It’s the pet parents‘ biggest dilemma – do our pets truly love us? We do our best to display to our pets, regardless of language barriers, how much we love them. The average dog parent spends $40-$290 per month on their beloved fur baby. We’ve gone out of our way to make life as pleasant as possible for our beloved companions – everything from handmade dog foods to dog couches rivaling the prices of human furniture. But for all the love we give them, how can we tell if our pups reciprocate?
Five Ways Dogs Show Love
A growing body of scientific research has found that there are five distinct ways to recognize affection from our canine friends.
While we may not notice “tears” being produced by our canine friends – certainly not to the extent that humans cry – dogs do have some tears to shed over us. In a study published in Current Biology, researchers studied 22 dogs and their owners. First, researchers measured tear volume in dogs’ eyes during normal interaction with their owners, as a baseline. Then, following five to seven hours spent away from their owner, researchers measured tear volume on the surface of the dogs’ eyes each time they were reunited. After a long period of separation, the dogs’ eyes were brimming with tears when they saw their owner.
“We found that dogs shed tears associated with positive emotions,” Takefumi Kikusui, the study’s lead author and a veterinary researcher at Azabu University in Japan, said in a press release. It’s admittedly pretty heartwarming to imagine a dog having a happy cry over seeing us.
Love Language
A dog that’s formed a strong bond with you will be especially responsive to your words and emotions. They may even understand much more than we give them credit for. A 2021 study published in the journal Scientific Reports found that dogs can understand the difference between humans’ accidental and deliberate actions. For example, your pup likely recognizes that when you step on their tail, it’s not meant to hurt them. But maybe this really shouldn’t come as a surprise.
“Dogs’ communicative skills uniquely position them to fill the niche that they do alongside humans,” Emily Bray, a canine-cognition researcher at the University of Arizona, Tucson, previously told Insider in an email. “Many of the tasks that they perform for us, now and in the past (i.e. herding, hunting, detecting, acting as service dogs), are facilitated by their ability to understand our cues.”
We may joke about pets looking like us – but your dog might want to be just like you, too. Research published in the Journal of Research in Personality surveyed over 1,600 dog parents. The dog parents were asked to evaluate their dogs’ personalities and answer questions about their dogs’ behavioral histories. The parents were also asked questions about their own personalities. Extroverted owners rated their dogs as more active and playful, while owners of more fearful dogs reported more negative emotions.
Ever felt like your pup has come to comfort you at just the right time, kissing your tears away when you truly needed them? They may have really understood you weren’t feeling yourself. Dogs can smell when you’re stressed, according to a study published in Plos One in September. Stress triggers physiological changes in humans’ sweat and breath that dogs can detect.
We all love puppy dog eyes, even when they’re used just to beg for an extra treat or apologize for a mess made. But puppy dog eyes may be much more intentional than we give dogs credit for. In a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science in 2019, researchers discovered that dogs have muscles around their eyes that help them make these expressions. Wolves don’t have these muscles, which implies dogs’ adorable expressions are evolutionary traits that helped them get along better with humans.
Bonding With Our Pups
If you don’t see obvious signs your dog loves you, don’t feel distressed. Each canine is different, and your dog may just have a different way of expressing themself. But if your dog is new to the home, or if you simply want a stronger relationship, there are plenty of ways to get on the best terms with your pup possible.
Interactive toys can help strengthen your bond with your pup, showing them you have an interest in their interests – playing! Petting your dog and increasing eye contact with them can also show canines that you’re both on the same page. If you’re looking to connect with your dog, it’s not the most expensive toys or treats that matter, it’s both the amount of time and the quality of the time you spend with them.
