Dogs are pretty expressive pets. Ask any dog parent, and they’ll likely tell you they know their dog loves them. But how do dogs show their people love? Dogs show their affection in many ways – let’s explore some of them here.
Your Dog is Happy to See You
There’s nothing better than coming home to your dog greeting you at the door with his tail wagging happily. Maybe your dog shows he’s excited to see you by licking you or bringing you his favorite toy when you walk in the door. No matter how your dog shows his excitement to see you, this is an easy way to see that your dog adores you.
Your Dog Likes Your Scent
If your dog is bonded to you, he may seek out things with your scent to carry around. Your dog may choose to carry around one of your shoes or slippers or grab a dirty sock or shirt from the laundry basket. While this may not be the most desirable behavior, you can rest assured that your dog loves you.
Your Dog Seeks Physical Contact
One of the ways your dog shows love is by seeking physical contact with you. He might give you a cuddle, a nuzzle, or lean against you. When your dog seeks out physical contact with you, it means he feels secure, safe, and bonded to you. Allow your dog to seek out physical affection on his terms. As tempting as it might be, don’t force physical affection upon your dog. In other words, let him come to you for a cuddle rather than picking him up and snuggling him when you want to.
Your Dog Holds Eye Contact
You look deeply into someone’s eyes when you feel safe and have a strong bond with them. The same holds true for dogs. When your dog maintains eye contact with you, it means he feels safe, secure, and loved. Try maintaining natural eye contact with your dog when you cuddle or play with him. Don’t force eye contact as it will only make your dog feel uneasy.
Your Dog Sleeps Near You
Dogs sleep in packs naturally. When your dog sleeps near you, it’s a sign that he feels safe and secure.
Your Dog Asks for Belly Rubs
When a dog rolls over onto his back and exposes his tummy, he’s in a very vulnerable position. If your dog is asking for tummy rubs, it’s a definite sign that he trusts you and knows you won’t cause him any harm.
Your Dog Brings You Presents
Your dog may bring you one of his favorite toys to get you to play with him, but your dog may bring you a favorite toy just because he loves you and wants to share his prized possessions with you.
Your Dog “Kisses” You
When your dog licks you or gives you “kisses,” you know that he loves you. Did you know that dogs will lick the faces of other dogs in their pack they see as having a higher status than they do? When your dog licks you, he’s saying that he not only loves you and trusts you, but he also respects you as the one in charge.
As you can see, dogs show love to their humans in many ways. How does your dog show you he loves you? Please share with us in the comments!
Sierra M. Koester has been writing in the pet space since 2006. She runs the blog Fur Everywhere. She joined the awesome team at The Cat Blogosphere as Content Manager in June, 2022. She is currently working on editing her upcoming anthology, Purrseverance, a collection of stories about cats who have overcome challenges in their lives from their perspective. Sierra’s home is ruled by her two special needs cats, Carmine and Tylan, who are the center of Sierra’s world.
Bo does all of the above except the toys he doesn’t bring us his toys unless he wants to play. That might be a way of showing love but what he does is he gets on the sofa and sits up like an RCA dog and turns his head over backwards and waits for me to come behind the sofa and lean over and put my arms around him and hug him and kiss him and talk to him and whisper in his ear