All of the experts we spoke to say the biggest indicator that your dog really loves you is their need to be close to you. Dr. Michelle Dulake, DVM, says specific actions like your dog following you around, snuggling up to you and getting excited when you come home are huge signs of affection.
Phil Tedeschi, Director Emeritus and Founder of the Institute for Human-Animal Connection at the University of Denver, agrees that the best way to interpret a dog’s emotion is through their behavior. In particular, he says playtime can tell you a lot about your dog’s feelings toward you.
An entire chapter In “Wonderdog: The Science of Dogs and Their Unique Friendship with Humans” by science writer Jules Howard, is dedicated to play and its role in the animal-human bond. The book says a playful dog is a relaxed dog. Relaxation comes when a dog trusts you.
Plus, according to Dr. Gabre Denton, if your dog is relaxed around you, “it’s safe to say they’re very much experiencing love.”
Beyond play and proximity, dogs who sniff you, sleep next to you, follow you around and make eye contact with you are full of love for ya.
The Science Behind Dogs Showing Emotion
Humans and dogs have been buddies for millennia and we’ve spent many of those years trying to understand the science behind their actions and emotions. What we’ve learned recently is that canine brains react in ways akin to human brains during interactions with loved ones.
“The bond between dogs and their owners is very similar to the bond between parents and children,” Dr. Dulake says. We can thank oxytocin, sometimes referred to as the “love hormone,” for this. Studies have shown an increase in oxytocin levels in both humans and dogs after interactions with each other.
Tedeschi adds, “We know dogs share much of the same neurological structures as humans and that, when investigated, use the same parts of the brain as people do when feeling love and affection.” He notes that most animals have internal emotional lives, an idea based on the Belief in Animal Mind (BAM) theory, which essentially says animals of all kinds, even bugs, have minds of their own. In fact, earlier this year, 40 neurologists, philosophers, scientists and professors from around the world signed The New York Declaration on Animal Consciousness, a statement acknowledging consciousness, or the possibility of consciousness, in all animals—and even some invertebrates.
“There is ample reason to believe that your dog has an opinion about all kinds of issues, can feel jealousy and have emotions about fairness,” Tedeschi says.
However, Dr. Dulake warns against assuming a dog’s experience or display of love will mirror a human’s. She says, “While they may not have the same depth of emotional reasoning, they definitely feel deep emotional connections with us.” Those emotions may not manifest in an immediately identifiable way.
Finally, it’s worth noting that the biggest boost to oxytocin levels in dogs during a 2021 study from the University of Veterinary Medicine in Vienna, Austria, was…food. Not cuddles with bonded humans, but food. Why are we not surprised?
This post was originally published on this site be sure to check out more of their content.
