We find it adorable when our dog rolls over and shows us its belly.
However, we do not know the exact reason behind this behavior.
We always saw it as just a furry friend being friendly.
This is not entirely false.
However, over time, we realized that our little pup always seemed to do this whenever he had done something we would not like.
As soon as he had broken something or made a mess somewhere around the house, he would always welcome me back with an exposed belly.
Then you might be wondering — “Why Do Dogs Show Their Belly When Guilty?”
Your dog may do this to appease you. These are very intelligent creatures I must say. They are able to easily pick up on your mood and emotions.
If you are sad, they will know. If you are angry about something they know they did, they are fully aware. Therefore, once they see that you are angry, they will roll over and shower you with their belly to appease you. This is because they are aware that you find this behavior adorable and even funny.
You will not be able to stay mad at them for long. This is also their way of showing you affection so that they can pacify the situation.
The next time your dog shows their belly to you, do not just assume it is a matter of showing its affection for you.
Go around the house and ensure that everything is in perfect order before flashing a smile for them.
Our furry friends are extremely intelligent creatures.
They will try to appease you as soon as you walk into the door if they know they are in the wrong.
This is one of the tricks that they use so that you will not be mad at them.
In our post, we shall share some of the reasons why dogs show their belly when guilty.
We shall also seek to establish how we can “decode” this behavior so we can distinguish if they are just displaying their affection or they did something wrong.
Reasons Why Dogs Show Their Belly When Guilty
1. They Are Trying to Appease You
Dogs are very clever creatures.
Once they get the feeling that you are mad about something, they will pull off this stunt as a way to appease you.
This is in an effort to turn your attention away from the issue at hand.
They may have broken something or even pooped on your favorite carpet.
Most of us find the behavior of our dogs showing us their bellies to be very adorable.
Thus, when they do this out of nowhere, keep in mind that they may be trying to appease you.
They are trying to make you less angry over something they did.
2. Your Dog is Trying to Play Mind Games On You
By playing mind games on you, your dog may just basically be craving your attention.
Take an instance where you are mad at them.
Your dog may start throwing tantrums and cause trouble.
Your furry friends may even roll over on their backs and show their bellies.
In case you have previously wondered what this meant, this is psychological warfare at its best.
Your dog may simply detest the idea of you leaving them on their own.
Dogs are known to have a strong bond with us and will therefore have trouble getting anxious if you leave them.
Therefore, your dog may have a habit of showing you the belly whenever you are about to “abandon” them when they misbehave in order to make you stay.
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3. It is an Admission of Guilt
Different dogs pose different levels of difficulty to read. One may be much easier to read than the next dog.
While some dogs may show you their bellies to show you that they are hurt by your scolding, some will do this to admit that they are guilty.
They show you their bellies to show you that they are submissive and are plainly admitting that they are guilty.
Once they do this, I advise you to quickly go around the house and check if everything is in order.
For all you know, something may be broken.
4. They Are Showing That They Hurt by Your Scolding
Dogs are very sensitive creatures as well.
They may get hurt when you scold them.
If you want to ruin the mood of your dog, try scolding them hard and watch what happens.
These creatures can “read” your voice and establish if you are angry.
Giving them a proper scolding will have them giving you all sorts of sad looks.
They may accompany these sad looks of theirs by showing you their belly.
This is to signify that they are hurt by the fact that you scolded them.
It is a subtle way of asking you to stop scolding them.
Final Thoughts
Dogs have many different ways they can use to communicate how they feel about a situation.
When it comes to them having guilty feelings about something, they are armed with numerous ways of reacting to you.
One of the methods that they are fond of using is showing you their belly.
This is a very clever tactic because they know that you find this behavior to be super adorable.
Thus, they will do it over and over again to get out of trouble.
They tend to overuse this strategy repeatedly and have turned it into their get-out-of-jail card!
If they get the slightest hint that you are mad at them, they will also show you their belly.
If they feel that they have done something that you would not like, they will resort to this tactic.
Your dog may just be stressed as well.
Find out if the reason for showing you their belly is worth worrying about.
If they have made a mistake, however, deal with the issue accordingly.
