Chihuahua’s Hilarious Reaction to Camera Leaves Viewers Laughing

Quick Smiles:

• Chihuahua Cody’s reaction to being filmed leaves viewers laughing.
• Experts weigh in on whether dogs can actually feel embarrassed.
• Online reactions highlight Cody’s unique personality.

The internet couldn’t get enough of Cody, a Chihuahua who hilariously realized he was being filmed while playing with his toys. The video, posted by his owner Rebecca (@becca_cody_ollie on TikTok), has garnered over 203,000 views and a whole lot of laughs.

In the clip, Cody is happily playing in a doorway when he suddenly stops and gives Rebecca a serious stare.

Rebecca, laughing from behind the camera, can be heard saying, “Don’t be embarrassed.”

The video has since racked up 40,000 likes, sparking a debate: Can dogs actually feel embarrassed?

PetMD suggests that embarrassment might be too complex an emotion for dogs. Research on this topic is still ongoing.

Molly Sumridge, founder of Kindred Companions in Frenchtown, NJ, explained, “Trying to discern what is embarrassment versus fear, discomfort, or anxiety is extremely hard. These are complex emotions, and all we can go on is a cause-and-effect relationship between the environment and the dog’s behavior.”

Dr. Terri Bright, director of behavior services at MSPCA/Angell in Boston, agrees.

“For a dog to feel embarrassment, they would need to possess an overall sense of social norms and morals, which they don’t have the same way humans do,” she said.

“Since dogs can’t tell us how they feel, we infer their emotions by watching their body language. Some dogs inherit and/or learn ‘appeasement’ signals, such as yawning and head-turning, which may be described by humans as being embarrassed,” she added.

The TikTok video also generated a slew of amusing comments from viewers. One user quipped, “He said ‘delete that.’”

Another commented, “…well, I WAS enjoying myself,” while a third added, “Dog said ‘were you recording me without my consent!?’”

A fourth noted, “Oooo he was real mad that tail stopped real quick….”

One dog owner shared, “I love how our pets all have different unique personalities my last dog the most outgoing ever he would literally work a room full of people the one I have now the shyest little guy with everyone new he meets.”

It’s clear that dogs can have a range of personalities, from the outgoing to the shy. Kait Hembree, head of training at GoodPup, an online dog training service, mentioned that a dog’s personality can be shaped by both genetics and environment.

“Depending on the particular environment a dog lives in, certain personality traits could end up mirroring their owner’s,” Hembree said.

Source