Your dog may show you they love you by bringing you a toy, carrying your stuff around, or leaning on you. These are the most common signs that a dog loves you. But there are several more ways dogs show love that may not be quite as obvious.
In this article, we’ll discuss 6 ways dogs show love and affection, and we’ll also talk about how to tell your dog you love them!
WATCH MY VIDEO: how dogs show love
6 Ways Dogs Show Love
How do dogs show love? Here are some of the ways your dog may be trying to tell you they love you!
1. Making Eye Contact. A dog will only sustain eye contact with people they love, trust and feel safe with.
2. Leaning Up Against You. If your dog leans up against you, it means they feel comfortable, safe and secure with you. They’ll also do this if they’re anxious or scared, but that just shows they see you as a protector.
3. Sleeping with You. Whether your dog sleeps in bed with you or in your bedrooom in their own bed, it shows they want to be close to you. It also means, from an instinctual, dog-pack mentality, that they’re loyal and don’t want to be separated from the pack.
4. They’re Happy When You Get Home. This is one of my favorite parts of dog ownership! Nothing says love like a dog who can hardly contain their excitement when we come home!
5. They Carry Your Stuff Around. Of course this isn’t great if they’re also chewing on your stuff, but the fact that they do this means they want to be close to you. If your dog tends to do this, you might try leaving one of your worn t-shirts in their dog bed when you leave. They’ll be comforted by it.
6. They Bring You a Toy. You should feel particularly honored if your dog brings you their favorite toy. Dogs will present their most beloved belongings to someone they see as their pack leader.
How Do Dogs Show Affection?
Dogs generally show affection the same way humans do, with physical contact. Your dog may show affection by leaning against you, always wanting to sit next to you, sleeping with you, or lying at your feet.
And of course snuggling or cuddling with you is an obvious sign of true affection (awwww….)
How to Tell Your Dog You Love Them
With our busy lives, it can sometimes be difficult to remember to make an effort to show our dog we love them. Here are 3 tips on how to show your dog you love them:
1. Food. We’re not just talking about providing nourishment or treats here. Try to make an effort to try different foods to see which your dog thrives on. You’ll know by their energy level, bright eyes, shiney coat and overall disposition.
While I think it’s important to feed our dogs the highest quality food, also know that it’s perfectly ok to choose the best dog food you can afford.
If you can afford fresh food for your dog, my recommendation is The Farmer’s Dog.
2. Don’t Make Coming and Going Such a Big Deal. Many dogs will become unsettled, anxious or even suffer from dog separation anxiety if they think your leaving (then finally! returning home) is a big deal.
Create a regular ritual when you leave the house – get your coat and shoes on, get your car keys. Then simply give your dog a pat on the head before you leave.
When you return, don’t immediately respond to their excitement. Instead, calmly put your coat away, take your shoes off, then greet them.
3. Keep Their Needs in Mind. As dog owners, we sometimes don’t realize that our dog needs more of something, or that they’re having some sort of issue they need our help with.
We need to make sure our dog’s basic needs are met such as keeping their food and water bowls clean and full, taking them outside often enough, making sure they get enough exercise, love, and time with us. Here’s some help with this…
Do Dogs Feel Love?
Check out Rover.com’s article, 12 Signs Your Dog Loves You and Why They Do. In that post, they discuss how to tell your dog loves you by looking for 12 ways they show you love!
How Much Do You Love Your Dog?
Professional Dog Trainer and Behavioral Specialist, Doggy Dan, owner of the dog training website, TheOnlineDogTrainer.com, has created a checklist that identifies five key areas all dog lovers need to pay attention to. How do you rate as a responsible dog owner?
Check out his list called, How Much Do You Love Your Dog Checklist to find out!
How Does Your Dog Show Love?
Please feel free to comment below to let me know what sorts of things your dog does to show you they love you!
If you also have a cat, check out my post, How Do Cats Show Love?
I Donate to Animal Charities
Thank you for visiting my website. I’m guessing you’re not surprised about the ways dogs show love. I’m sure you can add more to this list!
I donate 10% of my earnings on this website to animal charities. You can see a list of the charities I donate to here.
If you like this website, please share it with your friends who have a dog or a cat. Thank you! Debra
I loved this article. I am a dog lover,, I currently have two dogs and I enjoy reading about dogs in general. I am not a dog professional but it is really nice to know more things about them and how they behave.
Thanks for your post. It is very lovely:)
Certainly. I’m glad you enjoyed it. 🙂 Debra