Does My Dog Know I Love Him? How to Show Your Dog You Love Him

Does my dog know I love him? You shower your dog with treats, toys and lots of belly rubs in the hopes that the dog understand the intentions behind the actions. You adore your dog, but how do you know that the feeling has been translated into doggy-friendly language?

Luckily there are doggy experts that have been able to bridge the “language gap” between humans and their four-footed friends.

Learn How to Speak Dog

There are a few foolproof methods to make sure your dog feels loved and not just confused by the strange language you are speaking to it. In this case, actions really do speak louder than words!

#1 Ear Rubs Make Dogs High On Love

It’s not your imagination, your dog really zones out a bit after a few seconds of ear rubbing. The reason for this, is all the nerve endings found in your dog’s ears. By gently rubbing your dog’s ear, you are triggering the release of “happy hormones”, called endorphins. This potent hormone cocktail not only makes your dog feel giddy with love, it is also a natural painkiller. It’s a very easy and effective way to show your love for your dog in a tangible way that the dog will understand.

#2 Feed Your Dog By Hand

Experts recommend this technique to help puppies get rid of their food aggression. This also shows your dog that you are a food provider that it can trust. It’s a great way to build a strong and intimate bond with your dog. As your dog gets older, you can switch to using the hand feeding method to offer it treats during training.

#3 Train Your Dog

By using the modern training method of positive reinforcement, you can build a solid bond with your dog. Use a dog’s natural inclination to want to please its master and you can both reap the benefits from the training interaction. Take a moment to discover your dog’s favorite motivation reward such as a treat, words of praise or play time. It won’t be too difficult to spot, just look out for the highest level of excitement during training. Your dog will soon recognize you as the source of happiness.

#4 Speak Your Dog’s Language

Dogs are more similar to humans than we realize. For instance, some dogs love getting hugs and others detest it. Also, most dogs don’t like it when you approach them directly. Your dog’s body language will give away a lot of clues as to what’s going on in its head. By being able to read your dog’s body language and responding appropriately, the level of trust between you and your dog will skyrocket. Read this article to understand your dog’s body language.

#5 Just Tell Your Dog You Love Him

Studies have recently proved that dogs understand some human language. Dogs were monitored in an MRI scanner to study them at their happiest. The results proved that it was not only the praising tone that got them excited, but the actual words of praise triggered a happy reaction. The tone of your voice definitely helps, but your dog might be understanding much more than you think.

The Flipside: How Do You Know Your Dog Loves You?

Now that you know how to tell your dog that you love him, how do you know whether the feeling is reciprocated? Again some clever researchers have managed to decipher the cryptic code of dog language.

#1 Going Crazy When You Arrive Home

It’s the easiest way to spot a dog in love with its human, that overly enthusiastic greeting after you’ve only been gone for a couple of hours. Your dog’s crazy tail wagging, jumping and possibly barking is its way of telling you how awesome you are. But then you get the over-eager dogs that reacts like this, regardless of who walks through the door, so you might have to take the seemingly loving response with a pinch of salt.

#2 Specific Facial Expressions

Mostly people focus on a dog’s tail to figure out what the dog is feeling. But a dog actually has very distinct facial expressions that you can learn to read. One study found that when a dog sees its owner, the dog lifted its eyebrows (especially the left one) When spotting a stranger, the facial movement was much less and focused on the right side. Read this article to decode your dog’s facial expressions.

#3 Staring Lovingly At You

Dogs are very selective with their eye contact. They won’t look you straight in the eye if they don’t trust you. Studies have shown that when an owner and dog maintain eye contact, oxytocin is released in both human and animal brain. This is the hormone that establishes a bond between a new mother and her baby. Try building up prolonged eye contact with your dog. But do it slowly, otherwise the dog will start feeling intimidated.

#4 Yawns After You Yawned

You’ve heard the saying that yawning is contagious. But do you know why this is true? Psychologists have linked yawning to empathy. This is why you will most likely yawn after a friend of yours yawned in a conversation. Turns out, dogs are affected in the same way as humans by yawns. But dogs are little bit less generous with their empathy, they usually only mimic the yawn of their owners, not random strangers.

#5 Loves Sleeping or Cuddling with You

Doesn’t matter whether it’s just a short nap in the daytime on the couch, or at night when your dog insists on jumping on the bed with you. When a dog trusts you enough to sleep with you, it is a very good sign. It means that your dog senses that you are part of the same pack and accepts you as one of the in-crowd.

Does My Dog Know I Love Him? Share the Love

Dogs are usually unconditional in their love. You have to be a really terrible human being before your dog will decide not to love you. As long as you treat your dog with respect and use a loving approach in your training methods, your dog will lavish you with love.

Behavioral issues start popping up when a dog is mistreated. If a dog starts responding with an aggressive reaction, it means that the dog feels threatened and wants to protect itself. If a dog starts trashing the house or barking incessantly, it is usually an indication that the dog is frustrated and not receiving enough attention.

Treat your dog right and you will have a loyal companion for life. How do you know your dog loves you?