Love and Companionship – The Strong Bond between Dogs and Humans
If you’ve ever loved a dog, you know the pure joy that your beloved fur baby brings into your life every day. The same is true for your dog – having you in their life and making you happy is what brings joy to their lives. Dogs know when something is quite right with you – if you’re upset for some reason, you’re angry or sad, and all they want to do is to try to fix it so you’ll be happy again.
Do Dogs Love Humans? The Human-Dog Bond
Yes, dogs really do love their humans! Research shows that dogs form strong emotional attachments with humans, a loving connection with you that’s as real as any other relationship you may have.
Dogs experience pleasure when in the company of their human. Just your scent alone is enough to make your dog happy. In MRI studies, researchers found that dogs experience a positive association when presented with their human companion’s scent as opposed to other scents.
Likely because dogs live so much in the present, they also have the ability to fall in love or bond easily with their human, which in part explains how a rescue can form a loving relationship with a new family. They don’t seem to experience the same level of trauma as a human would in being separated from their family. From personal experience, we know this is true, because both of our rescue dogs have formed strong loving relationships with each one of us.
What is the Science Behind the Human-Dog Bond?
Dogs seem to understand us in a way that no other animal and often other humans don’t. They are the only animal that will actually look you in the eye, in fact, if you pay attention, they actually spend a lot of time adoringly gazing at you.
The Role of Oxytocin
When dogs look into our eyes, and that mutual gaze happens, the “love” hormone, oxytocin, is released in both in the person and the dog. A similar thing happens when you pet or play with your dog. The longer the gaze, or the more you pet or play with your dog, the more of the hormone is released. When oxytocin is released, it positively influences a dog’s social behavior toward humans, resulting in an increase in the bond a dog feels toward their humans. Oxytocin increases trust, reduces blood pressure and stress and tends to calm both dogs and humans.
8 Ways Your Dog Tells You They Love You
Most dogs are clear when communicating their feelings of love for you. Some dogs are more demonstrative than others, but here are 8 of the more common signs.
- Looking into your eyes
- Being aware of when you’re coming home and excitedly greeting you
- Wagging their tail
- Sleeping in bed with you
- Leaning on you or touching you
- Bringing you toys
- Licking your face
- Snuggling with you
While these are just a few of the signs, we believe you know in your heart that your dog loves you. And your dog knows you love them! The bond and love you share has huge benefits for both you and your dog. Savor and nurture this relationship; it’s so important for both of you.