5:59 pm
I have three dogs and they are GREAT! I have 2 maltese(Sprite & Ellie) and a german shepherd mix(Gruffi). Usually the 2 maltese boss Gruffi around but last year when he needed to get surgery, they were very accomodating to him. They were worried about him and they pretty much let him do whatever he wanted. I love my dogs (who I call my kids) and I make sure to walk them everyday and we go on “adventures” around town–looking for places to hike. I can’t imagine life without them.
Christine Guerriero says...
January 24th, 2009, 11:40 pm
There was nothing more amazing than waching our 4 lb Yorkie taking our 130 lb Newfoundland’s toys and treats and putting them under the sofa. I knew darn well that that little varmint knew the Newfie couldn’t go under there! Our sweet Newfie just continued to be a loving pet with a bratty little sister!
Brenda Murrow says...
January 25th, 2009, 7:15 pm
Yes, definitely I agree! I have two Golden Retrievers, and had no idea how much personality the first one had until getting the second three years later. I have seen my older dog do the trick you mention with the toys.
But more surprisingly to me, my younger dog (now eight years old) will always engage the least talkative human in a gathering- for example, dinner guests. She walks up gently and tries to engage the person, it seems to me to be an act of kindness and inclusion (and surely any petting she receives is icing on the cake). I call her my ambassador!
Thanks for your article!
Christy Summerfield says...
October 9th, 2009, 1:48 am
No doubt in my mind that animals have ethics. I’ve always had at least two pets at a time and they simply take care of each other. I currently have a cat who is 19–I’ve had her since she was a kitten and she’s outlived many rescued mini doxies and cats. Bill has always ruled, even though she’s a tiny feather of a cat, and all my dogs and cats have just recognized that fact. One of her favorite things has always been to hide under the stairs or a piece of furniture and swipe at her brothers and sisters–no claws. I currently have three female mini doxies now–all older rescues. So for the first time ever, we’re a houseful of females. My little girls are more nuturing than my little guys were, although both males and females formed tight packs and have been equally devoted to me and to each other. My little doxies groom each other and even groom Bill–and she lets them. I’ve seen over the years that when one is gone for any length of time, say at the vet for surgery or teeth cleaning, the others are clearly distressed. If I leave with one and come home alone, they’re disturbed. When one is sick, the others are concerned, careful, caring, sweet and tender. When we lose one, we all mourn. And they always end up curling up together. Bill is very happy to be an indoor cat, although she loves to sleep on a cushioned chair on the deck in the summer. She got used to the doggie door going out onto our enclosed deck in no time. The only time she ventures away from the house is occasionally in warm weather when I walk the dogs. She walks with us to the end of our short block where there’s a park, keeping to lawns while we use the sidewalk. While we continue into the park, she sits peacefully waiting for us to come back, then walks home with us. My neighbors have all said they’ve never seen a cat do anything like that. Empathy–they all have it in spades. When I’m feeling down, they all quietly curl up around me and in my lap, trying to comfort me. Like kids, they’ll vie for the same toy, even though the house is full of them. And sometimes they’ll try to sneak a bit of food from someone else’s bowl. But none of my dogs or cats has ever even tried to hurt another or me. One of my doxies insists on going with me whenever I go anywhere in the car so I take her wherever I can. She has her own cushion for the child seat of shopping carts and a little sling so I can carry her into places like the bank. She enchants people wherever we go and they just can’t help stopping to pet her and talk about their own pets. This means running errands takes way longer but I meet the nicest people and it’s so much better than the way we usually walk through our lives these days, never smiling at or greeting the people we pass on the streets or in stores and shops. We’re on a first-name basis with the clerks in our favorite stores and they look forward to seeing us and often have treats for Olive. She loves all the attention, is very gentle with kids and my mundane tasks are so much more pleasant when she’s along. Now that all my kids are grown and gone with kids of their own, my little girls are my treasures. They make me laugh and sometimes, when they look at me with so much love, they make me cry. I only hope they know how much I love them back. I think they do.