Do Dogs Have A Moral Code?

Extensive research has gone into the study of dogs because of how close we as humans are to them. They are our pets, family members, and friends. Recent research however, has suggested a very bold and interesting idea that dogs actually have a moral code. This come from the work of Marc Bekoff who is a Cognitive ethologist and professor at the University of Colorado in Boulder. He has been studying dogs for many years and is keen about understanding how dogs communicate with each other through play. For example, when looking at dogs at a dog park, some dogs will display what is known as a "play bow", which is used as an instigation, clarification, warning, and an apology. Dogs will often do this before lunging at another dog or nipping at them as if to say "I am just trying to play with you not hurt you" or " I didn't mean to push you over, I am sorry". These actions seem to suggest some sort of moral code while playing. To test this, Bekoff has analyzed years of videotaped data of animals playing to look for certain body language and cues that dogs give each other to send them a message as well as maintain tight social bonds. He found that canines "role-reverse" or "self-handicap" during play, which is when a larger dog will role on their back so that a smaller dog will have an advantage and the larger one will not jump on the smaller one as many times as the smaller one jumps on the larger one. He noticed that certain "rules" are maintained and must be followed and a dog will signal another dog if these rules are broken or are not being followed. These signals can range from a small eye squint to a certain dog or certain group members not engaging in acts of play when one member is being too rough. Another example is that dogs will often not begin to play with another dog until they have their attention by running into their field of view or tugging on their ear suggesting that dogs know when they are not being paid attention to. Bekoff's work has suggested a much deeper intuition and moral standing than previously thought, although I am sure most if not all dog owners knew there dog had this ability by now.

References

Bekoff, M 1995, 'Play signals as punctuation, The structure of social play in canids', Behaviour, vol. 132, pp. 419-429.